Basil Twist’s “Petrushka” is a cloth and wood fantasia and the trippiest hour I have spent in a Boston theater this season.

Picture this: you’re in the grand art deco Mainstage auditorium at the Paramount Center, with it’s gilded facades, operatic murals and red velvet curtains. On the stage before you is a stage-upon-a-stage—a puppet theater with calligraphic golden borders, a black scrim and its own velvet curtain. On either side, the Elkina sisters, identical twins in long black gowns, sit at identical black pianos.

As they commence the twinkling Stravinsky score, a sort of three-dimensional screen-saver of dancing abstract shapes begins the ballet. This is the prelude to our story. It begins at a Russian carnival at which minaret topped buildings jut and pulse in response to lively folk music performed by a band of gigantic gloved hands playing mandolins, concertinas and castanets

The stars of the show are Petrushka, the eponymous, clownish, kazachoc-dancing peasant; the beautiful ballerina he loves, and the fiery, muscle-bound, scimitar flourishing Moor, upon whom her long-lashed eyes have set. These puppets are more alive than any work of CGI. Each has its own rhythm, its own rich vocabulary of movements, its own soul.

“Petrushka” was originally performed in 1911 by the flesh-and-blood dancers of the  Ballets Russes including the legendary Vaslav Njinski in the title role. In this production, the dancers played puppets in a story about the limits of free will. Twist is therefore, just cutting out a middleman of sorts in this reimagining. Not only does he take full advantage of the medium, playing fast and lose with perspective, with levels of abstraction, and with the laws of physics, he also adds a while new layer of thematic meaning.

In this form, the play is not simply about the way humans are manipulated by external forces to the exclusion of free will, it becomes about how in spite of this, when working in concert, we have tremendous creative power; as puppeteers and as audience members we can breath pulsing life into previously inanimate objects, giving them energy, passion and the ability to rouse our emotions.

Presented by ArtsEmerson and Celebrity Series of Boston, “Petrushka” plays at the Paramount Center Mainstage through November 21.

Duncan Lyle, 20, journeyed from Melbourne, Australia to London to study classical dance at the prestigious Royal Academy. His next stop: the Boston Ballet. Blast asked Lyle about pursuing his dream across oceans.

BLAST: What was it like growing up in Melbourne? What made you want to dance overseas? Why America?

DUNCAN LYLE: Melbourne is a very, very beautiful city. People in Melbourne are very kind and open-minded and Melbourne has a wonderful dance company. I think Melbourne was the perfect place to grow up! But I’ve always wanted to dance overseas—I think it’s the ultimate validation for an Australian dancer—and America has always had a great appeal to me. It’s such an exciting and diverse place offering so many opportunities. America really is the place to be.

BLAST: How did ballet become your passion and why?

DL: I have no idea how my interest was initially sparked in ballet. For as long as I can remember it is always what I have wanted to do. I don’t think there’s ever been any other path.

BLAST: Have you encountered much resistance?

DL: I went to an all-boys school so some of the guys gave me a pretty hard time and I decided to keep it a secret. When I got older I decided to let it be publicly known which surprisingly gained me quite a bit of respect from my peers.

BLAST: How did tell your friends? Is there a story there?

DL: One day I just decided that my mates should know. At lunchtime I gathered them all together and made the big announcement. They didn’t even bat an eyelid. I almost got the impression they were thinking, “So…? What are you making such a big deal about?” My friends were so accepting and a great support network. I realized it didn’t matter what anyone else thought if I had friends who were going to stick by me, and when an opportunity presented itself to perform for the whole school I decided to take it. I was surprised at the reaction I got. After performing a pas de deux with a (very attractive) girl, I got quite a lot of respect and admiration from my peers. Especially the older students.

BLAST: What are some favorite roles you’ve danced?

DL: I performed the Pas de Cinq from "The Sleeping Beauty" with the Royal Ballet School on our graduate tour to Japan. It’s a very challenging and exhausting piece but the solo plays to my strengths and was very fun. I performed Franz from "Copp©lia" as a guest artist with the Russian Choreographic Academy in Melbourne. It was great to perform a principal part, doing a grand pas de deux.

BLAST: What kind of music and dance do you enjoy outside of Ballet?

DL: My taste in music is incredibly eclectic. If you put my iPod on shuffle you would find some very random things! I have everything from Britney Spears, to Sergei Rachmaninov, to "Avenue Q," to Arcangelo Corelli!

