MARCH 5 & 6 (7:30); MARCH 7 (2 pm & 7:30 pm); MARCH 8 (2 PM): LIGHT READING & ORIGAMI NIGHT…TWO THEATRICAL CHOREOPOEMS
Dance and poetry merge in this duo performance at the Studio @ Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street in Cambridge. “Two Theatrical Choreopoems: Light Reading & Origami Night” brings the multi-disciplinary choreopoem Origami Night to Boston audiences before embarking on a U.S. tour. The piece blends spoken word, dance and design to express works by Boston-based poet Pamela Annas, that have been adapted for the stage by her son – multimedia designer Christopher Annas-Lee, and Portland, OR.-based choreographer/producer Graham Cole. Origami Night traces a woman’s life from working class navy brat to radical feminist to mother, and explores issues of aging, love, loneliness, and growing up queer in Boston. Joining the performance is Peter DiMuro and his ensemble Public Displays of Motion, with Light Reading: a contemplation on family, queerness, and the weight of legacy. It’s the project that began his partnership with Annas-Lee, which they collaborated on previously at Gibney Dance in New York. Commissioned by the Cambridge Center for Adult Education 1990, “Light Reading” has been performed throughout the country and internationally by Public Displays of Motion and by Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.The performance runs approximately 75 minutes with no intermission. For tickets to the performances and more information, visit origami-night.com.
MARCH 5 – 15: WINTER EXPERIENCE
Boston Ballet brings to the stage of the Citizen’s Bank Opera House at 539 Washington Street in Boston this evening of two powerful, contemporary, choreographic works. The program first presents the return of Jorma Elo’s Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) . This ballet was first performed in Boston in 2009. The ballet was originally choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky, making its groundbreaking debut in 1913 in Paris with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. It was reported to have caused riots among Parisian audiences on opening night. Like its predecessor, Elo’s Le Sacre du Printemps evoked passionate reactions from Boston audiences.
Boston Ballet in Le Sacre du Printemps by Rosalie O’Connor Elo’s version involves the traditional themes of ritualistic dance while showcasing high energy and bold risk-taking from Boston Ballet dancers. It is set to Stravinsky’s groundbreaking 1913 score that is known for redefining 20th century music. The complex score challenges established norms with its dissonant harmonies and unconventional orchestration and stands today as a landmark of musical modernism.
Ji Young Chae and Daniel Rubin in Crystal Pite’s The Seasons’ Canon by Rosalie O’Connor The second ballet for the evening is Crystal Pite’s powerhouse The Seasons’ Canon. It also returns due to popular demand after its Boston Ballet premiere in 2024 when it received rave reviews and experienced sold-out houses. Audience members stated“The Seasons’ Canon was mind blowing! The way the troupe worked together to create moving art was mesmerizing.” Originally created for the Paris Opera Ballet, the work received widespread critical acclaim for its powerful imagery and emotional depth which solidified Pite’s reputation as one of the most innovative contemporary choreographers. Set for 54 dancers, the work is of massive scale and is an “epic evocation of the natural world and humanity’s connection to it” (The Boston Globe). The piece is set to Max Richter’s rendition of Vivaldi’s iconic The Four Seasons. Tickets for this exciting evening of dance may be purchased at www.bostonballet.org
MARCH 19–29: THE DREAM:
Harrison James and Former Principal Dancer Jillian Vanstone in The Dream by Aleksandar Antonijevic: Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada. Boston Ballet premieres, at The Citizen’s Bank Opera House, 539 Washington St. in Boston, Sir Frederick Ashton’s The Dream which tells the delightful story of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It features all the mischievous characters for the funny tale including Oberon, King of the Fairies, his Queen, Titania, Oberon’s unforgettable and playful attendant Puck, four young lovers who wander into the forest and into the magical chaos, as well as Bottom, a mortal inadvertently transformed into a donkey by Oberon. It only takes a magical flower in the wrong hands to set off a chain reaction of romantic mishaps and mistaken affections.
. With a score by Felix Mendelssohn,] that was arranged by John Lanchbery* and an elaborate set design along with exquisite costumes all designed by David Walker, this lighthearted tale is a treat, The Royal Ballet premiered The Dream in 1964 to celebrate Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary, and is one of Ashton’s most widely performed ballets. In his career, Ashton created 100 ballets, including Cinderella, Marguerite and Armand, and Les Patineurs. The evening’s program also includes the world premiere of The Leisurely Installation of a New Window by former Boston Ballet dancer My’Kal Stromile. A 2014 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, an honor awarded by President Barack Obama, Stomile has performed works by William Forsythe, Aszure Barton, Crystal Pite, Dwight Rhoden, and Jerome Robbins, among others…and has gone on to become an internationally award-winning choreographer.
Yue Shi : Photo by Brooke Trisolini This new work is set to a new composition titled Triptych by Mischa Santora that includes an exciting music collaboration from Grammy Award winning guitarist Reeves Gabrels from The Cure and renowned drummer Jonathan Kane as they join the Boston Ballet Orchestra for this performance. Stromile stated, “For this piece the guitar forms a dramatic contrast to the orchestra, and at times it becomes part of the overall texture. Reeves’ incredible energy and improvisational skills have been deeply inspiring throughout the creative process, and I cannot wait to hear it all come together live.” The ballet tests the edges of the 18 dancers physicality, suggesting a generative act that proves laws and traditions don’t simply dissolve when challenged, but can be expanded, be reinterpreted, and made more inclusive as they explore themes of governance, restriction, and possibility, all the while movement becomes a negotiation and redefinition of boundaries. The Leisurely Installation of a New Window is structured in three movements. Thesis, Antithesis and Synthesis, with each containing distinct roles for the dancers that include The Seeker, The People, and The Reformers. These shape each movement as its own environment while approaching transformation. Thus, it is not as a sudden rupture, but as a gradual, lived process that is shaped by pressure, and collective presence. Ticket for this remarkable evening of exceptional ballet prowess may be obtained at www.bostonballet.org
MARCH 21 (7:30 pm) & 22 (2 pm): IN THE BALANCE
BoSoma Dance Company will present IN THE BALANCE, their annual Spring show at the Calderwood Pavilion in the Boston Center for the Arts at 527 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End. This is an inspiring evening of contemporary dance led by Artistic Director Katherine Hooper. As part of BDC’s 22nd Annual Season, this dynamic program features new works by company dancer Cassie Laskowski and guest choreographers Ambere Rogers, Chantal Kelleher, Alyssa Sullivan, and Hooper herself. This spring, In addition, BDC proudly welcomes the return of former company member Tony Tucker, who will premiere an exciting new piece, along with the revival of Hooper’s past repertoire. In addition, we are also delighted to feature performances by BoSoma Youth Company and Afmohip. Tickets may be obtained at https://www.bostontheatrescene.com/shows-and-events/in-the-balance/
JUNE 20 (8 pm) & 21 (7 pm: THE GATHERING
Kia The Key & C0mpany brings this dance event to the Dance Complex at 536 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. The Gathering is an evening length performance experience that brings communities together through the joy, power, and history of Street and Club dance. Weaving live DJ sets, poetry, storytelling, and movement, the work creates an immersive environment where rhythm, memory, and shared presence take center stage. Rooted in African Diasporic social dance traditions, The Gathering honors the cultural spaces where these forms were born, including family gatherings, clubs, parks, basements, basketball courts, and outdoor cyphers (in hip-hop culture, a circle of rappers/dancers improvising). For this Dance Complex Series performance, the theater is intentionally re-imagined as a communal space, cultivating the same energy, freedom, and connection found in those original gathering places. The audience is not just watching; they are part of the exchange. At its core, The Gathering is about togetherness. It creates a space for dancers, non-dancers, and community members to connect across differences, feel with one another, and recognize shared humanity. They are full of joy, rhythm, and spirit, with the performance being both a celebration and a declaration that affirms Street and Club dance as living cultural practices that are powerful sites of community, belonging, and joy. Created in collaboration with professional dance artists from New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, the work reflects inter-generational knowledge, lived experience, and collective joy. Inspired by the artist’s upbringing immersed in Hip-Hop culture in Springfield, Massachusetts, The Gathering invites audiences into a personal and communal journey through American social dance shaped by resilience, creativity, and celebration. KIA THE KEY & COMPANY was established in 2022. This project-based dance company is one of the primary spaces where Shakia “The Key” Barron develops and shares choreographic research. Based in Western Massachusetts, the company is grounded in Street and Club dances. Through this work, Shakia explores how these forms carry cultural memory, communal wisdom, and embodied knowledge that is deeply connected to the African Diaspora. The company brings together a diverse group of dancers across race, nationality, and background. Working with dancers that reflect a wide range of lived experiences and diversity deeply informs the company’s creative process and stories told. Shakia “The Key” Barron is an accomplished choreographer, performer, and educator specializing in African Diasporic Street and Club dance forms, with a focus on Hip-Hop, House, and Funk styles. She is the Dr. Virginia Apgar Assistant Professor of Dance at Mount Holyoke College and the Artistic Director of Kia The Key & Company. She has choreographed and directed over 70 works presented at colleges, festivals, and renowned dance institutions including Bates Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow. As a performer, Barron has toured nationally and internationally with Face Da Phlave Entertainment, Illstyle and Peace Productions, and Rennie Harris Puremovement, and has shared stages with major Hip-Hop artists and NBA halftime productions.Tickets for this event may be obtained atwww.dancecomplex.org