Three new dancers join the main Company and ten new dancers join Boston Ballet II.
Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen has announced the 2024–2025 season roster. The Company includes a diverse roster of 68 professional dancers from around the world. Three new dancers join the main Company, 10 new dancers join Boston Ballet II (BBII), Boston Ballet's Second Company, and 10 Boston Ballet dancers received promotions for the upcoming season.
“I am thrilled to welcome talented artists from around the world and look forward to working with them and supporting their growth. As Artistic Director, it's a pleasure to feature a diverse roster of dancers in Boston Ballet's vibrant collection of programs that celebrates elegant contrasts, exquisite technique, and stunning live music.” said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen.
Thirty-two percent of the Company self-identifies as BIPOC or multi-racial and the roster has representation from 14 nationalities from South Korea, Russia, Japan, China, Cuba, Bulgaria, Georgia, Spain, Latvia, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, and the United States. BBII alumni comprise 42 percent of the Company.
Boston Ballet welcomes three new dancers to the Company: Evelina Godunova as a soloist and Alexis Workowski and Sam Stampleman as artists of the Company.
Nissinen also previously announced the following promotions. Second Soloists Daniel Durrett and Lauren Herfindahl have been promoted to the rank of soloist and Artists Kaitlyn Casey and Courtney Nitting have been promoted to the rank of second soloist. Boston Ballet II dancers Emily Aston, Alexa Malone, Wesley Miller, Alexander Nicolosi, Sydney Santo Domingo, and Samuel Yuan have been promoted to artists of the Company.
New dancers to join BBII include Madeline Austin, Natalia Cardona, Minseo Chung, Ethan Clarisey, Michael Dadlez, Kallie Green, Pavel Kulev, Sophia Jones, Layla Porter, and Olivia Santos.
“We are dedicated to the development of our dancers, by not only exposing them to a wide range of repertoire but also the vision and values of Boston Ballet” said Nissinen. “It is crucial to invest in the development of dancers and nurture their growth as an artist in the studio and beyond.”
For full biographies, visit bostonballet.org.
On stage at the Citizens Opera House.
Since 1963, Boston Ballet's internationally acclaimed performances of classical, neo-classical, and contemporary ballets, combined with a dedication to world-class dance education and community engagement, have made the institution a leader in its field, with a 61-year history of promoting excellence and access to dance.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen and Executive Director Ming Min Hui, the Company, made up of 67 dancers and 14 nationalities, performs a diverse and acclaimed repertoire ranging from full-length classical ballets to masterworks by George Balanchine, and new works and world premieres by today's finest contemporary choreographers.
The New York Times hailed Boston Ballet's repertoire as “one of the most eclectic in the country,” and as having dancers that are “striking by national and international standards.” Boston Ballet's repertoire combines timeless classics such as Marius Petipa's The Sleeping Beauty, Sir Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, Rudolf Nureyev's Don Quixote, August Bournonville's La Sylphide, Mikko Nissinen's Swan Lake and Raymonda, John Cranko and John Neumeier ballets, with the imaginative visions of today's most innovative choreographers including Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo, as well as William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Crystal Pite, Akram Khan, Wayne McGregor, Christopher Wheeldon, and Helen Pickett. In 2016, Boston Ballet began a partnership with internationally renowned choreographer William Forsythe and presented his full-length Artifact in 2017, and the world premieres of his Playlist (EP) in 2019 and Blake Works III (The Barre Project) in 2022.
The Company performs its full Boston season of six programs at the historic, 2,500-seat Citizens Opera House. Under Mikko Nissinen's directorship, Boston Ballet's national and international touring engagements have included Paris, New York City's Lincoln Center, Washington DC's Kennedy Center, London Coliseum, Helsinki, Spain, Ottawa's National Arts Center, and Seoul, Korea.
Boston Ballet's Second Company, Boston Ballet II, gains experience performing with the Company and independently. Boston Ballet School provides exceptional dance training across three studios, reaching more than 5,000 students each year through its many core programs. Community education programs engage more than 4,000 individuals in Boston and surrounding regions.
For more information, please visit bostonballet.org.
Videos