BLAST: What made you want to work with the Boston Ballet?

DL: All the American students at the Royal Ballet School have been telling me that Boston Ballet is an amazing company and certainly one of the best in the US. After seeing a few clips on YouTube I have to say I fully agree and I’m quite in awe of how high the standard of the company is.

It’s crazy time again and this year, Boston Ballet has just won a "Nutty" award. No, it’s not a prize for shopping-induced violence or a polar bear swim. It recognizes the Boston Ballet’s longtime Christmas gift to the city, it’s annual production of the “The Nutcracker,” choreographed this year by Artistic Director, Mikko Nissinen with music lead by Principal Conductor, Jonathan McPhee.

"The Nutty" is the nickname of the Annual Goldstar National Nutcracker Award honoring the country’s best production of the Tchaikovsky-scored holiday dance classic. Boston Ballet is its third winner. Last year’s went to The Kirov Ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre, presented by Dance at the Music Center, in Los Angeles. The first winner was The House Theatre of Chicago at Steppenwolf Theatre, in 2007.

"The award represents the collective opinion not just of a handful of critics but hundreds of Goldstar members who’ve been to see a performance and so for that reason, it really means a lot to win it," writes Goldstar CEO Jim McCarthy in a press release. Goldstar is a Web site through which members can purchase tickets to live events and then rate and review their experiences.

More than just an ornament, the "Nutty" comes with a cash prize to be used toward educational programming. This year’s gift will support the Boston Ballet School among other community outreach initiatives.

"Boston Ballet is thrilled to accept Goldstar’s annual "Nutty" Award," Executive Director, Barry Hughson, said in a statement. "The Nutcracker has been a tradition of ours in Boston for 42 years — as it is across the country and around the globe. Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker is a beloved classic, which makes it a wonderful introduction to ballet and one that brings people back year after year to see dancers from our Company, and students of Boston Ballet School, and to hear the sounds of the Boston Ballet Orchestra. "

The Nutcracker will be running through December 27 at the Boston Opera House at 19 Clarendon Street in Boston.

On the fourth floor of 19 Clarendon, in a large open room with light streaming in from oversized windows, sat beautiful ballerinas, worn out‚  slippers and male dancers stretching with iPod headsets in their ears. We wondered what they were listening to as the dancers prepared for the final studio rehearsal of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes Centennial Celebration.

From a corner of the room a pianist and a conductor begin a musical score and the dancers rise. The ballet features George Balanchine’s “Prodigal Son,” Vaslav Nijinsky’s “Afternoon of Faun,” Michel Fokine’s “Le Spectre de la Rose,” and Jorma Elo’s world premiere of “Le Sacre du Printemps.”

First to perform is “Prodigal Son.” The choreography is full of acrobatic endeavors that make it exciting and thrilling to watch, because this‚  is a great ballet for those new to dance. Watching the dancers twirl and lift to the beat of the music felt like a montage from the recent film “Pride and Prejudice,” captivating onlookers.

Playing the male lead is Jared Redick. This will be Redick’s last performance with the Boston Ballet after dancing with the company for seven years.

We had a chance to speak with Redick, and he said that playing the part of the Prodigal Son has always been a dream.

“This role is one you wait your whole career to do. This is a gift for me, I’m going out with a bang,” he said.

For years, Redick has been up before the sun for ballet practice with the Boston Ballet and then teaching at the Ballet’s Norwell School on the South Shore.‚  The principal dancer says he is looking forward to having his mornings back, but don’t think that having restful mornings means that he will get lazy or out of shape. He wants to stay active and try new things like martial arts and snowboarding.

“I can finally snowboard!” he said. He doesn’t have to worry now about injuring himself on the slopes, or hurting his ankle so that he can’t dance for several months.‚  As Redick looks back on all the opportunities he has had in his career and the major roles he has performed, he said happily, “I have been so fortunate in my career.”

The Boston Ballet will be performing Ballets Russes to celebrate 100 years since its establishment by Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev.

“The Ballets Russes became one of the most influential ballet companies of the 20th century, presenting ground-breaking artistic collaborations among choreographers, composers, and artists,” the Boston Ballet says on its website. Among the classic works by Balanchine, Nijinsky and Fokine, resident choreographer Jorma Elo will premiere a new work, his sixth for Boston Ballet, to Igor Stravinsky’s “Le Sacre du Printemps.” The Ballets Russes will be at the Wang from May 14 to 17.

Boston Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty danced its way into the hearts of a packed house Friday night.‚ 

The opening curtain revealed vibrant costumes of red and orange.‚  Women of the Court and their men dressed in their best were present at the christening of the Princess Aurora. Young Fairy Godmothers contrasted the Women of the Court in cool colored costumes of blues and purples. The Godmothers each honored the infant princess with a solo dance. Some more traditional, others with flare that caused pleasant laughter throughout the theater. Their graceful flutters across the stage melted with the musical score to tell the story of a happier time.

While out of synch in places, the use of lines and beautiful choreography made this act a favorite among the audience. At the end of the prologue Fairy Carabosse, arrives and is angered that she has not been invited to the celebration. Riding on stage with the help of her four evil hobbit-like attendants in a chariot made of twisted branches, she casts a dark spell upon the young royal,‚  distressing everyone on stage until the beautiful Lilac Fairy comes to the rescue.

In act one the audience meets the young, graceful, and high-energy princess Aurora. Celebrating her twentieth birthday, four suitors come to court her but she dances with and dismisses them all.‚  When presented with a sparkling spindle from an ominously trudging hooded stranger, she leaps and twirls around the stage with excitement until she pricks her finger. At that moment the hooded stranger reveals herself as the evil Fairy Carabosse and the princess and all her guests fall into a deep sleep that will last for a hundred years until the spell is broken with a kiss from a prince. Layers of curtains fall to build a dense forest around the sleeping princess as act one ends.

The love story between Prince Florimud and princess Aurora comes to life in act two. While hunting in the forest, the prince sees the ethereal dancing princess in visions created by good Lilac Fairy. The Prince tries to dance with the beautiful vision but to his frustration cannot touch her and is soon led by the Lilac Fairy to his sleeping love. Mounting a boat and floating across the stage through fog and woods they finally enter the great gates where the princess lays. The prince enters the room and kisses his love to break the spell.

In the final act the wedding takes place. Everyone from mythical lands attends, from the Puss in Boots and the White Cat to Belle and the Beast. Each performs a duet to honor the soon to be newlyweds.

While some partners danced several times and seemed to take away from the love story, others added comic relief and refreshment. The audience cheered while the White Cat swatted away the advances of Puss and laughed as the two danced in circles chasing each others tails. This act felt very long and didn’t seem to focus on the lovebirds, Florimud and Aurora, who had a few duets with beautiful choreography in which the prince lifted his love into the air in stunning formations.

In the end, the audience gave a standing ovation. The prologue definitely stole the show as well as the Puss in Boots and the White Cat.‚ 

The Boston Ballet’s performance of The Sleeping Beauty swept up its audience in a timeless love story while still not taking itself too seriously — incorporating silly anecdotes throughout the performance. The show is a hit for all ages with something for everyone and the vibrant costumes and beautiful backdrops are sure to have you sitting on the edge of your seat for the whole Theatre through May 3.

The story of Sleeping Beauty is widely known by every generation.‚  Most forget however that the popular Disney movie with all of its singing squirrels and flying fairies was preceded by the popular ballet of the same name that has captivated audiences for over a century.

Charles Perrault first published the traditional fairytale of Sleeping Beauty in 1697.‚  In 1890 Sleeping Beauty was preformed as a ballet in St. Petersburg to a score by Pytor Tchaikovsky with choreography by Marius Petipa. It would come to be known as Tchaikovsky’s first major success in ballet composition and the choreography was held as a standard for composers to come.

A cross between exquisite solos and elaborate party scenes Sleeping Beauty has every element of a fairytale ballet.‚  There is the evil witch with her menacing accomplices, good fairies, prince charming, and a blonde princess. Over the 100-year span it covers birth, death, marriage and everything in-between.‚  The ballet becomes more than just a story of love and spinning wheels, but a narrative carefully told through movement, expression and music.‚  With the single flick of a finger a ballerina may express what had taken a song in any cartoon version.

With updated scores by Jonathan McPhee, Boston Ballet Musical Director, and choreography by Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen The Sleeping Beauty never gets old at the Boston Ballet.‚  Running at the Wang Theater from April 23, 2009 to May 3, 2009, The Sleeping Beauty promises to revisit old memories and create new ones.

