Boston Ballet to Present LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS and THE SEASONS' CANON

Boston Ballet will present Winter Experience, a program comprised of two high-octane ballets that have made a mark on dance history: Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo’s Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) and Crystal Pite’s The Seasons’ Canon. Winter Experience runs March 5–15 at the Citizens Opera House.

“This powerhouse program promises to wow audiences. Jorma Elo’s Le Sacre du Printemps is set to one of the most extraordinary scores ever written, and I am thrilled to welcome this work back for the first time in 17 years, brought to life by the artistry of today’s Company,” said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. “The Seasons’ Canon is like a tidal wave, and it must be experienced to be fully believed. Crystal Pite is among the most in-demand choreographers working today, and it is a true pleasure to present her work once again.”

Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)

Jorma Elo’s Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) returns for the first time since its world premiere in 2009. The ballet, originally choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky, made its groundbreaking debut in 1913 in Paris with Diaghilev's Les Ballets Russes. It is known for being one of the most infamous ballet and orchestral works of the early 20th century. Composed by Igor Stravinsky, the piece was said to be so jarring in both musical composition and choreographic nature that “riots” were reported to have happened in the theater on opening night, though the extent of this reaction has since been debated by scholars.

Set for 16 dancers, Elo’s version of Le Sacre du Printemps has always been less about reconstruction than reflection. Elo did not have any existing ties to the original work and describes this distance from the original as a source of creative freedom, allowing him to claim ownership of the ballet’s themes and to build his interpretation through direct connection with the score and the dancers, rather than strict fidelity to Nijinsky’s depiction of a primal ritual centered on sacrifice for the common good. Seventeen years later, Elo is re-approaching the work, including updated set design, which has been pared back and abstracted, removing its original flaming backdrop that was featured in 2009.

“The dancers are learning something old while at the same time recreating something new. The person next to you may have lived with this work for years, while you’re encountering it for the first time. It’s a huge arc of experience, life, and dedication that comes together in this project. I think that’s what will make it rich for the audience to see,” said Elo.

Finnish-born Jorma Elo was appointed Resident Choreographer of Boston Ballet in 2005. Elo has created more than 60 works for over 30 companies worldwide, including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Bolshoi Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Basel Ballet, and Norwegian National Ballet. Elo trained with the Finnish National Ballet School and the Kirov Ballet School in Leningrad. He danced professionally with Finnish National Ballet and Cullberg Ballet, and joined Netherlands Dance Theater in 1990, where he enjoyed a 15-year career.

The Seasons’ Canon

Returning after an explosive Boston premiere last season, Crystal Pite’s monumental The Seasons’ Canon returns due to popular demand. The work is of massive scale, featuring 54 dancers who create a series of shifting patterns and sculptural groupings, transforming the stage into a living landscape of motion. Originally created for Paris Opera Ballet and set to Max Richter’s recomposition of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Pite’s creation showcases her deeply human choreographic voice. After its premiere in 2016, The New York Times wrote that the Parisian audiences “leapt to their feet (unusual here), applauding wildly... It’s not hard to understand why.” The Seasons’ Canon solidifies Pite’s reputation as one of the most innovative contemporary choreographers. Its Boston premiere in 2024 was met with rave reviews and sold-out houses, with The Boston Herald writing the work was "the best – most vivid, most astonishing, most awesome – thing I’ve ever seen from the Boston Ballet.”

“For me, the process of creation is like looking through a lens. It’s an opportunity to see the world in greater detail and clarity. It’s a magnified experience. Choreography is a way for me to grapple with the very meaning of creation. It is the crafting, colliding, collaging, framing, layering and excavating—the acts of making, and of seeing—that most deeply connect me to nature and all the beauty and brutality it contains. The Seasons’ Canon is a gesture, an offering. It’s my way of confronting the vastness and complexity of the living world, while at the same time giving thanks for it,” Pite said.

In a choreographic career spanning 35 years, Crystal Pite has created more than 60 works for companies such as The Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and The National Ballet of Canada. She is an Associate Artist at three institutions: Nederlands Dans Theater, Sadler’s Wells (London), and Canada’s National Arts Centre. She holds an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University, is a Member of the Order of Canada, and holds the honor of Officier de l’Ordre of Arts et des Lettres from France.

In 2002, she formed her company Kidd Pivot in Vancouver. Kidd Pivot tours internationally with works such as Betroffenheit, Revisor and Assembly Hall, (co-created with Jonathon Young) as well as The Tempest Replica, Dark Matters, Lost Action, and The You Show.

All 10 performances of Winter Experience will take place at the Citizens Opera House.