Best dance company
It wouldn't be Christmas without Boston Ballet's annual production of The Nutcracker, but the dance company
wouldn't be such a favorite in our readers' poll if it didn't offer a few surprises during the rest of the
year. After a patch of bad publicity following the dismissal of several dancers, Boston Ballet regained its
footing this fall, thanks in part to the September announcement that Finnish-born Mikko Nissinen will soon
become its new artistic director. He'll be here full-time after wrapping up his current job as artistic
director of the Alberta Ballet in Canada, a company that has also given us Boston Ballet soloist Jose Martin.
His statements to the press suggest that the well-respected Nissinen is likely to add some of Balanchine's
lesser-known works to the Boston Ballet repertory, and he's also eager to work again with choreographer
Christopher Wheeldon, who staged a new version of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Alberta this year. (Boston
Ballet staged Wheeldon's The Four Seasons, set to Vivaldi's concertos, last season.) Boston Ballet
recently did its own Midsummer, reviving the popular adaptation by Bruce Wells. The September program
featured the last performances of beloved Boston Ballet soloist Jennifer Glaze, who will become Nissinen's
chief assistant. Many of Boston's dance fans can't wait to see what 2002 brings, but in the meantime, the
Sugar Plum Fairies await.
Boston Ballet at the Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont Street, Boston, (800) 447-7400.
|
|
