Performance Background

An evening of variety and innovation by four international choreographers, World Passions will please audiences with its contrasts and display the versatility of the company. The program includes the world premiere of Pino Alosa’s new version of the Petipa classic, Paquita, a quick, bright work with Spanish influence. A set of new works, by rising talents Viktor Plotnikov and Helen Pickett, are at the center of the evening. Plotnikov, a former Principal dancer with Boston Ballet, choreographed Rhyme for the 2008 Night of Stars Gala. Rhyme, a pas de deux set to Chopin, is a play on light and darkness which Plotnikov describes as “telling a poem with two bodies.” Pickett’s world premiere, a passionate, sensual pas de deux, will have Japanese influence. This will be her third commission for Boston Ballet following Etesian and Eventide. World Passionscloses with Jorma Elo’s Carmen/Illusions, a stunning revision of the classic, premiered by Boston Ballet in 2006.