ChoreograpHER - Pushing Limits for Female Artists - The Haute Life

Boston Ballet’s spring season opener, ChoreograpHER, meets the need for diversity in leadership by showcasing the works of five women artists, Tiler Peck, Melissa Toogood, Lia Cirio, Shantell Martin, and Claudia Schreier. The all-female choreographed show is innovative and beautifully structured. Receive $50 off tickets (and any of the spring performances through June 3rd) with the code BBFRIENDS.

If women subscribed to the limits set by “society,” we would have never gained the right to vote or have the choice between something as now trivial as mini-skirts or pants. And while we have made so much progress since women’s suffrage, certain rhetoric and salary reports tell us we still need to push those limits.

This was something my father impressed upon me at a young age. My education was paramount to anything else to enable me to find a job and depend on myself, not a man.

Now that I am a mother, you could say my father’s teachings have come full circle in that I am a mother of two boys. I teach them that every human being (man and woman) has the fundamental right to chase whatever dream is in their sight. And when doing so, treat each other with respect and admiration as we all attempt to achieve our goals.

ChoreograpHER, which runs March 13th and during Womens’ History Month removes women from the part of the muse and elevates them into the artist/creator role.

Enter Boston Ballet’s ChoreograpHER – the opener to the company’s spring program, which features five pieces by female choreographers and a return to in-person performances.

My 10-year-old son, Vincent, has been my “ballet buddy” for the past few years. He appreciates the athleticism the dancers display on stage. Besides the fact that he digs the ballet, I firmly believe exposing children to as much culture as possible opens their minds and makes them kinder and more accepting human beings. Plus, we generally have a scrumptious over-the-top dinner beforehand.

Besides all of these reasons, I saw ChoreograpHER as the perfect opportunity to continue to impress upon Vincent the importance of gender equality and that girls are just as capable as boys.

I have to confess, going into the show, Vincent didn’t know what a choreographer was. Also, since COVID had prevented us from attending in person, I was concerned Vincent might not be as entertained as when he was younger or because there wasn’t a big set production like The Nutcracker.

I am happy to report that the simple set design, primarily of lighting effects, did not bore him. Not. At. All.

In fact, Vincent told me he wants to go whenever we can. He enjoyed seeing the musicians accompanying the dancers during Tiler Peck’s “Point of Departure” and was interested in how the dance moves (like in “Chaptered Fragments” by Boston Ballet’s own Lia Cirio) differed from what he’s seen in classical ballets. However, his favorite part was seeing the choreographers give a bow after the premiere of their piece. (This warmed my heart so much and is the honest-to-goodness truth.) He told me that now that he knows all of the work that goes into planning each step and movement, it was cool seeing the people who created the dances.

From my father’s teachings of gender equality to what I have taught my boys, we’ve done a full pirouette. Thank you, Boston Ballet, for a beautiful night and for taking us to new limits. There are no boundaries when passion intersects with drive and talent. Brava!!!!

ChoreograpHER – Pushing Limits for Female Artists