Meet the New Choreographer: Lia Cirio

Lia Cirio is taking on a new role: choreographer. Cirio has joined Boston Ballet’s ChoreograpHER initiative, which gives female company members the opportunity to produce and present original works of choreography. Our Founder, Liza Yntema, recently signed on as Lead Sponsor of the program.

A principal dancer for the company, Ms. Cirio has danced her entire career with Boston Ballet’s, first joining the main company in 2004. As one of the inaugural participants, she has choreographed alongside dancers Hannah Bettes, Jessica Burrows, Lauren Flower, Sage Humphries, and Haley Schwan in the six-piece program.

Boston Ballet in Lia Cirio’s Sta(i)r(e)s; photo by Liza Voll; courtesy of Boston Ballet

Cirio’s work for the initiative is her choreographic debut, and diverges from the classical work she is often seen performing as a dancer. The piece, entitled Sta(i)r(e)s, is set to music by a female composer, Carolina Chocolate Drops. Four dancers perform in the piece, featuring a male couple and a mixed-gender couple.

Lia Cirio with Desean Taber ; photo by Brooke Trisolini; courtesy of Boston Ballet

In a promo video for ChoreograpHER, Cirio says it best:

“The future is female and this is one step to show that we can stand up and be powerful.”

Watch her discuss the process of creating Sta(i)r(e)s in the video below: