““Smoke and Mirrors” is raw and stunningly beautiful. With its rich and textured choreography, brilliant costuming, and dramatic music and staging, the ballet mesmerized its audience.”

“By far, the highlight of “Mirrors” was its triumphant third work, the world premiere of Yury Yanowsky’s “Smoke and Mirrors.” A visual and choreographic treat, “Smoke and Mirrors” seemingly has no beginning and no end, living in its own mysterious world with the audience merely peeking in.”

““Smoke and Mirrors” was innovative and inspired, breaking the boundaries of possibilities in ballet. This brought out the best in Boston’s dancers.”

“This piece is seamless and doesn’t feel like a début at all. It is richer and more precise more masterpiece than début. ”

“In Yanowsky’s fascinating “Smoke and Mirrors” the women wear corsets with handles at their sides, which gives the men a new way to fling their partners around like bales of hay or bundles of cargo. Yanowsky’s innovative revisions of ballet technique come on fast and furious, alternating pas de deux and group passages partially obscured by billowing smoke from off-stage that is cut by shafts of light.”

“But “Mirrors” continues to deepen with “Smoke and Mirrors,” the first of its two world premieres by the company, highlighted by physical, kinetic ensemble work where female dancers wear corsets with handles for partners to grab for crisper turns. There’s a heightened sense of mystery in this piece choreographed by retired principal dancer Yury Yanowsky, backed by monolithic hanging panels of golden rectangles and odd, foreboding music by Berklee-bred composer Lucas Vidal, whose scoring credits include the action movie Fast & Furious 6. ”

“In a memorable performance that brought audiences to their feet on May 6, Boston Ballet proved a worthy contender in the world of contemporary dance. Mirrors, the company’s final production of the season, boasts two world premieres, including a moving and groundbreaking piece choreographed by Boston Ballet’s own former Principal Dancer, Yury Yanowsky.”

“Yanowsky’s solo Sirin, made by her brother Yuri, pushes the post-classical concept further. This is a fabulous piece created specifically for this programme and Yanowsky rises to its challenges magnificently.”

“It was Yanowsky’s turn next, thanks to her brother Yuri’s Sirin. Clad in a thinly Etch-a-Sketched unitard, and ensnared in casement-style lighting, she exuded a convincingly disturbed air even minus any easily perceived cause.”

“Sirin by Yuri Yanowsky brings Zenaida Yanowsky’s feverish charisma alive; in a white bodystocking with faint geometric lines, she is as beguiling as a mathematical equation, flitting into triangles, contorting into knots, sometimes letting a stray limb quiver like a tadpole’s tail. ”