Boston Ballet to Present FIRST LOOK This Month

Boston Ballet presents a one-day-only performance, First Look, featuring new and returning dancers in Boston Ballet II (BBII), the Second Company, and select Boston Ballet School Summer Dance Program (SDP) students. SDP students will perform alongside BBII company members in a range of works curated to reflect the main Company's diverse repertoire.

First Look features the following new BBII hires for the 2016-17 season: Gabrielle Beach, Derek Drilon, Thomas Harrison, Sage Humphries, Graham Johns, Abigail Merlis, Clay Murray, Christian Pforr, Gabriela Schiefer, and Bella Ureta. They will be joined by returning BBII dancers Samuel Ainley, Angela Bishop, and Erin O'Dea, and select students from the Summer Dance Program. SDP students study ballet year-round at top pre-professional training programs around the globe, including The Royal Ballet School (London), the School of American Ballet (New York), and the American Ballet Theatre Jackie Kennedy Onassis School (New York), among others.

The performance is slated for Boston Ballet Headquarters, Studio 7, 19 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116 on Saturday, July 30 at 3 pm. Performance is 1 hour with no intermission.

First Look includes George Balanchine's rarely performed Haieff Divertimento, "an intimate, appealingly human gem" (Sarah Kaufman, The Washington Post). Haieff Divertimento will be staged by Nilas Martins, a former principal dancer with New York City Ballet (NYCB) who performed the work during his career with NYCB.

Other program highlights include excerpts from Twyla Tharp's As Time Goes By, staged by former Twyla Tharp Dance member and rehearsal director Richard Colton. As Time Goes By premiered by the Joffrey Ballet in 1973 and was the "revolutionary" choreographer's first work rooted in classical ballet vocabulary (Brian Seibert, The New York Times). A solo from Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo'sSlice to Sharp and a sampling of classical works: Tarantella from August Bournonville's Napoli and a pas de deux from Marius Petipa's renowned La Bayadère, will complete the program.

Tickets are $55 and can be purchased by calling the Boston Ballet Box Office at 617.695.6955. Tickets for First Look are not available for purchase online. More information can be found at www.bostonballet.org/first-look.

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 initiative programs, have made the institution a leader in its field, with a 52-year history of promoting excellence and access to dance.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen and Executive Director Max Hodges, the Company maintains a diverse repertoire, ranging from full-length ballets to new works by some of today's finest choreographers. Boston Ballet's Second Company, Boston Ballet II, is comprised of dancers who gain experience by performing with the Company and independently, presenting special programs to audiences throughout the Northeast.

Boston Ballet School, the official school of Boston Ballet, has a long-standing dedication to providing exceptional dance education and ballet training to students across three studios in Boston, Newton, and the North Shore. Led by Director Margaret Tracey, the School reaches more than 5,000 students (toddler to adult) each year through its four core programs: Children's Program, Classical Ballet Program, Adult Dance Program, and Pre-Professional Program.

Boston Ballet's Department of Education and Community Initiatives (ECI) provides programming, events, and activities that connect the community to dance. ECI reaches more than 6,000 individuals in Boston, North Shore, and the surrounding communities each year through Citydance, ECI on Location, Adaptive Dance, and other community programs.

Pictured: Derek Drilon; photo by Visual Arts Masters.

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