Boston Ballet Presents rEVOLUTION

Boston Ballet's 2019-2020 spring season opens with rEVOLUTION, a dynamic program showcasing three choreographers who transformed the world of ballet: George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and William Forsythe. rEVOLUTION runs Feb 27-Mar 8 at the Citizens Bank Opera House.

"At Boston Ballet, I take great pride in the Company showcasing revolutionary works by pioneering choreographers," said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. "These choreographers-Balanchine, Forsythe, and Robbins-evolved the artform, forever changing the future of ballet."

Considered the "father of American ballet," George Balanchine ignited a revolution with his distinctly modern approach to choreography. Set to original music by renowned composer Igor Stravinsky, Balanchine's Agon is often referred to as the apex of their many collaborations and storied friendship. Balanchine and Stravinsky outlined the structure of the ballet during the creation of the music, and the movements are named after French court dances. The outline of the score specifies in detail the basic movements for 12 dancers dressed in simple black and white costumes. Premiered by the New York City Ballet in 1957 and conducted by Stravinsky himself, Agon "was a work in which everyone could see that modernism had never gone so far before" (The New York Times). The original pas de deux cast, Arthur Mitchell and Diana Adams, was unprecedented at the time because Mitchell was black and Adams was white. Mitchell said, "my skin color against hers, it became part of the choreography" (Pointe Magazine). Mitchell is considered one of the most important black dancers in the history of American ballet. Boston Ballet last performed Agon in 1991.

Balanchine (1904-1983) was one of the 20th century's most prolific choreographers. He created more than 400 works throughout his career and is celebrated widely for his signature "neoclassical style" that transformed the ballet world. Born in St. Petersburg, Balanchine came to the United States in 1933 following a career throughout Europe, including serving as ballet master for Ballet Russes. He established the School of American Ballet and ultimately New York City Ballet, where he was Ballet Master and Principal Choreographer. Balanchine also played a vital role in establishing Boston Ballet, serving as artistic advisor to the Company in the early 1960s.

Stravinsky (1882-1971) was a Russian-born composer. His work revolutionized musical thought and is widely known as the greatest composer of the 20th century. His other works include The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring, which became legendary ballets. Stravinsky's many collaborations with George Balanchine are considered as important to dance in the 20th century as Tchaikovsky's and Petipa's had been in the 19th century.

Jerome Robbins' Glass Pieces captures the heart and energy of metropolitan life with choreography set to music by Philip Glass. The ballet's score pulls from the opera Akhnaten along with Glass's Rubric and Façades, both from his album Glassworks. Glass Pieces, which premiered in 1983, plays with recurrent rhythms to create intricate patterns for the ensemble of 42 dancers. Boston Ballet's Assistant Artistic Director Russell Kaiser performed Glass Pieces with New York City Ballet under the direction of Robbins and is now coaching Boston Ballet dancers on Robbins' distinctive style and aesthetic.

Robbins (1918-1998) is world-renowned for his work as a choreographer of more than 60 ballets as well as his work as a director and choreographer in theater, movies, and television. His Broadway shows include On the Town, Billion Dollar Baby, West Side Story, The King and I, Gypsy, Peter Pan, and Fiddler on the Roof. His last Broadway production in 1989, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, won six Tony Awards including best musical and best director.

Forsythe's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated was created for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1987 after Rudolf Nureyev invited him to create the work. It was an immediate global sensation and is considered "the work that changed ballet forever" (The Guardian). The premiere put Forsythe on the map and garnered him the international recognition that ignited his career. The work features nine dancers and is set to an electronic score by Forsythe's longtime collaborator, Thom Willems. The work's title refers to the minimalist design of the performance space, which features a simple, black stage, accented by two golden cherries that are suspended "in the middle, somewhat elevated." The work was first performed by Boston Ballet in 2002, and it was the first work Nissinen programmed for the Company shortly after he was appointed artistic director. In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated makes its return to Boston for the first time since 2005.

Forsythe is "widely recognized as one of the most important choreographers working today" (Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times), and his work has been performed by virtually every major ballet company in the world. Forsythe danced with the Joffrey Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet, where he was appointed Resident Choreographer in 1976. In 1984, he began a 20-year tenure as director of Ballet Frankfurt. He later served as the director of The Forsythe Company-a new, independent ensemble based in Dresden and Frankfurt am Main, Germany-which he directed from 2005 to 2015. Boston Ballet established a long-term partnership with Forsythe in 2016. In 2019, Boston Ballet performed the record-breaking Full on Forsythe program, which included Forsythe's Pas/Parts 2018, Blake Works I, and the world premiere of Playlist (EP). Boston audiences also had the unique opportunity to experience the full breadth of Forsythe's work-both on the stage and in the galleries-with Forsythe's Choreographic Objects at The Institute of Contemporary Art, which included room-size interactive sculptures that invited the viewer to engage with the fundamental ideas of choreography.

All performances of rEVOLUTION take place at the Citizens Bank Opera House (539 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111):

Thursday, February 27 at 7:30 pm
Friday, February 28 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, February 29 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 1 at 1:30 pm
Thursday, March 5 at 7:30 pm
Friday, March 6 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 7 at 1:30 pm
Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 pm*
Sunday, March 8 at 1:30 pm

*Indicates post-show talk

Tickets start at $37. For more information, visit bostonballet.org, or call 617.695.6955.

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