Boston Ballet Presents ChoreograpHER in March

Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen announces ChoreograpHER, a female-led program celebrating innovative women across creative fields including choreography, music, design, and visual art. The program will feature five world premieres by New York City Ballet Principal Dancer and choreographer Tiler Peck, choreographer Claudia Schreier, visual artist Shantell Martin, Boston Ballet Principal Dancer and choreographer Lia Cirio, and choreographer Melissa Toogood. Each female choreographer brings her own unique perspective to the program, creating an evening that honors the variety of creative expression each woman possesses.

ChoreograpHER runs March 3-13 at the Citizens Bank Opera House. Additionally, this program will be filmed live at the Citizens Bank Opera House and available to stream March 17-27 as part of Boston Ballet's virtual season.

"This boundary-breaking program is sure to excite our audiences, with five world premieres by five incredible female artmakers," said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. "Boston Ballet launched the ChoreograpHER Initiative in 2018 to amplify female voices. While this mainstage program is the culmination of the work over the past four years, it is also just the start of Boston Ballet highlighting innovative female artists."

Ballet phenomenon, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, and choreographer Tiler Peck will build a brand-new work Point of Departure, pulling inspiration from music composed by Caroline Shaw. Peck recently received accolades for her choreography at Vail International Dance Festival and for the film John Wick 3: Parabellum.

"I am extremely grateful to Mikko for giving me my first opportunity to choreograph on a major ballet company. Working with the Boston Ballet dancers has been an absolute delight that has both challenged and inspired me as a choreographer in the studio. Most importantly, I want to applaud Mikko on his efforts to support female choreographers. This is a matter I truly believe deserves attention and care, and by creating this ChoreograpHER program, Mikko has shown his commitment to finding and amplifying more female voices. I am honored to be on the program surrounded by such talented women and cannot wait to watch all of the other works," Peck said.

Claudia Schreier brings her distinctive choreographic voice to Boston audiences, fusing together neoclassical technique with a contemporary vocabulary. She has choreographed over 30 ballets and her work has been commissioned by companies and organizations including Dance Theatre of Harlem, Vail International Dance Festival, American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Juilliard Opera, New York Choreographic Institute, and Joffrey Winning Works.

"I am thrilled to create a new work for Boston Ballet. The Company is rich in talent, passion, and drive, and it is an honor to work with an esteemed institution that prides itself equally on professionalism and kindness," Schreier said.

Visual artist Shantell Martin-internationally-acclaimed for her landscape of lines and existential questions-will create her first choreographic work. The multi-talented artist brings a playful approach to the stage and inspires audiences to tap into their own creativity. Her new work Kites pulls inspiration from the idea that a kite can represent a life that's traveled, and its string is the memory between the past and the future.

"It's been an absolute pleasure working with Boston Ballet, especially when you're venturing into the unknown as I was coming from a visual artist's perspective into movement. It was really important and fulfilling for me to be able to do this with the support and talent of everyone from the dancers to Mikko Nissinen, who trusted me and gave me the confidence to create," said Martin.

Principal Dancer and choreographer Lia Cirio will create her first main stage work for the Company titled Chaptered in Fragments. Cirio participated in BB@home: ChoreograpHER in 2018 and 2019. She also created the peppermint wind for Boston Ballet School's Next Generation in 2019.

"It is an honor to create with and choreograph on my Boston Ballet colleagues. These dancers are my family and, in my opinion, are of the highest caliber of dancers in the world. I started choreographing when Mikko approached me to join the ChoreograpHER program. I never thought of myself as a choreographer, but I am grateful for an Artistic Director who challenges us. This is my third piece for the Company and my first for the main stage. Creating Chaptered in Fragments began during a time when everything was very uncertain. We were not even sure if we could touch or be close to one another. Because of the pandemic and our rehearsal schedules, choreographing this work has been fragmented, sort of stop and start. Each time I come back to this piece, to rehearse or to add to it, the dancers and I have changed and evolved. Instead of fighting this fact, I have learned to embrace it and grow from it. In turn, the work has evolved and changed with each chapter of our lives during this unusual period," Cirio said.

Melissa Toogood brings the authentic voice of the American modern dance legacy to Boston with her world premiere. She is an award-winning dancer and choreographer of the highest caliber and represents modern dance today like no one else. Toogood is both a dancer and rehearsal director for Pam Tanowitz Dance. She was a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and has taught Cunningham Technique internationally since 2007.

"I'm an accomplished dancer and teacher, but I'm not comfortable with the title choreographer. Ultimately, I couldn't turn down an opportunity to try and create something with such a talented Company of dancers. We had a very meaningful exchange in the studio together, and I think that will come through in their performances," Toogood said.

Adding to the lineup of inspiring female voices is writer, researcher, and artist Emma McCormick-Goodhart, who was commissioned to create a manifesto for the program.

Boston Ballet's ChoreograpHER Initiative establishes a model for female dance students and professional dancers to develop choreographic skills and invests in new, innovative works by female artists. The initiative includes choreographic workshops for Boston Ballet School students, annual BB@home: ChoreograpHER programs featuring works by female Company dancers, and now the mainstage ChoreograpHER program.

ChoreograpHER is also available to stream March 17-27 as part of Boston Ballet's virtual subscription package. The virtual season includes five programs, including two mainstage programs, ChoreograpHER and Swan Lake, filmed live at the Citizens Bank Opera House.

All patrons attending a live, indoor Boston Ballet performance must present proof of vaccination or proof of a recent negative COVID test before entering the venue. Health requirements differ by age in accordance with the City of Boston's B Together mandate. In addition, all audience members must wear masks inside the theater at all times, regardless of age or vaccination status. Please note, we are not socially distancing the theater. For full policy details, please visit bostonballet.org.

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