Colorado Ballet Presents MasterWorks with Performances April 10-19, 2026

“Set to Maurice Ravel’s score, Boléro was performed to great acclaim as part of the 2024 MasterWorks program, and I was completely blown away by how powerful it looked on our dancers,” Boggs explained. “Yoshi and the dancers connected beautifully, and the ballet truly came alive onstage. When Green Box Arts Festival approached us about a residency, I knew I wanted to commission a new work there, and Yoshi was the perfect person to do it.”

That residency during the summer of 2025 became the launchpad for S. Rachmaninoff, a ballet Arai had been thinking about making for 5 years.

“Rachmaninoff’s music has always been inspirational for my brain and medicine for my life,” Arai said. “His ‘Piano Concerto No. 2’ is a well-known concerto, but not many people know the story behind it.”

The story begins with the disastrous 1897 premiere of Rachmaninoff’s First Symphony. Rachmaninoff endured years of depression before therapy helped him reclaim his voice—culminating in a concerto dedicated to his doctor. Arai has long felt compelled to bring that arc to the stage. His new ballet delves into Rachmaninoff’s journey from despair to renewal, embodying the healing force of creativity.

“The emotions that this work conveys include frustration, angst, loss, passion, longing, redemption and healing,” Arai said. “The first movement represents the mental and physical suffering of agony, angst, and anxiety. The second movement is really about hope, and about the caring devotion of individuals to unite and connect again.”

“The third movement unfolds as his long-awaited return — not merely to the podium, but to himself,” Arai added. “It becomes a trial of spirit and conviction, where a judgmental society watches with cold eyes. Yet through doubt and resistance, he confronts his own limitations, and in doing so, transcends them. From the crucible of scrutiny, he rises — not only as a conductor, but as a triumphant voice of the Romantic era, having finally claimed the fullness of his artistic soul.”

The production’s visual world comes to life with costumes designed by German designer Rebekka Dornhege Reyes and constructed in the Colorado Ballet costume shop. Together, choreography, music, and design offer a moving portrait of suffering transformed into triumph, inviting audiences into the story behind the music.

S. Rachmaninoff is generously underwritten by Victoria and Sam Phares.

“We believe ballet stays alive by continuing to evolve,” Victoria Phares explained. “Supporting new work takes creative courage — from the choreographer, the dancers, and the entire artistic team. It also takes a community willing to show up for it. We’re grateful to help support work that stretches what’s possible and brings people together through shared experience.”

Concerto Barocco

Concerto Barocco, Balanchine’s neoclassical masterpiece, transforms Bach’s Double Violin Concerto into pure movement. Known for its clarity, musicality, and athleticism, this light and uplifting ballet is considered essential Balanchine.

Tickets start at $40 and can be purchased at coloradoballet.org or call Patron Services at (303) 339-1637 to purchase tickets.

To continue to reduce the number of ticket resellers, please purchase directly through Colorado Ballet via the website or phone number listed above. Tickets purchased through resellers may not be valid.

Colorado Ballet will present MasterWorks at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House (1385 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80204).

Presenting exceptional classical ballet and innovative contemporary dance through performances, training, education and community engagement, Colorado Ballet continues to inspire and grow an increasingly diverse audience base in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1961 by Lillian Covillo and Freidann Parker, Colorado Ballet is a non-profit organization celebrating 65 years of excellence. As a world-class professional company serving more than 100,000 national and international patrons, Colorado Ballet presents 58 performances annually to sold-out audiences in the 2,000-seat Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The Company’s 40 professional dancers and 20 studio company dancers come from all over the world. Colorado Ballet’s The Armstrong Center for Dance, a 35,000-square-foot building, boasts eight state-of-the-art professional dance studios and amenities for the professional Company.

Under the direction of Artistic Director Gil Boggs, Colorado Ballet performs classical ballet masterpieces, full-length story ballets and its critically acclaimed repertory production MasterWorks, featuring varied works from neoclassical ballets to world premieres. The Raydean Acevedo Colorado Ballet Academy serves more than 1,200 students from toddlers to seniors each year. Colorado Ballet’s Education & Community Engagement offers programs to students and community members, making more than 25,000 contacts and reaching over 200 schools and organizations annually. Participants come from a variety of backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses including youth, families, teachers, and people with and without disabilities.

For more information, please visit coloradoballet.org.