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Helen Pickett Receives Grant
Helen Pickett, who choreographed the acclaimed Etesian for Boston Ballet last season, was awarded a Fellowship Initiative grant from the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of New York City Ballet, to support the development of new choreography in a studio setting. Peter Martins, founder and artistic director of the Choreographic Institute said, "The Fellowship is meant to help ballet companies to create an environment in which a choreographer can develop ideas without the pressure of stage production.  The Institute is committed to classical choreographers who will be creating works for the future." 

Pickett worked with the Company for two weeks in September, and offered a presentation of her choreography on Saturday, September 30. She told an audience that included Martins, "I'm very goal oriented, so I had to get past the idea that I wasn't working toward a finished product. Then I realized what a luxury it was to be able to work this way. There were no time constraints, so if I wanted to linger over a particular movement for a while, I was able to do that. I didn't have to worry about finishing. It was a wonderful process."

Left to right:  Peter Martins, Helen Pickett and Mikko Nissinen; photo by Howard Amidon.

Boston Ballet School Expands to the North Shore
Boston Ballet School, already the largest professional ballet school in the country, is poised to bring another community into its fold.  A new studio is being built in partnership with the North Shore YMCA, and a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Leggs Hill Road site in Salem on Tuesday, September 26.  The School's newest space, scheduled to open in 2008, will cover 10,000 square feet and feature four state-of-the-art studios.  Boston Ballet School currently has locations in Boston, Newton and Norwell.

"It's a terrific synergy," said Center for Dance Education Managing Director Elizabeth Benjes. "Parents can take advantage of everything the YMCA has to offer, while their children take ballet classes."  

Joining Elizabeth Benjes at the event were (left to right) Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen, Executive Director Valerie Wilder, Trustee Belinda Termeer, and Henri Termeer; photo by Howard Amidon.

Mikki Kunttu Honored With Bessie Award
Congratulations to lighting designer Mikki Kunttu, who was a recent recipient of Dance Theater Workshop's 22nd annual New York Dance and Performance Awards, more commonly known as The Bessies.

The Bessies acknowledge "outstanding innovative achievements in dance and related performance." Kunttu was honored in New York for his work with Tero Saarinen Company at The Joyce Theater and Akram Khan Company at Lincoln Center.

Kunttu's lighting has been an integral part of Boston Ballet's productions these past few years. He lit the Carmen/Serenade and Russian programs this past season, and The Sleeping Beauty in 2005.  

Carmen is among the ballets lit by Mikki Kunttu; photo by Marty Sohl.

Boston Ballet School Students Go to China
Boston Ballet students Caitlin Peabody and Isaac Akiba participated in the first Beijing International Ballet Competition, which took place October 1-8. Both are students in the trainee program, and Akiba came to the School through Citydance. Boston Ballet II Director Bonnie Mathis was one of the jurors at the competition, and Jacqueline Cronsberg, a School faculty member and adviser advisor, accompanied the students as their coach.

This is the first time that Boston Ballet School has sent students to an international ballet competition. "The competition will allow Caitlin and Isaac to learn from other talented young dancers with different training and backgrounds," said Christopher Hird, assistant principal, Boston Studio. "It also gives them the opportunity to gain valuable performing experience and helps them understand how to work as a professional." 

Learn more about Boston Ballet School...

All That Jazz
New open adult jazz classes are being offered at Boston Ballet School's Boston and Newton locations. For more information, go online to see the all the adult class offerings. 

Dancers on Dancing: 5 Questions for Rie Ichikawa

Rie Ichikawa, a member of Boston Ballet since 1999, began her international training at Nagano Ballet, continued at The Arts Educational London Schools, and at Houston Ballet Academy. Ichikawa dance with Ballet Arizona before joining Boston Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet. She was promoted to second soloist in 2004 and to soloist in 2006.



Rie Ichikawa in Helen Pickett's Etesian; photo by Erik Tomasson.

Q. What was the first ballet you danced as a professional?
A. The first ballet I performed was The Nutcracker with Arizona Ballet. It's a wonderful ballet to perform. So many people are drawn to it: it's enjoyable for those who are very familiar with ballet, and for those who might just be learning. A lot of families come to see it; it's great to see children who are excited about the performance, the characters, and the holiday season. 

Q. What is  your favorite ballet to perform?
A. I truly enjoyed performing in The Taming of the Shrew. I danced the role of Bianca. She is such a fun character. I really got to act and tell a story with this ballet. I also enjoyed performing the part of Lise in Ashton's La Fille mal gardée. Lise is such a young, fun character, overwhelmed by being in love. She is filled with emotion, as young girls are. She can be passionate and almost naughty at the same time.

Q. What is your favorite ballet to watch?
A. One of my favorite ballets to watch is Romeo and Juliet. The love story is filled with drama. I want to express feelings when I dance, and Juliet goes through so many emotions. When I was 15, I watched a ballerina dance the role of Juliet in a Royal Ballet production. That performance truly inspired me to be a dancer. 

Q. What role would you most like to dance that you haven't?
A. I've always wanted to dance Juliet. She's one of my favorite characters.

Q. Is there a dancer that you look to as a role model or one in particular that you enjoy watching?
A. Alessandra Ferri, who dances with the American Ballet Theatre, is one of my favorite dancers to watch. I saw her dance Juliet with The Royal Ballet. She has done so much in her career, and her ability really inspires me to work hard. And Larissa Ponomarenko is the true definition of a prima ballerina. She is such a dedicated, hard worker and a wonderful, caring person. I've really enjoyed the time we've shared dancing together. 

Learn more about Rie Ichikawa, Boston Ballet Soloist...

Upcoming at Boston Ballet...
The Nutcracker returns to the magnificent Opera House on November 24, marking the 39th season Boston Ballet has been performing this beloved holiday classic. The production features the entire Company, close to 400 students from Boston Ballet School, and the full Tchaikovsky score performed by Boston Ballet Orchestra.

THE NUTCRACKER
November 24 - December 30, 2006

Three Easy Ways to Purchase Tickets for The Nutcracker

- Online:  TicketMaster or Boston Ballet
- Phone:  Call TicketMaster at 617.931.2787 or Boston Ballet at 617.695.6955
- In person:  Boston Ballet box office, 19 Clarendon St., Boston or the Opera House
box office, 539 Washington St., Boston

Boston Ballet 2006-2007 season