Boston Ballet is hosting two upcoming programs at Dorchester’s Strand Theatre in on April 8 to encourage the community to discover the power of dance and "rethink ballet" including an evening performance with tickets priced at just $10.

The first show is a free morning performance for more than 1,000 fourth and fifth graders from nearly 15 Boston Public Schools, many of whom have previously participated of Boston Ballet's Citydance program through the Department of Education and Community Initiatives (ECI).

The evening performance for the larger community starts at 7 p.m. Professional dancers from Boston Ballet and Boston Ballet II will perform, along with Boston Ballet School students. The engagement will also include young adults from Adaptive Dance, a creative movement program of Boston Ballet's ECI for individuals with disabilities, participating alongside Company dancers, as well as Boys in Motion, a Boston Ballet ECI program for boys in grades four through eight.

The Strand shows are produced in partnership with the City of Boston and Boston Public Schools. In the last six years, Boston Ballet's appearances at the Strand Theatre have entertained and inspired a combined audience of more than 8,000.

"Boston Ballet looks forward to this opportunity to connect with the Dorchester community every year," says Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. "For the past six years, our performances at The Strand Theatre have expanded Boston Ballet's deep roots in the community, and opened up the world of dance to those who may be new to it to discover the power of the art form."

Audience members of the evening performance are invited to attend a pre-show event with dance-related activities at 5:30 pm. Costumes will be on display in the Strand's gallery space. Visitors will be invited to explore an interactive "movement maze," learn more about the Ballet's international roster of Company dancers from twenty nationalities, and express their own perspectives on the meaning of dance in their lives as part of an installation in the Strand lobby.

Additionally, community partner Hyde Square Task Force will perform salsa in the lobby and vendors from Upmarket, a part of Upham's Corner Main Street, will be present.

The evening program will kick off with excerpts from Léonide Massine's comic ballet Gaîté Parisienne performed by Company dancers. Featured in Boston Ballet's program Kaleidoscope, Gaîté Parisienne is set in a Parisian café at the height of the romantic belle époque era and features colorful costumes by Christian Lacroix and spirited characters. Also featured are excerpts from José Martinez's Resonance and A Work In Progress by Yury Yanowsky, former Boston Ballet principal dancer.

Boston Ballet II, Boston Ballet's second company, will perform Ne Me Quitte Pas by choreographer and Company dancer Boyko Dossev, set to the music of Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel. Boston Ballet II dancers will also perform excerpts from Over Glow by Boston Ballet's resident choreographer Jorma Elo.
Seating is by general admission only and Cncessions will be available for purchase. For more information, visit bostonballet.org or call 617-695-6955.