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2016-2017 Season


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I was looking over the season for Boston Ballet. Boston Ballet was the first American company to perform the Corsaire that ABT now performs, I believe. But instead of using that production, Nissinen chose Ivan Liska's "Le Corsaire" for the company. I have heard there are significant differences. Has anybody seen this production? Nissinen discusses it a bit in this article:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2016/02/17/corsaire-and-more-boston-ballet-season/wkenwdqo73rXKZs2zIFGsI/story.html

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Official release on the roster:

 

MIKKO NISSINEN ANNOUNCES 2016–2017 ROSTER OF

71 DANCERS REPRESENTING 18 NATIONALITIES

 

PRINCIPAL DANCER ERICA CORNEJO TO RETIRE FROM THE COMPANY

AT END OF SEASON

 

AUGUST 29, 2016 (BOSTON, MA)—Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen has announced the 2016–2017 season roster. A total of 71 dancers make up the Company roster, with 57 in Boston Ballet, the main professional company, and 14 in Boston Ballet II (BBII), the second company. A total of 17 nationalities are represented, with dancers from Brazil, South Korea, France, Georgia, and Australia, to name a few.  More than 32 percent of the main company are BBII alumni and 18 percent are Boston Ballet School alumni. This year marks Principal Dancer Erica Cornejo’s final season with Boston Ballet after dancing with the Company for 11 seasons. Cornejo will retire from Boston Ballet in May 2017 with final performances in The Sleeping Beauty.

 

Boston Ballet welcomes Florimond Lorieux (Paris, France) from Paris Opera Ballet as a soloist. Daniel Cooper (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) from Pennsylvania Ballet; Mamuka Kikalishvili (Poti, Georgia) from Hong Kong Ballet; Seung Hyun Lee  (Seoul, South Korea) from Korea National University of Arts; So Jung Lee (Seoul, South Korea) from Korea National University of Arts; Nina Matiashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) from Hong Kong Ballet; Alec Roberts (Adelaide, Australia) from The National Ballet of Canada; Reina Sawai (Urayasu, Japan), formerly with Vienna State Ballet; and Erik Thordal-Christensen (Copenhagen, Denmark) from Los Angeles Ballet join as artists of the Company.

 

“As Artistic Director, every new season brings an opportunity to shape the Company in its evolution. I aim to hire talented, motivated dancers, to continuously develop them as artists, and to expand their horizons to master our three different styles—from classical, neo-classical and contemporary works,” said Mikko Nissinen, Boston Ballet Artistic Director. “It is a lot to ask of them, but also so exciting! The next big phase of the Company’s development is our William Forsythe partnership. Working directly with Bill will bring a whole new dimension to their work and I cannot wait to see all the dynamic energy that’s coming.”

 

New Company Dancers

 

Florimond Lorieux of Paris, France, joins Boston Ballet as a soloist. He trained at Paris Opera School under the direction of Claude Bessy and Élisabeth Platel. In 2005, Lorieux joined Paris Opera Ballet, the oldest national ballet company in the world, as quadrille. He was promoted to coryphée in 2008 and sujet in 2009. Lorieux has performed in galas around the world as a guest artist.

 

Daniel Cooper of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, returns to Boston Ballet as an artist of the Company. Cooper began his training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. After completing the San Francisco Ballet School Trainee Program in 2005, he joined Boston Ballet where he danced for three seasons. In 2008, he joined the corps de ballet of Pennsylvania Ballet.

 

Mamuka Kikalishvili of Poti, Georgia, joins Boston Ballet as an artist of the Company. He studied at Vakhtang Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art School before joining State Ballet of Georgia as a coryphée. In 2013, he joined Hungarian National Ballet and then joined Hong Kong Ballet in 2014. Kikalishvili won the gold medal in the Riga Spring in 2012, and was also a finalist of the Helsinki International Ballet Competition.

 

Seung Hyun Lee of Seoul, South Korea, joins as an artist of the Company. He is a recent graduate of the highly respected Korea National University of Arts. He won the Senior Male gold medal at the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition last month and was recognized for the Best Interpretation of the Classical Compulsory. Lee won first place at the 2014 Seoul International Dance Competition and a silver medal at the Korea International Ballet Competition. Lee has appeared as a guest artist around the world.

