Boston Ballet : eNews April 2007

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April 2007

CLASSIC BALANCHINE
May 3-6, 2007
Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre

The breadth and depth of George Balanchine's genius are underscored in three remarkable works featured on Boston Ballet's Classic Balanchine program: Ballo della Regina; La Valse, a company premiere; and The Four Temperaments.

"One of the most exciting aspects of this program is that these three ballets are not only great works, but they are so different from each other," said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. "Ballo della Regina is a fun, bravura piece. La Valse is romantic and mysterious. And The Four Temperaments is one of the finest pieces of neo-classicism ever choreographed. This ballet turned 60 last year and is as contemporary as any work of recent vintage." 4 days only!

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SEASON FINALE: GISELLE

Giselle is the crowning achievement of the Romantic era of ballet, the most poetic of all nineteenth-century full-length works. When Boston Ballet danced Maina Gielgud's production of Giselle in 2002, the critics responded with rapturous reviews. "Gielgud's staging of the mid-19th-century classic is both traditional and profound," Christine Temin wrote in The Boston Globe. The production returns for a two-week run that closes out the season, May 10-20 at the Wang Theatre.

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DANCER MUSICIANS

The first Boston Ballet School Musicians Concert was held on March 11 in Studio 7 at the Boston Studio. Twenty-seven students from the entire School body, ranging in age from 4-18, performed classical pieces on a variety of instruments for parents, friends, and faculty, who were amazed by the extraordinary musical talent exhibited by these young dancers. Alex Foaksman, Boston Ballet School accompanist, conceived of and coordinated the concert, which was such a success that the Center for Dance Education plans to make it an annual event.

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HONORING MIKKO NISSINEN

Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen will receive a Leadership Award from the United Nations Association of Greater Boston at its annual Consuls Ball on April 27. Each year the board of directors of the UNA-GB honors international citizens who are outstanding in their field and who have made a valuable contribution to the Boston community. The Ball helps raise funds for UN/Global Classrooms, a program in local inner-city schools.

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BALLET CLASS WITH KATHERINE HARTSELL

Want to study ballet with a professional dancer? Katherine Hartsell, a member of the corps de ballet, will teach ballet class at Healthworks, Cambridge on Monday, April 23, 7:30-8:30 pm. A reception follows. Free for members, $20 for non-members. For more information, or to RSVP, contact Channing Thigpen, cthigpen@healthworksfitness.com.

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BOSTON BALLET II: HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE

Boston Ballet II has a busy schedule in April. Among the highlights are a performance at the JFK Library on Apr. 12, Dance on the Top Floor at Boston Ballet's Studio 7 on Apr. 22, and two performances at George Mason University in Washington, DC during the weekend of Apr. 27. "Each of these engagements provides the dancers with different challenges that will help them grow as they prepare for a professional career," said Bonnie Mathis, director of BBII. "Dance on the Top Floor is a showcase for new choreography in an intimate setting. At the JFK Library, there will be seats on all sides of the stage, so the dancers will be challenged by having multiple fronts. And at George Mason University, BBII is performing with professional dancers from The Washington Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, The Joffrey Ballet and Princeton Ballet, which is very exciting."

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BOSTON BALLET AT KENNEDY CENTER IN 2008

Boston Ballet will participate in the Kennedy Center's 2007-2008 Ballet Across America Festival, a showcase for important companies and choreographers from around the United States. The Festival, which will take place June 10-15, 2008, will present a total of nine companies; Boston Ballet will dance a work by Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo. Read the press release.

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FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

The Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama might feel a bit like a casino royale on April 14. That's the night Boston Ballet holds its annual black-tie ball to benefit the Company, and co-chairs Angela Koutoulakis, Ruth Littlechild and Lisa Pierpont have created a James Bond theme. This year's event, For Your Eyes Only, will feature a one-time-only performance of a ballet choreographed for the occasion by corps de ballet member Melissa Hough. A few tickets and tables are still available. Come dance the night away, enjoy a great meal, and participate in a lively auction. For more information, contact Nevart Hamamjian, director of special events, at 617.456.6242.

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DANCERS ON DANCING: 5 Questions for Melanie Atkins

Melanie Atkins, a native of Reading, England, trained at Walnut Hill School of the Arts after her family moved from England to Massachusetts. She danced with Fort Worth Dallas Ballet before joining Miami City Ballet in 1997, where she rose to the rank of principal dancer. She later went on to dance at Alberta Ballet before joining Boston Ballet as a soloist in 2002. Her repertory includes Marius Petipa's The Sleeping Beauty (Lilac Fairy, The Countess) and Raymonda, Act III; Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker; August Bournonville's La Sylphide; James Kudelka's Cinderella (Stepsister, Twig);Val Caniparoli's Lady of the Camellias (Marguerite) and Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion; George Balanchine's Prodigal Son, Serenade, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Monumentum/Movements, Duo Concertant, and Rubies; Helen Pickett's Etesian; Jorma Elo's Plan to B, Bronislava Nijinska's Les Noces; and Jiøí Kylián's Falling Angels. Atkins is married to Soloist Sabi Varga.

Q. What was the first ballet you danced as a professional?
A. I was hired by Fort Worth Dallas Ballet to dance Serenade because the company didn't have enough dancers. I thought it was one of the most beautiful ballets, and it's still one of my all-time favorites.

Q. What is your favorite ballet to perform?
A. There are three that I think of immediately. Serenade is one of my favorites, and Duo Concertant is another. I've always loved Balanchine, and those two ballets in particular feel very free when you dance them. The music is beautiful and the lighting is beautiful. They're very intense, exhausting ballets, and you feel like you've accomplished something when you've danced them. I also really enjoyed Val's Lady of the Camellias. It's a full-length ballet, very dramatic, and I have a wonderful death scene at the end, which is really fun to do.

Q. What is your favorite ballet to watch?
A. I hesitate to name a favorite because there are so many I enjoy. Maybe I haven't seen my favorite yet. Q. What ballet or role would you most like to dance that you haven't? A. I've always wanted to do the "Diamonds" pas de deux from Balanchine's full-length Jewels. It's a beautiful pas de deux, an interesting combination of Balanchine and Petipa, and I love the music. I'd like to see what I could do with it.

Q. Is there a dancer that you look to as a role model or one in particular that you enjoy watching?
A. Sabi, of course. And there are so many women that I love to watch, like Romi [Beppu]. Her face is so open onstage, and she's so welcoming to the audience. I watched her do Sugar Plum at a dress rehearsal. She had on no make-up, and I was sitting in the back of the house, and she just glowed. There are also so many younger dancers in the company that I really enjoy watching, as I imagine where they're going to be in five or ten years.

GROUP TICKETS Group tickets are on sale for Boston Ballet's entire 2007-2008 season. Call Courtney Hadden, group sales manager, at 617.456.6343 to order your group tickets.