BOSTON BALLET ANNOUNCES FIRST-EVER COMPANY TOUR

TO FINLAND IN SEPTEMBER 2012 AT

THE FINNISH NATIONAL OPERA

Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen and Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo,

Both of Finland, Join Company for Debut Performances

BOSTON, MA - Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen announced recently that the Company will appear in Finland on September 8 and 9, 2012 at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki. The Company will give three performances of a quadruple bill of neoclassical ballets and contemporary works including Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo's Plan to B, Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia, William Forsythe's The Second Detail, and Helen Pickett's Tsukiyo. Nissinen and Elo, both natives of Finland, will join the Company on tour. Boston Ballet's visit is sponsored by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.

"I cannot wait to show the talent and share the repertoire of Boston Ballet with the Finnish audiences," said Nissinen. "Following my 10th season with Boston Ballet and as the company prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary season in 2013, this is the perfect time to present Boston Ballet's unique artistic range and depth. As a dancer who trained and danced in Finland myself, it is a momentous occasion to return to my homeland for these performances. Finland is a country of great beauty, culture and an appreciation for quality. I truly believe the Finnish audiences are going to love Boston Ballet."

Boston Ballet's program will include Jorma Elo's Plan to B, first premiered with Boston Ballet in 2004. At the time of its premiere, Plan to B was titled to reflect Elo's personal experiences with career transitions - moving from professional dancer to choreographer. Dance Magazine has described Elo's work as "a spectacle of ricochet lighting and solo virtuosity." The New York Times described it as "[electrifying] the senses through its own complex structures and speed."

The Helsinki program also includes Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia, a work that has been in Boston Ballet's repertoire since 2007 and was most recently performed in February 2012. Boston Ballet presented Polyphonia to critical acclaim on its 2008 tour to Korea. Originally created for New York City Ballet in 2001, the work is a playful romance for four couples set to music by György Ligeti.

Helen Pickett's Tsukiyo and William Forsythe's The Second Detail complete the program. Tsukiyo made its world premiere with Boston Ballet in 2009. The work is a pas de deux set to music by Arvo Pärt. Boston Ballet has presented the work internationally while on tour in Spain in 2010. The Boston Herald has called it "profound, fluid and intimate."

Forsythe's The Second Detail, created for the National Ballet of Canada in 1991, premiered with Boston Ballet in 2011. The electrifying ensemble work is set to music by Thom Willems. Dance Magazine raved about Boston Ballet's performance of the work saying "The Second Detail knocked it out of the park... [with] an exhilarating, on-the-edge-of-your-seat experience."

Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen and Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo will lead several members of the company on tour to their home country. Nissinen and Elo are both alumni of the Finnish National Ballet School where they first met and studied together. Both joined the Finnish National Ballet in 1977. Nissinen was with the Finnish National Ballet for 4 years and Elo for 5 years.

Nissinen went on to dance with Dutch National Ballet, Basel Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, where he held the position of principal dancer for ten years. During Nissinen's performance career his vast repertoire ranged from classical to contemporary works, a versatility Boston Ballet now holds as a trademark under his direction. As a guest artist, he danced with many different companies and partners and at numerous international galas. Following his performance

career, Nissinen directed the Marin Ballet in San Rafael, California from 1996-1998, and Alberta Ballet, in Calgary, Canada from 1998-2001, also serving as Alberta Ballet's Executive Director from 1999-2000. Nissinen joined Boston Ballet as Artistic Director in 2001. Since joining Boston Ballet, Nissinen has defined the Company's image, cultivating a compelling and dynamic collection of classical, neo-classical and contemporary repertoire.

Following his career with the Finnish National Ballet, Elo danced with Cullberg Ballet before joining Netherlands Dance Theater in 1990, where he enjoyed a 15 year career. In 2005, he was appointed Resident Choreographer of Boston Ballet, where he has created nine world premieres. He has created works around the world for companies that include American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders,Vienna State Opera Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, among others. Elo was awarded the prestigious Benois de la Danse prize for best choreography in 2010, for his production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, commissioned by Vienna State Opera Ballet and Slice to Sharp, a new version of the ballet created for the Ballet Company of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre.

 

M.C