Boston Ballet: A Midsummer Night's Dream April 7, 2011

Boston Ballet presents George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a lucid and inventive telling of Shakespeare’s play. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was Balanchine’s first original, full-length ballet. Called by critic Clive Barnes, “a fantasy spectacle of love,” this work is a masterful combination of storytelling and choreography danced to the exquisite sounds of Mendelssohn. The ballet tells a story of love, illusion and adventures of two pairs of mortal lovers and the kind and queen of the fairies. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was choreographed for New York City Ballet and premiered in 1962. The production includes a large cast complete with 25 students from Boston Ballet School and sets and costumes designed by Tony Award-winner Martin Pakledinaz. The last time A Midsummer Night’s Dream was danced by Boston Ballet it was called, “a winner, a gorgeous, spirited production given strong performances throughout the ranks, including the excellent orchestra led by Jonathan McPhee” by The Boston Globe.

Since 1963, Boston Ballet has been one of the leading dance companies in the world on stage, in the studio and in the community. The Company maintains an internationally acclaimed repertoire and the largest ballet school in North America, Boston Ballet School.

Boston Ballet maintains a repertoire of classical, neo-classical and contemporary works, ranging from full-length story ballets to new works by some of today's finest choreographers.