The Boston Ballet’s Jewels was definitely a show that shined through and through. A unique gem, it is composed of three acts, representing three distinct flavors and nationalities in the form of emeralds, rubies and diamonds.

The first act is made up of classical dancing with duets that suggest a love story. The dances are elegant in composition and the dancers are great at letting the dance take them over, allowing a fluid collaboration throughout. There are solos that allow the dancers to show off their strengths and abilities, while the duets and corps work together like one body in the music. Watching the dance is mesmerizing like a bonfire on a cold night.

The second act, Rubies was more contemporary with some sultry jazz influence. It was much more playful. Some of the use of form and ways they held themselves in general were reminiscent of the Spanish flamenco. There was a sense of freedom in the air, as the dancers ran about the stage, chasing one another, almost like a game of tag. Much bolder, the dancers showed true professionalism in their confidence in one another. One of the most impressive aspects of this act was that some of the dancing relied dancers “falling” on one another, leading them into another step or pace- this took much trust and good collaboration.

Finally, Diamonds, the final act picked up where the first act left off in that it was much more classical. We pick back up with the implied love story, and go on to more mature, perhaps conservative dancing. The form was more Russian than French, which can be much more delicate and graceful to the eye. In terms of their costume and posing, many of the dances reminded me of a Degas painting. Others were suggestive of the Three Graces more commonly recognized in Botticelli’s “Primavera” and in Greek mythology.

The final act was truly a work of art and the whole show is worth seeing. The Boston Ballet really out-did themselves in terms of their hard efforts and very apparent talent.

Blast Magazine had the chance to attend a Boston Ballet practice session on Friday afternoon, the day after the opening night and American debut of Ji…â„¢ƒ­ Kyliƒ¡n’s Black and White.

We raved about Black and white (see our review) and were also able to get some pictures of Heather Myers, who we interviewed earlier in the week.

All photos: Blast Magazine staff photo/Jessica Lander

Boston Ballet’s Black and White will be a hit. I attended the preview show early this week, and although costumes were not used, the dancing and choreography were phenomenal.

In the first dance, it was not taken seriously by some of the dancers. One was giggling and losing form while another was behind a beat. However, as the music persisted, the dancers became in-tune with the rhythm. They synced up perfectly.

The choreography was stunning. Dancers acted like moving sculptures that imitated visual, abstracted interpretations of the classical music used in this show. Choreographer, Ji…â„¢ƒ­ Kyliƒ¡n is truly an artist. In this show, the music is his canvas and the dancers are the paint. This show is truly reminiscent of surrealist painting in terms of their abstract movements and bold, yet crisp expression.

The dancers are obviously talented, and they perform several means of bending and lifting to form human structures. They literally mold themselves to become a single art piece. Even when they move differently, they move in sync with one another. The music puts the dancers (as well as the audience) in a trance, while they put their all into the music.

This being said, however, one flaw I did notice in the choreography, that is very common in most professional acts, is that although unique lifts can be impressive, they can also be unattractive, as the dancers (regardless of how strong or experienced they are) tend to tremble. During one of the lifts, one person was balanced with one foot on the back of another’s knee, which was awe-provoking, but also nerve-wracking, as the bottom (and as a result the top) dancer was inclined to shake.

Sometimes, it just looked painful.

But this is a great show. The first alf is breathtaking with music from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach and unique interpretations of the songs and concepts, while the second half is just hilariously entertaining. The second half plays with gender roles and awkward situations such as romantic infidelity. The show leaves you feeling upbeat and content with its beautiful concepts and comical finale. If you like contemporary ballet or modern dance forms, or just art in a broad sense, I urge you to see this show. Boston Ballet’s Black and White is truly a show that will keep you continuously entertained.

Second look: John Guilfoil

I attended opening night on Thursday at the Wang and was very impressed. The last two acts were especially engaging. In the fourth performance, “Falling Angels,” the rhythmic thumping of Steven Reich’s “Drumming, Part I” had me literally on the edge of my seat. And the dancing — forgetaboutit. Unbelievable.

The ballet was playful, engaging, passionate and full of talent provided by the Boston Ballet. Black and White is a marvelous ballet, and we were very lucky to have it first in Boston.

Don’t miss original Blast Magazine photography Friday!

