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Boston Ballet’s Mirrors

Disclosure: Influence Central received complimentary media tickets to attend the opening night of the Boston Ballet’s Mirrors. All opinions are our own.

When people talk about ballets, their imagery points to flurrying, light dresses, and colorful sets, but the Boston Ballet’s Mirrors, which shows from May 6^th to the 28^th, revels in its achromatic brilliance. The set is an unsuspecting shroud of varying shades of grey where time stops, but holds the intensity of a calm before the storm.

Photo by Gene Schiavone, courtesy Boston Ballet

In an ethereal balance of synchronized motion, the first act, Belong, captures the dancers’ strength through slow, gliding movements reminiscent of a foggy dream. Paired with only a pianist, the act throws us into the depths of our consciousness as, despite the actual lack of mirrors on stage, the dancers’ entrancing synchronicity makes us question which of them is actually real. Couples slide in and out of a moving façade, directing us towards them only to find out they were merely a reflection of another pair. Their reaching arms entranced us in an otherworldly glamour.

The second act, Smoke and Mirrors, inherits the atmosphere from the preceding act but explores movement and emotion directed outwards – away from our inner consciousness, into the emotions that connect us with others – fear, love, passion. Featuring a contemporary musical score, and contemporary energetic and expressive movements, Smoke and Mirrors, translates passion in its purest form into a spectacle. Soaring violins and the dancers’ sweeping movements pull on our heartstrings, so instinctively that it blurs the line between love and hurt, and melds it into the heat of one single passionate emotion.

Photo by Gene Schiavone, courtesy Boston Ballet

A jump, a shake, and then a fist-bump. Bitches Brew – the third and final act, takes a swift turn in the show’s atmosphere and makes it light and playful. Though most of the scene is still visually dark, colors emerge to emphasize the prodigious skill in each of the dancers. Gone is the fiery passion, replaced with an insatiable curiosity through swift, jerky but precise motions.

The Boston Ballet’s Mirrors brings its audience from the depths of their psyche to their outward curiosity for the world. With varying styles ranging from fluttery, traditional ballet, to curious and quick spider-esque movements, the Boston Ballet captures and captivates. Be sure to visit BostonBallet.com to get more information on upcoming performances and tickets.

Don’t forget to follow the Boston Ballet on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for additional updates throughout the season.

Featured image photo credit: Gene Schiavone, courtesy Boston Ballet