World Premiere by Nanine Linning and Justin Peck & More Announced for Boston Ballet 2022-2023 Season
The season opens with a dynamic program featuring works by George Balanchine, Helen Pickett, and Stephen Galloway.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz May. 16, 2022
Boston Ballet has announced programming for the 2022-2023 season, celebrating the return to the human experience of dance with a full six-program season for the first time since the 2019-2020 season. These six programs reflect different aspects of the human condition-courage, imagination, devotion-and remind us that dance is personal. It's how we explore ourselves and our world; make space for beauty; and discover what moves us.
The season opens with a dynamic program featuring works by George Balanchine, Helen Pickett, and Stephen Galloway. Next is an all-William Forsythe program, including a world premiere by the world-renowned choreographer. Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker returns to enchant audiences during the holiday season. The spring season opens with Rudolf Nureyev's Don Quixote and continues with an insightful program featuring a world premiere by Nanine Linning and Justin Peck's Everywhere We Go. The season concludes with Marius Petipa's The Sleeping Beauty. The Company's 59th season runs October 6, 2022 through June 4, 2023 at the Citizens Bank Opera House.
"Our exciting season ahead includes ballets that ask us to dream bigger, dig deeper, and connect more intimately with the art on stage," said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. "I am thrilled to show our audiences the humanity and raw beauty of our dancers with this incredibly diverse repertoire by some of the best choreographers of the past and present."
The season opens with My Obsession (October 6-16), a program that explores our obsessions, devotions, and idols, featuring George Balanchine's Apollo and Allegro Brillante, Helen Pickett's aeoe?a?oeTsukiyo, and the return of Stephen Galloway's DEVIL'S/eye. Balanchine's legendary Apollo brings humanity to Greek mythology, demonstrating an artistic coming of age for the title character, as well as Balanchine himself. His Allegro Brillante is a 16-minute work of pure dance. Featuring the vigorous tempo of Tchaikovsky's Third Piano Concerto, the work showcases the dancers' athletic ability to perform difficult choreography with detailed timing. Pickett's aeoe?a?oeTsukiyo returns to the stage where it first premiered in 2009. Set to music by Arvo Pärt, this intimate duet is based on the Japanese fable "The Woodcutter's Daughter." Returning by popular demand is Galloway's DEVIL'S/eye. Set to music by The Rolling Stones, this electrifying ballet made its world premiere with Boston Ballet in March 2022.
As Anticipated (November 3-13) features a brand-new work by internationally-acclaimed choreographer William Forsythe alongside his Artifact Suite, which showcases the athleticism and musicality of the Company. A shorter version of Forsythe's 1984 evening-length Artifact, the ballet preserves all the original ballet's power and innovation. As Anticipated highlights Forsythe's 38-year career and encapsulates his revolutionary style, and is a continuation of Forsythe and Boston Ballet's long-term partnership formed in 2016.
Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker (November 25-December 31) returns to delight audiences during the holiday season. The critically-acclaimed production features costumes and sets by award-winning designer Robert Perdziola and the renowned score by Tchaikovsky. Named as the "gold standard" (The Boston Globe), The Nutcracker remains a beloved tradition for audiences of all ages.
Opening the spring season is Rudolf Nureyev's Don Quixote (March 16-26). The sparkling wit of Miguel de Cervantes' classic novel is brought to life with virtuosic choreography by Rudolf Nureyev and a spirited score by Ludwig Minkus. With spectacular sets, swirling skirts, and a colorful cast of characters, this heartwarming tale of romance and chivalry is pure fun for the whole family. Don Quixote returns to Boston Ballet for the first time since 2012.
Our Journey (April 6-16) is a program that reflects our curiosity about the world and our shared desire for human connection. Choreographer Nanine Linning will create a world premiere set to Debussy's sweeping La Mer. Linning choreographed the visually theatrical dance film La Voix Humaine for Boston Ballet's virtual season in 2021. Justin Peck's Everywhere We Go features a cast of 25 dancers set to a nine-movement orchestral score composed by GRAMMY and Academy Award nominee Sufjan Stevens. With costumes by former New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Janie Taylor, sets by Brooklyn-based artist and architect Karl Jensen, and lighting by Peck's frequent collaborator and Boston Ballet's Lighting Director Brandon Stirling Baker, Everywhere We Goa??premiered at NYCB's 2014 Spring Gala.
One of the Company's trademark works, The Sleeping Beauty, closes out the season May 25-June 4. The iconic production, by Marius Petipa with additional choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton, tells the timeless tale of a beautiful princess and the power of true love's kiss. The ballet is a spectacular achievement of classical choreography, set to music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky with sumptuous sets and costumes by Emmy Award-winning designer David Walker.
Tickets for the 2022-2023 season including The Nutcracker will go on sale to the public August 23. Subscriptions will be available to renew or purchase starting May 17. For more information, visit bostonballet.org or call 617.695.6955.
Boston Ballet continues to evaluate its health and safety practices on an ongoing basis in accordance with CDC guidelines and the City of Boston. Details for the protocols for the 2022-2023 season will be posted at bostonballet.org when available.
All performances take place at the Citizens Bank Opera House (539 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02111):
My Obsession | October 6-16, 2022
Apollo
Choreography by George Balanchine The George Balanchine Trust
Music by Igor Stravinsky
Allegro Brillante
Choreography by George Balanchine The George Balanchine Trust
Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
aeoe?a?oeTsukiyo
Choreography by Helen Pickett
Music by Arvo Pärt
DEVIL'S/eye
Choreography by Stephen Galloway
Music by The Rolling Stones
As Anticipated | November 3-13, 2022
World Premiere
Choreography by William Forsythe
Artifact Suite
Choreography by William Forsythe
Music by Eva Crossman-Hecht and Johann Sebastian Bach
The Nutcracker | November 25-December 31, 2022
Choreography by Mikko Nissinen
Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Don Quixote | March 16-26, 2023
Choreography by Rudolf Nureyev
Music by Ludwig Minkus
Our Journey | April 6-16, 2023
World Premiere
Choreography by Nanine Linning
Music by Claude Debussy
Everywhere We Go
Choreography by Justin Peck
Music by Sufjan Stevens
The Sleeping Beauty | May 25-June 4, 2023
Choreography by Marius Petipa
Production by Ninette de Valois, after the 1939 production by Nicholas Sergeyev
with additional choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton
Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
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