Most little girls dream of becoming the prima ballerina, for Heather Myers, one of the soloists from Boston Ballet’s “Black and White,” this dream became reality.

Although it was not easy, Myers explained eloquently where her endeavors lead her, including when she started, and where she’s at now. Landing a gig with the Boston Ballet took talent, ambition and a pinch of luck, and the Canadian-born Myers has become one of Boston’s finest gems among many of its performers.

Blast Magazine asked Myers some questions that plenty of arts fans ask themselves while being captivated by her performances in shows like “The Nutcracker” and “Swan Lake.”

Blast: When did you start dancing?

HM: I started taking‚ free dance classes‚ when I was 4.

Blast: What made you want to get into to dancing as a profession?

HM: The transition into a career in dance seemed to happen pretty organically over time as I became more and more serious about it and realized that making a living at it was possible.

Blast: What did you have to do?

HM: To become a dancer I went away to professional ballet school at a young age and then trained pretty intensively until shortly after graduating from high school. From there it was a question of extensive auditioning and determination to get my first job.

Blast: Was it easy?

HM: Neither the training nor the‚ job hunt‚ was easy but few worthwhile endeavors are.

Blast: What do you like most about ballet?

HM: The things I like the most about the art of dance and ballet are its ability to effect and connect with people and the instinctive expressiveness of movement and music that it taps into and develops.

Blast: Is it your favorite dance style?

HM: Contemporary ballet‚ or dance such as the‚ Black and White‚ program are my favorite style of dance.

Blast: What do you like most about B/W?

HM: As a dancer, what I like most about Black and White is Kylian’s beautiful and direct portrayal of the concepts. The dances feel like an enhancement what we are as humans rather than an interpretation of a story or characters. There is an earthiness and a truth to this program (as well as humor and levity).

Blast: What’s your favorite part of the show?

HM: I love the whole show. It is too difficult to pick a favorite part. Seeing the company’s‚ principal dancers‚ doing the work of such a master choreographer is definitely worth the night out!

Blast: What makes B/W different from other performances?

HM: This is the‚ U.S.‚ premiere of this full Kylian program. One very unique thing about it is that while it is technically 5 separate pieces, they are really all part of the same presentation and strung together by intention, style and some certain props/costumes, and are enriched by being seen all together.

It is also a program which is extremely loved by the dancers and meaningful to many of us. There is a lot of dancing for a wide range of company members and we are very lucky and happy to be dancing it: and this will almost definitely come through in our performances.

Don’t miss Blast’s review of “Blast and White” later this week!

BOSTON — Seeing the Boston Ballet perform The Nutcracker is a New England tradition. It’s one of our “things” here in the Bean.

Blast attended on Tuesday, and we were really moved by the performance that balanced the playful with the traditional to weave a classic masterpiece into fun for all ages.

From the cutest little black sheep purposefully a step behind his brothers to the angels opening Act II from the Boston Ballet School, The Nutcracker is two hours of your life well spent.

It is a show that will feel very familiar to anyone, even if you haven’t been to a ballet before — and we know college students and 20-somethings tend to not see enough live theater. The music will take you away, and the familiar scenes like the always crowd-favorite Russian dancers will make you feel like part of the show.

My favorite scene is the sensual Arabian Dance with its unbelievably beautiful music (listen) and dancing. The Boston Ballet performs this scene and all others wonderfully.

There are six more shows, two on each day, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so get your tickets now. Tuesday’s show was sold out.

Tickets start at $30, and there are group and student discounts abound.

The Nutcracker is a fairy tale ballet in two acts by Peter Tchaikovsky in the 1890s.

We all love movies, no doubt, but our generation really needs to pay more attention to theater, opera and ballet. There is nothing in the world like a live show, and some of the moves these dancers pull off are enough to make anyone gasp — you just KNOW that was difficult.

The Boston Ballet has settled into its new home at the Boston Opera House. It’s a wonderful ballet company that has been sorely under appreciated and underfunded in Boston, as the commercial Citi Center does all it can to bring in talent from New York and elsewhere.

The Nutcracker is a bold reminder that Boston’s home-grown talent is a world-class force. More plainly: it’s a reminder that Boston’s home-grown talent is awesome.

The Boston Ballet has a busy 2009 coming up, including an April-May run of The Sleeping Beauty that’s not to be missed either.