This week, while on its very first tour to Korea and its second tour to Asia in company history, Boston Ballet will perform three repertory works: George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia and Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room at Universal Arts Center in Seoul and the Aram Opera House at the Goyang Aram Nuri Cultural Arts Complex in Gyeonggi-do.

“Through touring, Boston Ballet benefits from the exposure, the growing recognition of the company and our work, and the chance to dance before different audiences. Boston Ballet is distinguished worldwide as an elite dance company, and international touring is crucial to increasing that perception,” said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen.

The Company opens its Boston season with the third-annual, one-night-only Night of Stars: A Boston Ballet Gala Performance on Friday, October 10. As in previous years, the event features the entire Company and showcases the wide-ranging talents of Boston Ballet’s principal dancers while also welcoming internationally renowned guest artists Maria Kowroski and Albert Evans, principal dancers with New York City Ballet, to the Boston stage. One week later, the Company will commence its season program with the return of James Kudelka’s Cinderella. Cinderella was last performed by Boston Ballet in the ballet’s U.S. premiere in 2005 and won praise from both critics and audiences alike. The Company follows its production of Cinderella with Mikko Nissinen’s much-loved version of The Nutcracker in December.

All performances are held at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Wang Theatre with the exception of The Nutcracker, which returns to The Opera House for the fourth consecutive year.

Night of Stars
October 10, 2008

The Night of Stars program features works by master choreographers George Balanchine and Marius Petipa as well as pieces by today’s dynamic contemporary choreographers William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, and rising young artist Sabrina Matthews. In on Blue, resident choreographer Jorma Elo’s latest piece for the Company which premiered in March 2007 to both audience and critical acclaim, opens the program. Additionally, the evening will feature a world premiere by Viktor Plotnikov. The one-night-only event serves as a showcase for the wide range of talent the Company’s principal dancers and acclaimed ensemble possess, performing solos, pas de deux and ensemble excerpts.

This year’s guest artists are Maria Kowroski and Albert Evans, principal dancers with New York City Ballet. Kowroski and Evans will perform Christopher Wheeldon’s 2003 spiritual duet Liturgy.

Cinderella
October 16-26, 2008

Karen Campbell said in The Boston Globe of Boston Ballet’s 2005 U.S. premiere of Kudelka’s Cinderella, “It’s an entertaining, colorful, family-friendly production, often clever and inventive.”

Set to Sergei Prokofiev’s superb score, Kudelka’s version of the fairy tale is not the conventional rags-to-riches story, but a more contemporary tale of the transforming power of love. Known for his ability to juxtapose classical and modern movement, Kudelka’s staging of Cinderella does not disappoint. His staging is differentiated by his choice to allow the Prince to break free from the constraints and superficial life that were imposed on him as royalty. Additionally, the ballet provides pure entertainment which appeals to audiences of both younger and older generations, connecting with them on the levels of a magical fairytale and a love story demonstrating the evolution of two people. Kudelka originally choreographed his Cinderella in 2004 for The National Ballet of Canada while Artistic Director of the company.

The Nutcracker
November 28-December 27, 2008

Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker, featuring the Company and more than 250 children from Boston Ballet School, continues to delight Boston audiences. The cherished Tchaikovsky score will be performed live by the Boston Ballet Orchestra. This will mark the 41st consecutive year that Boston Ballet is performing The Nutcracker. There will be 35 performances of The Nutcracker this season. Following the opening of last season’s production, Karen Campbell wrote in The Boston Globe, “Boston Ballet’s production is one of the most beloved around, marrying substantive choreography with eye-popping production values.” -- www.bostonballet.org