Boston Ballet To Debut In Paris

Presented by Productions Internationales Albert Sarfati, Boston Ballet will debut at the historic Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, France April 9-11. The program includes the European premiere of world-renowned choreographer William Forsythe's latest world premiere Playlist (EP), along with his Pas/Parts 2018 and Ji?í Kylián's Wings of Wax.

"Our debut in Paris is a major milestone for Boston Ballet," said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. "We are thrilled to showcase our company's artistry and versatility for the first time to Parisian audiences through the extraordinary choreography of William Forsythe and Ji?í Kylián."

William Forsythe's Playlist (EP) was created for Boston Ballet as part of the Full on Forsythe program which premiered on March 7 at the Boston Opera House and marked the first world premiere Forsythe created on an American company in 27 years. Playlist (EP) is "upbeat and every bit as rewarding" (Jeffrey Gantz, The Boston Globe) and set to an eclectic mix of hip-hop and R&B songs by Peven Everett, Abra, Lion Babe, Khalid, Barry White, and Natalie Cole.

Pas/Parts 2018 consists of 20 quick-paced divertissements of solos, duets, trios, quartets, and ensemble movements for 14 dancers set to a score by frequent Forsythe collaborator Thom Willems. The work is visually striking with costume design by Stephen Galloway and scenic design by Forsythe. Galloway had a celebrated 25-year career in ballet and dance where he became a principal dancer with Forsythe's Ballet Frankfurt. Since 1997, he has been the creative and movement consultant for The Rolling Stones. Pas/Parts 2018 will return to its birthplace, as Forsythe originally choreographed it for Paris Opera Ballet in 1999. He revised it in 2016 for San Francisco Ballet and 2018 for Boston Ballet.

William 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. Forsythe is considered one of the most relevant artists in the world and has produced a wide-ranging body of work that continues to be commissioned by the world's most prestigious companies.

Ji?í Kylián's hauntingly beautiful Wings of Wax features a score by musical giants Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, John Cage, Philip Glass, and J.S Bach. The title evokes the Greek myth of Icarus, whose father built wings of wax and feathers to help them escape imprisonment. When giving a pair to his son, he cautioned that flying too close to the sun would melt the wax. But Icarus became ecstatic with his new ability and soon forgot his father's warning. The feathers came unglued and Icarus plunged into the ocean. Kylián's choreography is "no mystery, not when his couples entwine in languid, liquid dialogues of freedom and imprisonment, manipulation and mortality." (Jeffrey Gantz, The Boston Globe)

Ji?í Kylián served as artistic director of Nederlands Dans Theater from 1978 to 1999 and resident choreographer until 2009. As resident choreographer, he created 74 ballets, ranging from lyrical works to abstract, often surrealistic ballets. This month, Kylián will be inaugurated to the Académie des Beaux Arts, one of the five Academies that make up the Institut de France.

Touring has been a vital part of Boston Ballet's identity from its earliest years. Nissinen continues the legacy of critically-acclaimed national and international tours, including in New York, Washington, D.C., Korea, London, Finland, and now Paris. For more information, visit bostonballet.org.

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