Boston Ballet Principal Dancer Paulo Arrais Will Retire

Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen announces the retirement of Principal Dancer Paulo Arrais from the Company and his appointment to Boston Ballet School's Professional Division at Walnut Hill as Full Time Faculty. Arrais joined Boston Ballet as an artist of the Company in 2010, was promoted to soloist in 2011, and to principal dancer in 2012.

"Paulo Arrais was one of the Company's best and brightest dancers, and I congratulate him on his stellar career," said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. "He had incredible stage presence, was extremely versatile, and our audiences loved him. Paulo spent most of his career with Boston Ballet, and I am thrilled he will be staying within the family to train the next generation of dancers, bringing his years of expertise and experience to the studio."

"Dancing at Boston Ballet has been the biggest honor of my career," said Paulo Arrais. "I come from a beautiful Brazilian, working-class family, and ballet showed me the world. I could not have reached the success I have had without the support of my Boston Ballet family.

I am extremely excited about the opportunities I've had and will continue to have as a part of Boston Ballet. Passing on what I've learned to my students will continue to fulfill me as an artist and leader. My goal is to nurture growth. You can't ever go wrong when guided from the heart, and that is the biggest lesson ballet has taught me!"

Arrais, from Goiania, Brazil, studied at the Center Cultural Gustav Ritter in Brazil, the Paris Opera Ballet School in France, the English National Ballet School, and the Royal Ballet School, both in England. Arrais joined the Norwegian National Ballet in 2006, where he worked with choreographers such as William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Paul Lightfoot, Sol Leon, and Liam Scarlett. In 2009, Arrais moved to San Francisco to work with Alonzo King LINES Ballet. He toured throughout the USA, France, and Italy and took part in the creation of Alonzo King's Scheherazade, which opened the "Centenary of the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo."

Arrais has performed numerous principal roles, including Puck in George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Golden Idol in Florence Clerc's La Bayadère, The Poet in Clerc's Les Sylphides, Romeo and Mercutio in John Cranko's Romeo & Juliet, Onegin in John Cranko's Onegin, Prince Desirée in Cynthia Harvey's The Sleeping Beauty, Prince Siegfried in Anna Marie Holmes' Swan Lake, Cavalier and Snow King in Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker, Prince Siegfried in Mikko Nissinen's Swan Lake, Basilio in Rudolf Nureyev's Don Quixote, Prince Ivan in Liam Scarlett's Firebird. His repertoire also includes Sir Frederick Ashton's Birthday Offering, George Balanchine's Symphony in C, Symphony in Three Movements, Theme and Variations, and Kammermusik No. 2, Claude Bessy's Concerto en Re, Christopher Bruce's Rooster, Val Caniparoli's Lady of the Camellias, Jorma Elo's Bach Cello Suites, Double Evil, Slice to Sharp, Sharper Side of Dark, and Awake Only, William Forsythe's Artifact 2017, The Second Detail, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, and StepText, Jiří Kylián's Bella Figura, Wings of Wax, and Tar and Feathers, Harald Lander's Ètudes, Wayne McGregor's Obsidian Tear and Chroma, John Neumeier's Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler, Liam Scarlett's Vespertine, and Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia.

Upon graduating from the Royal Ballet School, Arrais was awarded the Ninette de Valois Bursary. He was also a finalist in the 9th New York International Competition 2007 and Youth America Grand Prix 2003, where he received a scholarship from the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation to The Paris Opera Ballet School. As a principal dancer, Arrais has appeared as a guest artist with Teatro Dell'Opera di Roma, National Ballet of China, StaatsBallett Berlin, and in international ballet galas in London, Korea, Norway, Italy, Japan, and Brazil. He has also served as a judge for the Youth American Grand Prix in Brazil. Arrais choreographed his first ballet, Work in Progress, for the 2nd Boston International Ballet Competition Gala and Maris Liepa Gala in London with former Boston Ballet Principal Dancer Whitney Jensen. His other original compositions include Castle. He was awarded a grant from the New York Choreographic Institute while creating Castle, which premiered at a BB@home program in 2017. Arrais was also named one of El Mundo's 2017 Boston Latino 30 under 30. In 2019, Arrais choreographed his first work for the main stage with ELA, Rhapsody in Blue. In 2020, Arrais collaborated with Boston Ballet Principal Dancer Derek Dunn and Boston Symphony Orchestra's Elita Kang and Jessica Zhou to create White Swan, a digital work inspired by the Act II pas de deux from Swan Lake.

Boston Ballet School's Professional Division at Walnut Hill (formerly Pre-Professional Program) offers Boston Ballet School's world-renowned dance instruction in conjunction with Walnut Hill School for the Arts' best-in-class college preparatory academic and rich residential life program to provide a holistic educational experience on Walnut Hill's scenic campus in Natick, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. This joint program is led by Boston Ballet's Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen, Interim Director of Dance Miranda Weese, and internationally renowned BBS faculty. Together, Walnut Hill School for the Arts and Boston Ballet School oversee student life, academics, admissions, financial aid, scholarships, dance instruction, performances, choreography, music direction, recruitment, and career development. The collaboration truly supports our commitment to developing future dance artists in addition to providing students with a first-class academic program and a vibrant residential community.

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