Reservations required
Mikko Nissinen
Dance Talks: The Ballet Company of the Future
Please note: This presentation replaces Leonard Lauder’s “My Life with Estée,” which has been postponed to a later date. All lecture reservations for Leonard Lauder have been transferred to Mikko Nissinen.
Mikko Nissinen has been the Artistic Director of Boston Ballet since 2001. His broad knowledge of dance, its history, and arts organization business leadership make him a popular presenter worldwide. Enjoy this illustrated presentation on “The Ballet Company of the Future” which will include several short videos.
Nissinen has defined Boston Ballet’s image, cultivating a dynamic collection of classical, neo-classical and contemporary repertoire, ranging from full-length classical ballets, to masterworks by George Balanchine, to new works and world premieres by some of the finest contemporary choreographers today. Under his direction The Boston Globe called Boston Ballet’s transformation one of the “biggest arts stories of the decade.”
Born in Helsinki, Nissinen began his dance training at age 10 with The Finnish National Ballet School and launched his professional dance career at age 15 with The Finnish National Ballet. He danced professionally for 19 years. His vast repertoire ranged from classical to contemporary works, and he performed as a guest artist with many companies and partners for numerous international galas.
For Boston Ballet, Nissinen has choreographed Raymonda Act III (2006), Swan Lake (2004) and the Company has performed his The Nutcracker since 2004. This award-winning production was re-envisioned and re-choreographed in 2012, receiving critical acclaim. In 2014 Nissinen introduced his new production of Swan Lake, hailed as “luminous” by the Wall Street Journal.
He is the recipient of the Finlandia Foundation’s 2008 Arts and Letters Award, Boston’s Guide for the Arts 2009 Ambassador for the Arts Award and the 2007 United Nations Association of Greater Boston Leadership Award. In 2019, Nissinen was appointed a Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland.