John Cranko News

March 4, 2016 (BOSTON, MA)—Boston Ballet's 52nd season continues with Kaleidoscope, a vibrant fusion of works by the most influential choreographic voices of the 20th century. The first of four works presented in this dynamic program is George Balanchine's Kammermusik No. 2, a “fascinating” and “unremitting” ballet, followed by the dazzling and technically demanding The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythe that returns to Boston Ballet after a critically acclaimed Company premiere last season (Brian Seibert, The New York Times). Adding to the evening's exceptional program is the graceful Pas de Quatre by unsung choreographer Leonid Yakobson, a classically romantic work noted for its “distinctive movement sensibility” (Roslyn Sulcas,The New York Times). Concluding the program is Léonide Massine's colorful Gaîté Parisienne, an effervescent ballet that evokes Moulin Rouge and Paris in the early 1900s, and ends with an unforgettable can-can.  Kaleidoscope will run March 17–26, 2016 at the Boston Opera House. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This afternoon The Washington Ballet Board of Directors selected Julie Kent, retired Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and artistic director of the ABT Summer Intensive program, as Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet (TWB) effective, July 1, 2016. 

March 4, 2016 (BOSTON, MA)—Boston Ballet's 52nd season continues with Kaleidoscope, a vibrant fusion of works by the most influential choreographic voices of the 20th century. The first of four works presented in this dynamic program is George Balanchine's Kammermusik No. 2, a “fascinating” and “unremitting” ballet, followed by the dazzling and technically demanding The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythe that returns to Boston Ballet after a critically acclaimed Company premiere last season (Brian Seibert, The New York Times). Adding to the evening's exceptional program is the graceful Pas de Quatre by unsung choreographer Leonid Yakobson, a classically romantic work noted for its “distinctive movement sensibility” (Roslyn Sulcas,The New York Times). Concluding the program is Léonide Massine's colorful Gaîté Parisienne, an effervescent ballet that evokes Moulin Rouge and Paris in the early 1900s, and ends with an unforgettable can-can.  Kaleidoscope will run March 17–26, 2016 at the Boston Opera House. 

Houston Ballet offers up its Winter Mixed Repertory Program which introduces three masterpieces into the company's repertory in a thrilling evening of dance. 

LISA CHALMERS-NAUMANN, KEITH LEE, and TERRY EDLEFSEN will be members of the faculty for the Brandywine Ballet's Summer Intensive in West Chester, Pennsylvania in July 2016.

Boston Ballet's 52nd season continues with John Cranko's emotionally evocative love story Onegin. Returning to Boston Ballet after fourteen years, this passionate tale of unrequited love is based on Russian poet Alexander Pushkin's popular 19th century verse-novel. With all the heated romance and suspense of a classic melodrama, Onegin is set to the incomparable music of Tchaikovsky and has been hailed 'an undeniable masterpiece, both technically and artistically' (Theodore Bale, The Boston Herald). Onegin will run tonight, February 25-March 6, 2016, at the Boston Opera House.

Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen announces the programming for the 2016-2017 season at the Boston Opera House, to begin in October. The 53rd season will launch with Le Corsaire, a historically significant work in the world of ballet that originally premiered in Paris in 1856, followed by Mikko Nissinen's "dazzling, dreamy" The Nutcracker (Karen Campbell, The Boston Globe). The season continues with the North American Company premiere of William Forsythe's ARTIFACT, "a work that definitely shows this choreographer as the most influential practitioner of the art form since Balanchine" (Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times). In April 2017, Marius Petipa's quintessential The Sleeping Beauty will return with soaring music by Tchaikovsky. The season will also include two mixed repertory programs with works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Ji?i Kylian, and Alexander Ekman, as well as a world premiere by Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo. Additionally, Le Corsaire, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty will offer Boston Ballet School students the unique opportunity to appear in Company productions.

? The world-renowned Hamburg Ballet is making its highly anticipated and long awaited return to Chicago bringing two works; Othello on February 23 & 24 at 7:30PM as part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago and Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler, considered John Neumeier's masterwork, on February 26 & 27 at 7:30PM. Plus, get an exclusive look at what it takes for a world renowned ballet company to put on two full productions in this never-before-seen interview with Hamburg's Technical Director, Frank Zollner, HERE.

WHAT:          Smuin Ballet concludes its 22nd Season with Dance Series Twofeaturing Oasis, a world premiere by acclaimed choreographer Helen Pickett, set to an original score by “House of Cards” composer Jeff Beal. With water scarcity and abundance as her theme and inspiration, Pickett's powerful new work will be both timely and universal. Pickett's work was last seen in San Francisco when Smuin Ballet presented her work “Petal,” which received critical acclaim. The series includes the highly anticipated return of Ji?í Kylián's Return to a Strange Land. The piece, set on six dancers, combines classical ballet and swiftly-changing geometric poses in a meditation on loss, healing, and hope, created as a tribute to Kylián's mentor John Cranko. Also on the bill is Val Caniparoli's spirited Tutto Eccetto il Lavandino (everything but the kitchen sink), which marries his trademark style and physicality with the music of Antonio Vivaldi. Caniparoli's work celebrates the versatility of the Smuin dancers, blending high-energy athleticism with wit and elegance.

February 2, 2016 (BOSTON, MA)—Boston Ballet's 52nd season continues with John Cranko's emotionally evocative love story Onegin. Returning to Boston Ballet after fourteen years, this passionate tale of unrequited love is based on Russian poet Alexander Pushkin's popular 19thcentury verse-novel. With all the heated romance and suspense of a classic melodrama, Onegin is set to the incomparable music of Tchaikovsky and has been hailed “an undeniable masterpiece, both technically and artistically” (Theodore Bale, The Boston Herald). Onegin will run February 25–March 6, 2016, at the Boston Opera House. 

January 19, 2016—(Boston, MA) Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen has announced three promotions from within the Company: Paul Craig (USA) and Irlan Silva (Brazil) have been promoted to soloist, and Alexander Maryianowski (USA) has been promoted to the corps de ballet from Boston Ballet II (BBII), Boston Ballet's second company. The Company is comprised of 68 dancers—including nine dancers in Boston Ballet II (BBII)—representing 20 nationalities. Nissinen continues Boston Ballet's tradition of developing a strong, versatile company by cultivating talent from within the Company and Boston Ballet School and recruiting from all over the world.

The timeless drama and storytelling of Shakespeare's plays have inspired generations of theatregoers across the globe for hundreds of years. In 2016, Birmingham Royal Ballet commemorates 400 years since the death of arguably the world's most prolific playwright with a rare and exceptional season of seven works including a brand-new one-act ballet from Jessica Lang, a world premiere by David Bintley plus two pieces new to the Company inspired by Shakespeare's stories, characters and prose.

The National Ballet of Canada returns to the Kennedy Center following its highly regarded 2013 engagement of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with the United States premiere of The Winter's Tale from January 19-24, 2016 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Based on William Shakespeare's classic play of the same name, the production is co-produced with The Royal Ballet and choreographed by the renowned British choreographer and Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon, choreographer of the Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris, and his acclaimed creative team. The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra will accompany this production.

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is proud to present the New York premiere of Daniil Simkin's INTENSIO, a program of works featuring an exceptional company of dancers, including Simkiin's fellow American Ballet Theatre members Isabella Boylston, Alexandre Hammoudi, Blaine Hoven, Calvin Royal III, Hee Seo, Cassandra Trenary and James Whiteside and guest artist Céline Cassone. Featuring works by acclaimed choreographers Gregory Dolbashian, Alexander Ekman, Jorma Elo and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, this must-see event will take place from January 5-10 at The Joyce Theater. Tickets range in price from $10-$75 and can be purchased through JoyceCharge at www.Joyce.org, or by calling 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.

November 16, 2015—(Boston, MA) Delighting audiences of all ages with a sense of youthful imagination, Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker returns to the Boston Opera House from November 27–December 31, 2015. Celebrated as “elegant and theatrically striking,” this completely re-imagined production premiered in 2012 and has received praise from audiences and critics alike (The New York Times). With “sleek, bejeweled costumes and spacious, regal sets” by Robert Perdziola and all-new lighting design by Finnish-based Mikki Kunttu, this timeless holiday classic features the full company of 68 dancers along with more than 200 Boston Ballet School students (Thea Singer, The Boston Globe). 

November 16, 2015—(Boston, MA) Delighting audiences of all ages with a sense of youthful imagination, Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker returns to the Boston Opera House from November 27–December 31, 2015. Celebrated as “elegant and theatrically striking,” this completely re-imagined production premiered in 2012 and has received praise from audiences and critics alike (The New York Times). With “sleek, bejeweled costumes and spacious, regal sets” by Robert Perdziola and all-new lighting design by Finnish-based Mikki Kunttu, this timeless holiday classic features the full company of 68 dancers along with more than 200 Boston Ballet School students (Thea Singer, The Boston Globe). 

Boston Ballet kicks off its 52nd season with Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler: A Ballet by John Neumeier. Captivating audiences with intensity and passion, Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler has been critically acclaimed as “a work of genius” (Clive Barnes, New York Post). Boston Ballet becomes only the fourth company in the world—after Hamburg Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and Royal Swedish Ballet—to present Neumeier's iconic work. Boston Ballet is also the first North American company to perform it. A musical tour-de-force, Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler: A Ballet by John Neumeier will feature the Boston Ballet Orchestra along with New World Chorale, Greater Boston's premiere choral ensemble, as well as accomplished American soprano and international opera singer Sarah Pelletier. Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler will run from October 22 to November 1, 2015 at the Boston Opera House.

Ballet Idaho announced that two company members have been promoted to the rank of principal dancer. Elizabeth Keller and Adrienne Kerr join returning principal dancers Phyllis Affrunti and Andrew Taft, along with 15 other company members and three apprentices/trainees to complete the roster for the 2015/16 season.

Boston Ballet kicks off its 52nd season with Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler: A Ballet by John Neumeier. Captivating audiences with intensity and passion, Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler has been critically acclaimed as “a work of genius” (Clive Barnes, New York Post). Boston Ballet becomes only the fourth company in the world—after Hamburg Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and Royal Swedish Ballet—to present Neumeier's iconic work. Boston Ballet is also the first North American company to perform it. A musical tour-de-force, Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler: A Ballet by John Neumeier will feature the Boston Ballet Orchestra along with New World Chorale, Greater Boston's premiere choral ensemble, as well as accomplished American soprano and international opera singer Sarah Pelletier. Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler will run from October 22 to November 1, 2015 at the Boston Opera House.