After returning from the historic debut in Paris, which received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, Boston Ballet is proud to announce a varied schedule of tours and appearances this year, starting with debut performances at Boston Calling Music Festival in May 2019, followed by Jacob’s Pillow in August, and ending at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario in November.
“Touring is a vital part of Boston Ballet and it gives us the chance to present our work to new audiences,” said Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. “I am thrilled to return to the National Arts Centre and Jacob’s Pillow, while also showcasing our artistry in our home city at Boston Calling.”
On May 25 and May 26 Boston Ballet will debut at Boston Calling Music Festival, performing—both on the Green stage and in the festival’s Arena—an excerpt from William Forsythe’s Playlist (EP) along with Final by former Principal Dancer Yury Yanowsky, and a new work choreographed by Boston Ballet dancer Sage Humphries. Playlist (EP) premiered as part of Boston Ballet’s Full on Forsythe program in March. This performance will feature a pas de deux set to Khalid’s “Location”. Yanowsky’s new work for two dancers is set to Wilsen’s “Final”, a song featured on the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. Yury Yanowsky performed with Boston Ballet for over twenty years and is now a faculty member at Harvard University. Sage Humphries’ new work is a tribute to rock and roll. It features music by Future Self, who is Humphries’ brother Michael. She joined Boston Ballet II in 2016 and then Boston Ballet in 2017. Celebrating its 10th edition, Boston Calling brings together some of the most talented artists around the world to showcase music, dance, performance, and visual arts.
Returning after more than a decade, Boston Ballet will perform at Jacob’s Pillow August 21–25. Performances include Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo’s Bach Cello Suites, Rodin and Pas de Quatre, rarely seen works by Soviet-era choreographer Leonid Yakobson, and excerpts from Forsythe’s Playlist (EP). Bach Cello Suites, which premiered in 2015, features 10 dancers set to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suites Nos. 1 & 2, with solo cellist Sergey Antonov performing onstage. Rodin, set to music of Claude Debussy and Allen Berg, is inspired by the works of French Sculptor August Rodin and it first premiered in 1958 by the Kirov Ballet. In 1845, choreographer Jules Perrot created Pas de Quatre for the Romantic era’s finest ballerinas—Marie Taglioni, Fanny Cerrito, Carlotta Grisi, and Lucille Grahn. Each of the variations showcased the dancers’ specific talents while amplifying rivalries among them. This version was performed just four times. In 1971, Yakobson created his own version of Pas de Quatre, but this choreography created a sense of sisterhood between the dancers, where the four women link arms and move together as one.
Boston Ballet will return November 7–9 to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, performing Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free, Principal Dancer Paulo Arrais’ ELA, Rhapsody in Blue, and Forsythe’s Blake Works I. Fancy Free is the first ballet Robbins ever choreographed and is set to iconic music by Leonard Bernstein. The 1940s Broadway-infused ballet depicts sailors on shore leave in New York City. Set to George Gershwin’s jazzy score, ELA, Rhapsody in Blue will make its world premiere as part of Boston Ballet’s Rhapsody program in May, marking Arrais’ first piece choreographed for the Company’s main season. Blake Works I features 21 dancers set to music from GRAMMY-nominated British musician James Blake’s album “The Colour in Anything.” Boston Ballet last performed at the National Arts Centre in 2009.
For more information about Boston Ballet’s upcoming tours, please visit bostonballet.org/tour.