A selection of not-to-be-missed star-studded affairs
Boston Ballet’s Robbins/The Concert program not only features Jerome Robbins’ The Concert—a comedic romp set at a piano recital—but a world premiere from resident choreographer Jorma Elo exploring his classical roots and tapping music by Beethoven, complete with new costumes from Robert Perdziola. Meanwhile, Boston Ballet II is tackling a work from another notable name: Former Ballet Frankfurt principal dancer and William Forsythe protégé Jill Johnson. The Harvard dance director and self-described radical optimist is creating a work as “an antidote to the stress people are experiencing in life,” debuting as part of the company’s Next Generation series.
May 5-27 and May 24 at the Boston Opera House
Natalie Portman’s better half, Benjamin Millepied, brings his L.A. Dance Project to town for its Boston debut. The Celebrity Series appearance includes On the Other Side, an emerald-inspired collaboration between the former Paris Opera Ballet artistic director and jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels that boasts scenery courtesy of the Rose Art Museum’s 2017 Venice Biennale artist, Mark Bradford. The evening also features Murder Ballades from Millepied’s onetime New York City Ballet colleague Justin Peck, subject of Ballet 422, a documentary that followed him on his way to becoming the second resident choreographer in the storied company’s history.
May 19-21 at the Boch Shubert Theatre
Urbanity Dance closes the season with its Spring Revue, which spotlights works by director Betsi Graves, Boston Conservatory instructor Marcus Schulkind and esteemed choreographer Doug Varone, who during the past 30 years has left his mark on productions everywhere from Broadway to the Metropolitan Opera. All eight company members will take the stage for his energetic work Of the Earth Far Below, and local self-conducted chamber orchestra A Far Cry will join in on the action, performing Steve Reich’s Triple Quartet as dancers throw themselves at one another and the floor for 15 nonstop minutes.
June 2-3 at Boston University Tsai Performance Center
THE IMPROPER’S 2017 SPRING ARTS PREVIEW: VISUAL ARTS | THEATER | MUSIC | COMEDY | FILM
Nice Moves
Your Spring '17 Dance Preview
By Sarah Hagman | Photo Credits: Costume illustration by Robert Perdziola, courtesy Boston Ballet; L.A. Dance Project: Morgan Julia; Urbanity Dance: Eli Akerstein | March 10, 2017
Big Shots
A selection of not-to-be-missed star-studded affairs
Boston Ballet’s Robbins/The Concert program not only features Jerome Robbins’ The Concert—a comedic romp set at a piano recital—but a world premiere from resident choreographer Jorma Elo exploring his classical roots and tapping music by Beethoven, complete with new costumes from Robert Perdziola. Meanwhile, Boston Ballet II is tackling a work from another notable name: Former Ballet Frankfurt principal dancer and William Forsythe protégé Jill Johnson. The Harvard dance director and self-described radical optimist is creating a work as “an antidote to the stress people are experiencing in life,” debuting as part of the company’s Next Generation series.
May 5-27 and May 24 at the Boston Opera House
Natalie Portman’s better half, Benjamin Millepied, brings his L.A. Dance Project to town for its Boston debut. The Celebrity Series appearance includes On the Other Side, an emerald-inspired collaboration between the former Paris Opera Ballet artistic director and jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels that boasts scenery courtesy of the Rose Art Museum’s 2017 Venice Biennale artist, Mark Bradford. The evening also features Murder Ballades from Millepied’s onetime New York City Ballet colleague Justin Peck, subject of Ballet 422, a documentary that followed him on his way to becoming the second resident choreographer in the storied company’s history.
May 19-21 at the Boch Shubert Theatre
Urbanity Dance closes the season with its Spring Revue, which spotlights works by director Betsi Graves, Boston Conservatory instructor Marcus Schulkind and esteemed choreographer Doug Varone, who during the past 30 years has left his mark on productions everywhere from Broadway to the Metropolitan Opera. All eight company members will take the stage for his energetic work Of the Earth Far Below, and local self-conducted chamber orchestra A Far Cry will join in on the action, performing Steve Reich’s Triple Quartet as dancers throw themselves at one another and the floor for 15 nonstop minutes.
June 2-3 at Boston University Tsai Performance Center
THE IMPROPER’S 2017 SPRING ARTS PREVIEW: VISUAL ARTS | THEATER | MUSIC | COMEDY | FILM
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