International Dance Companies to Make Boston Debuts with Local Artists

Australia’s contemporary circus company Gravity and Other Myths and Vancouver, British Columbia-based Ballet BC will make their Vivo Performing Arts debuts this fall, with two new shows featuring, during Ballet BC’s visit, an onstage collaboration with nearly 20 young area dance artists.

OCT 23 & 24 – GRAVITY & OTHER MYTHS – “TEN THOUSAND HOURS”

TEN THOUSAND HOURS explores the long held belief that duration of practice and refinement lead to a mastery of practice – in this case, Gravity & Other Myths’ extraordinary physical feats. Nine acrobats and one musician take audiences behind the scenes of their high-level acrobatics, examining how physical skills are developed, refined and mastered. Live percussion and an energetic musical score accompany the performers as they demonstrate the strength, precision and physical language that define the company’s work.

Performers include Alyssa Moore, Angus McKean, Annalise Moore, Axel Osborne, Chase Levy, Jacob Randell, Josh Strachan, Lachlan Harper, Louis Gift, Shani Stephens. The Gravity creative team comprises Director Lachlan Binns, Associate Director Darcy Grant, Set & Lighting Designer Chris Petredis, Assistant Designer Max Mackenzie, Composers Nick Martyn and Shenzo Gregorio, Costume Designer Olivia Zanchetta, Production Manager Martin Shreiber, and Creative Producer Jascha Boyce.

TEN THOUSAND HOURS will be performed Fri., Oct. 23 at 8 pm and Sat. Oct. 24 at 2 and 8 pm at Boston Arts Academy Theater, 174 Ipswich Street in Boston. Tickets start at $52 (including fees) and are available now at vivoperformingarts.org. Following the Saturday 2 pm performance, Gravity & Other Myths company members will participate in a lively talk about their work hosted by Vivo Performing Arts’ President and Chief Executive Officer Thor Steingraber. 

NOV 21 & 22 – BALLET BC – “SWAY” / “OBSIDIAN” / “BOLERO X”

Under Artistic Director Medhi Walerski, a veteran of the legendary Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballet BC’s 22 dancers bring precision and a rare openness to Boston for the first time. Three stunning dances are on the program: Walerski’s showstopping chamber work SWAY; Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber’s OBSIDIAN; and Shahar Binyamini’s BOLERO X, which will include 18 student dancers from Boston Conservatory onstage.