 

So Jung Lee of Seoul, South Korea, joins as an artist of the Company. Lee trained at Seoul Arts High School and Korea National University of Arts. She has received an array of honors and awards at international ballet competitions, including gold medal at the Youth America Grand Prix and junior gold medal at the Seoul International Dance Competition in 2009; bronze medal at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2013; finalist at the 2014 International Ballet Competition is Jackson, Mississippi; and gold medal at the 2015 Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition in New York.

 

Nina Matiashvili of Tbilisi, Georgia, joins as an artist of the Company. She trained at the V. Chabukiani Tbilisi Ballet Art State School. In 2007, Matiashvili joined State Ballet of Georgia where she was promoted to soloist in 2012. She joined Hong Kong Ballet in 2014 as a coryphée.

 

Alec Roberts of Adelaide, Australia, joins Boston Ballet as an artist of the Company. He trained at the Australian Ballet School where he was chosen to represent the school on exchange to Canada’s National Ballet School. Upon graduation in 2012, Roberts joined Queensland Ballet where he performed both classic and contemporary ballets. He joined The National Ballet of Canada in 2015.

 

Reina Sawai of Urayasu, Japan, joins the Company as an artist of the Company. She began training at the age of 4, studying in Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Portugal. Upon graduation, Sawai joined National Ballet of Portugal and in 2010, joined the Vienna State Ballet under the direction of Manuel Legris. She was promoted to demi-soloist in 2012. During her fifth season with the Company, she left to pursue other types of dance and further expand her knowledge of the field.

 

Erik Thordal-Christensen of Copenhagen, Denmark joins as an artist of the Company. He began training at age 9 at the Los Angeles Ballet. Thordal-Christensen joined the Company as an apprentice in 2012, and was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2013.

 

Previously Announced

 

Nissinen also previously announced the following promotions for the 2016–2017 season: Anaïs Chalendard (Renaison, France) and Seo Hye Han (Seoul, South Korea) have been promoted to the rank of principal dancer, Junxiong Zhao (Chongqing, China) to soloist, and Corina Gill (Fallbrook, California) to second soloist. Samivel Evans (Santa Fe, New Mexico) and Desean Taber (Salisbury, Connecticut), two dancers from BBII, have joined as artists of the Company.

 

More than 40 percent of BBII dancers are Boston Ballet School (BBS) alumni. Previously announced new hires joining BBII from BBS after completing the Trainee Program are: Lex Ishimoto (Irvine, California), Graham Johns (Glen Ridge, New Jersey), Abigail Merlis (Westport, Connecticut), and Christian Pforr (Watertown, Massachusetts). Additional new hires in BBII are: Gabrielle Beach (St. Petersburg, Florida) from The Royal Ballet School, Derek Drilon (Vancouver, Washington) from Joffrey Studio Company, Thomas Harrison (New Hope, Pennsylvania) from the American Ballet Theatre Jackie Kennedy Onassis School, Sage Humphries (Seal Beach, California) from Sarasota Cuban Ballet School, Clay Murray (Hattiesburg, Mississippi) and Bella Ureta (Seattle, Washington) from Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and Gabriela Schiefer (Tampa, Florida) from School of American Ballet.

 

For previous press releases with details of the 2016–17 promotions and BBII roster, visit bostonballet.org/press-room. For full biographies and a complete roster, visit bostonballet.org/company-roster.

 

 

About Boston Ballet

 

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 53-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 4,000 individuals in Boston, North Shore, and the surrounding communities each year through Citydance, ECI on Location, Adaptive Dance, and other community programs.

For more information, please visit bostonballet.org.

