Boston Ballet Presents BB@YOURHOME: THE ART OF CLASSICAL BALLET

Boston Ballet is presenting BB@yourhome: The Art of Classical Ballet, an approximately one-hour long program featuring a curated look at the foundations of the artform with excerpts from classical ballet favorites newly filmed in the studio. The Art of Classical Ballet premieres on March 25 and will be available until April 4. Subscribers will receive a streaming link prior to the premiere.

"This program resembles a special, mini gala, showcasing a wide variety of iconic and a few seldom seen masterpieces captured with all new footage," said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. "The audience will experience a breadth of classical ballet excerpts and see the dancers excel and shine in this challenging choreography."

The Art of Classical Ballet features pas de deux and solos from classical ballet favorites, including Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, Raymonda, and The Sleeping Beauty, along with variations from Gayane, Coppélia, Satanella, August Bournonville's Jockey Dance and William Tell, and Serge Lifar's Suite en Blanc. Highlights from Swan Lake include variations from Odette, Odile, Prince Siegfried, Tall Swans, and the Pas de Cinq. Nissinen's Swan Lake made its world premiere in 2014 and returned in 2016 by popular demand. His production "vividly showcase[s] the company's excellent depth and range" (Karen Campbell, The Boston Globe). Swan Lake is set to an iconic score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Former Paris Opera Ballet Premiere Danseuse Karin Averty was engaged as a guest rehearsal director to stage and coach much of the repertoire. Avery will join Nissinen in conversation about the program. Throughout her illustrious career, Averty performed a vast repertoire of classical ballets. Averty joined the Paris Opera Ballet in 1979 at age 16, and in 1983 she was promoted to Premiere Danseuse. Under Artistic Director Rudolf Nureyev, Averty performed leading roles in his versions of Raymonda, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and La Bayadere. In 1987, Averty joined San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer and returned to the Paris Opera Ballet in 1988. Since 2009, she has been a freelance ballet teacher and coach for ballet companies, universities, and ballet schools. In 2016, she joined the faculty of American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.

Boston Ballet's virtual season features new creations, signature works, and classical ballet favorites captured live in-studio. Dancers have been rehearsing under a new health and safety plan, which was developed in partnership with a team of medical professionals and infectious disease specialists.

The final BB@yourhome, Process & Progress, will premiere on May 13. The program features innovative and never-before-seen dance by international choreographic voices Nanine Linning and Ken Ossola.

For more information on BB@yourhome, please visit bostonballet.org.

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