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Ballett Zürich’s tribute to the visionary American choreographer William Forsythe included three ballets that had never before been performed in Switzerland.

The National Ballet of Canada opens the Danse Danse festival in Montreal with a triple bill of minimalist neoclassical works.

Boston Ballet seriously want to impress London. Their 50th anniversary celebrations begin at home in the autumn, but it’s this return to England after 30 years that marks the official start of the party, and artistic director Mikko Nissinen has put together two serious, strong programmes for the capital’s ballet connoisseurs at the London Coliseum.

Boston Ballet’s Fall Program is a mix of three contemporary pieces, with music ranging from the Rolling Stones to piano and organ arrangements by J.S. Bach and electronica by Thom Willems. It began and ended on an upbeat, bookending a thoughtful (and thought-provoking) world première centerpiece.

A friend of mine once said “life is ugly. I want art to be beautiful.” I would add to that “life tells us enough stories. I want ballet to let my mind breathe.” As much as I love the story ballets, I seem to need poetry more than prose these days.