 

Boston Ballet gratefully acknowledges the following institutional partners:

 

Barr Foundation

 

Boston Cultural Council

 

The Boston Foundation

 

Klarman Family Foundation

 

Massachusetts Cultural Council

 

National Endowment for the Arts

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From the company:

 

BOSTON BALLET OPENS 2016–2017 SEASON WITH NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF IVAN LIŠKA’S LE CORSAIRE

 

BALLET RECONSTRUCTED FROM ORIGINAL CHOREOGRAPHIC NOTATION HOUSED IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

 

 

September 12, 2016 (BOSTON, MA)—Boston Ballet’s 53rd season begins with the North American premiere of Ivan Liška’s adventure and romance-filled Le Corsaire, with music by Adolphe Adam, Léo Delibes, Cesare Pugni, Riccardo Drigo, and Prinz von Oldenburg, performed by the Boston Ballet Orchestra. The narrative follows a beautiful maiden, a wealthy aristocrat determined to add her to his harem, and a dashing pirate even more resolved to save her. Based on Marius Petipa’s 19th-century classic, Liška’s version of Le Corsaire was created for the Bavarian State Ballet in 2007. Liška enlisted the assistance of dance historian Doug Fullington to decipher the choreography from its original Stepanov dance notation, which is housed in Harvard University Library’s Theatre Collection. Le Corsaire will run from October 27 to November 6, 2016 at the Boston Opera House.

 

Le Corsaire hails from the golden era of classical ballet, and it hasn’t been in our repertoire for several years,” said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. “Liška’s production is magnificent, with opportunities for spectacular, virtuoso dancing; technically challenging roles for both men and women; and brilliant corps de ballet scenes with stylish costumes and sets.”

 

French for “The Pirate,” Le Corsaire follows the noble pirate Conrad on his quest to rescue his beloved Medora from the Pasha’s harem. After battling the stormy seas, Conrad, his friend Birbanto, and their fellow corsairs arrive at the market of Andrinople. Medora, the beautiful foster daughter of the merchant Lankedem, spots Conrad from her terrace and immediately falls in love. She throws him a bouquet of flowers, each with a special meaning, and Conrad, understanding the symbolism, falls in love just as quickly. When the Pasha arrives at the marketplace, he is immediately entranced by Medora and buys her from Lankendum. Medora implores Conrad to rescue her, and they escape to a grotto on the pirate island with the corsairs and a group of slave girls. Conrad is later betrayed by Birbanto and poisoned, causing him to fall into a deep sleep, and allowing Lankedem to steal Medora and return her to the Pasha. When Conrad awakens, he and the corsairs sneak into the harem and free Medora from the Pasha.

 

Choreographic highlights from Le Corsaire include the pas de deux with Medora and Conrad in Act II and the elegant pas de trios des Odalisques in Act III, some of the most widely recognized and commonly performed excerpts of classical ballet. Act III is “like that special box of chocolates, lots of mouth-watering flavors and textures to suit every palate” (Alison Kent, Dance Europe), a highlight being the renowned Jardin Animé scene. This magnificent showcase of the corps de ballet also includes more than 20 Boston Ballet School students, giving young students a unique opportunity to perform with professional Company dancers.

 

Since its original premiere in 1856, Le Corsaire has undergone numerous revisions and additions to its musical score. It was the last ballet by Adolphe Adam, composer of 16 ballets and 46 operas and operettas. Jules Perrot later added music by Cesare Pugni, and Petipa’s first contribution was the well-known pas d’esclave in Act I with music by Prinz von Oldenburg. In the late 1860s, Petipa incorporated music by Leo Delibes, a student of Adam’s, for Jardin Animé, which became both a musical and choreographic highlight of Le Corsaire.

 

Le Corsaire is loosely based on Romantic poet Lord Byron’s verse tale, The Corsair, which sold 10,000 copies on its first day of publication in 1814 and prompted several stage adaptations, including an opera by Verdi and numerous ballets. Its best-known version, with choreography by Marius Petipa, premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1863 by the Imperial Ballet. In 1997, Boston Ballet became the first non-Russian ballet company to present the full-length ballet (The Pirate) Le Corsaire, with choreography by Konstantin Sergeyev (after Petipa). To recreate the version being presented this year, Liška and Fullington revived the 19th century choreography from the Mariinsky Theatre by deciphering its original Stepanov notation, a method of choreographic notation developed in the 1890s by Mariinsky dancer Vladimir Stepanov. This system was based on the Western musical notation system and used staves and notes to denote timing and placement of the body, as well as details regarding mime conversations, formations for dancers, and other production details. The Stepanov notation for Le Corsaire is part of the Sergeev Collection, currently housed in the Harvard University Library, and includes choreographic notations, libretti, full scores, printed programs, photographs, and drawings. Stager Gregory Mislin, a Benesh notator, is currently working with Liška to notate and preserve Liška’s version of Le Corsaire.        

 

Ivan Liška was a principal dancer with Hamburg Ballet and later served as Artistic Director of the Bavarian State Ballet from 1998 to 2016. He increased the company’s repertoire, adding classical works like Raymonda and his productions of Sleeping Beauty and Le Corsaire, as well as neoclassical and contemporary works by George Balanchine, Jiří Kylián, John Neumeier, Jerome Robbins, and William Forsythe, among others. Liška was honored with the German Dance Prize for his career as a dancer and his work as artistic director of the Bavarian State Opera Ballet, and in 2012 he received The Maximilian Order for outstanding achievements in arts and sciences, the highest honor of Bavaria.

 

All performances of Le Corsaire take place at the Boston Opera House (529 Washington Street, Boston MA 02111):

 

Thursday, Oct 27 at 7:30 pm

Friday, Oct 28 at 7:30 pm

Saturday, Oct 29 at 1 pm

Saturday, Oct 29 at 7:30 pm

Sunday, Oct 30 at 1 pm

Wednesday, Nov 2 at 7:30 pm

Thursday, Nov 3 at 7:30 pm

Friday, Nov 4 at 7:30 pm

Saturday, Nov 5 at 1 pm

Saturday, Nov 5 at 7:30 pm

Sunday, Nov 6 at 1 pm

 

Tickets start at $35. For more information, visit bostonballet.org or call 617.695.6955.

 

Le Corsaire is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with 1 intermission.

 

Le Corsaire

Music: Adolphe Adam, Léo Delibes, Cesare Pugni, Riccardo Drigo, and Prinz von Oldenburg

Choreography: Ivan Liška after Marius Petipa

Reconstruction of choreography by Marius Petipa: Doug Fullington

Staging: Ivan Liška, Colleen Scott, and Gregory Mislin*

Set and Costume Design: Roger Kirk

Lighting Design: John Cuff

Musical Arrangement and Dramaturgy: Maria Babanina

*by Benesh Movement Notation

 

About Boston Ballet

 

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 53-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 4,000 individuals in Boston, North Shore, and the surrounding communities each year through Citydance, ECI on Location, Adaptive Dance, and other community programs.

For more information, please visit bostonballet.org.

 

Boston Ballet gratefully acknowledges the following institutional partners:

 

Barr Foundation

 

Boston Cultural Council

 

The Boston Foundation

 

Klarman Family Foundation

 

Massachusetts Cultural Council

 

National Endowment for the Arts

 

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Fellow balletalert's! I have a query for you. I will be attending the Saturday, Oct. 29thth performance of Le Corsaire and will be bringing along a friend who is currently wheelchair bound from hip surgery. Does anyone have any recommendations for how//where to book to make this as easy as possible?

My ticket is currently Orchestra Right, Row D, Seat 4 but I'm hoping to have her placed somewhere near me? We have yet to purchase her ticket but maybe when we do we can request a specific place if possible? Anyone have any recommendations or had to do this before? Many thanks!

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I would talk to the box office.  There is an area at the break in the orchestra at orchestra left and right.  Normally this is where they seat people in wheelchairs.  There are chairs in those spaces and they can move the chairs out to wheel any wheelchairs into those places.

http://bostonoperahouseonline.com/buying-tickets/seating-chart.html

 

I have also seen people buy the end seat, wheel the person in and have the usher take the wheelchair out.  I guess it depends on the extent of disability.

Edited by its the mom
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In a recent article, Dusty Button says she and her husband are relocating to California soon and she's going to open a studio. A frequent follower of hers on Instagram, this doesn't surprise me too much. She seems to really enjoy teaching and choreographing (and modeling with giant trucks and sports cars). Wonder how soon is "soon".

Edited by PeggyTulle
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