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  • Ballet

  • Jan16

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    National Ballet of China: Swan Lake

    Posted in: Ballet, Events, Vancouver

    National Ballet of China in Swan Lake

    Ballet BC is proud to bring The National Ballet of China’s Swan Lake to the Queen E Theatre from February 27 to March 2, for four evening performances.

    Swan Lake, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1876, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse and her doomed love for Prince Siegfried.
     
    Founded in 1959, The National Ballet of China uniquely fuses western classical ballet with Chinese culture by developing many of its own works that represent China’s varied characteristics. This will be the Company’s premiere Canadian production of Swan Lake, showcasing the Company’s solid foundation in Russian-style classical ballet. The strong ensemble is wonderfully suited to the extreme demands of the classical style.
     
    Noteworthy are the white swan-maidens of the ballet, a superb example of the training, disciplined intelligence, and technical skills that highlight the stylistic brilliance of this production. The ardours and sense of mystery inherent in Swan Lake are beautifully framed by Peter Farmer’s darkly brooding set designs, Han Jiang’s lighting and Galina Solovyeva’s gorgeous costumes.
     
    “Historically Swan Lake presents a monumental undertaking for a company, pushing dancers to the limits of their technical and artistic skill,” says Ballet BC Artistic Director Emily Molnar. “The magnificent sets, lighting and costumes of The National Ballet of China’s production complement the ravishing flow of choreography and storytelling that highlight the talented artists of this exceptional ballet company. Presented by Teck, Ballet BC is honoured to introduce The National Ballet of China in Swan Lake to Vancouver on its first ever Canadian tour.”

    The National Ballet of China in Swan Lake
     
    According to Mme. Feng Ying, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of China and considered the great Chinese ballerina, “I would like to express our thanks to Ballet BC for inviting us to Vancouver in February 2013 during Chinese New Year. I truly hope that Vancouver audiences will enjoy our Swan Lake.”

    Ballet BC Presents the National Ballet of China’s Swan Lake
    Dates: February 27 to March 2, 8 pm
    Venue: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 649 Cambie Street, Vancouver
    Tickets: $55 to $110 (plus service charges); available online or via phoning Ticketmaster at 1.855.985.2787 (855.985.ARTS)

    Combining classical integrity with a contemporary sensibility, Ballet BC is a company of 17 talented dancers from Canada and around the world committed to the ballet of today. Solidly grounded in the rigour and artistry of classical ballet, with an emphasis on innovation and the immediacy of the 21st century, the company presents a distinct and diverse repertoire of the most sought-after Canadian and international contemporary ballet choreography.

  • Dec10

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    Ballet BC: Encore at the Queen E

    Posted in: Ballet, Dance, Events, Vancouver

    Donald Sales in Herman Schmerman; photo by Chris Randle.
    [Donald Sales in Herman Schmerman; photo by Chris Randle.]

    Ballet BC will bring Encore to the Queen E Theatre for three evening performances from January 24 to 26. The series is part of the 2013 Push International Arts Festival and will feature three audience favourites from the 2010 and 2011 dance seasons.
     
    Herman Schmerman is choreographed by William Forsythe, recognized as one of the world’s foremost choreographers. The piece will be danced to music by Dutch composer Thom Willems. Widely responsible for reorienting the practice of ballet from its identification with the classical repertoire to a dynamic 21st century art form, Herman Schmerman was an enormous audience success when it was premiered by Ballet BC in April 2010.

    In addition, Forsythe directed the Frankfurt Ballet for 20 years. His work is regularly performed by companies around the world, including the St. Petersburg’s Kirov Ballet, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, the Royal Ballet and The Paris Opera Ballet. 
     
    “Forsythe’s work is featured in the repertoire of every major ballet company in the world,” according to Ballet BC’s Artistic Director Emily Molnar. “Encore is a full evening of audience favourites and Forsythe’s virtuosic and vibrantly musical Herman Schmerman is in keeping with Ballet BC’s diverse approach to contemporary ballet. This is dance that moves and captivates audiences.”
     
    In February 2011, Ballet BC premiered 1st Flash by Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo. Audiences were enchanted by this work for six dancers, performed to a beautiful Sibelius violin concerto.  Elo is resident choreographer of Boston Ballet and a former member of The Netherlands Dance Theatre, Sweden’s Cullberg Ballet, and The Finnish National Ballet. 

    Petite Ceremonie; photo by Michael Slobodian
    [Petite Ceremonie; photo by Michael Slobodian.]
     
    Originally created for Ballet BC in February 2011, Petite Cérémonie is a powerful and poetic full-company piece by European dance star Medhi Walerski. Inspired by the idea of ‘life in a box,’ it is a surprising and delightful mix of dance and theatre, full of imagery and adventure, a dazzling landscape of movement and ideas. Walerski’s original voice makes dances that are “out of this world…a dreamlike experience. A dream you never want to wake from.” Walerski is a dancer with The Netherlands Dance Theatre.
     
    Adds Molnar, “Both Jorma and Medhi have had great international success and have created and staged works for major dance companies around the world. We are thrilled to have their work as part of Ballet BC’s repertoire.”
     
    Ballet BC Presents Encore with Push International Arts Festival
    Dates: January 24 to 26, 2013, 8 pm
    Venue: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 649 Cambie Street, Vancouver
    Tickets: $22.25 to $70 (plus service charges); available online or via phoning Ticketmaster at 1.855.985.2787 (855.985.ARTS).

  • Nov1

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    Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker

    Posted in: Ballet, Events, Vancouver

    Nutcracker featuring the Royal Winnipeg Ballet

    Ballet BC is proud to present Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet in The Nutcracker at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from December 14 to 16, featuring three evening performances and two matinées.

    This particular Nutcracker production is set in turn of the 20th century Canada and presents a unique take on the sparkling Christmas tradition, featuring endearing Canadian scenes such as a hockey game and a battle on Parliament Hill.

    This production, called “…rapturously romantic” by the Winnipeg Free Press, brings a fresh magic to the classic through its stunning costumes, set designs by Brian Perchaluk, and lighting by Michael J. Whitfield. Included in Nutcracker’s cast are scores of children in the roles of mice, soldiers, Mounties and snowflakes, adding to the whimsy while offering a perfect complement to Tchaikovsky’s joyous musical score.

    Serena Sandford, Liam Caines
    [Serena Sandford, Liam Caines. Photo by David Cooper]
     
    Ballet BC’s Artistic Director Emily Molnar says, “We are thrilled to present Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, one of Canada’s major ballet companies, in this iconic Canadian version of the delightful Christmas story Nutcracker. This production, which Vancouver audiences have only seen once before, is a treat for both young and old and sure to add magic to your holiday season.”
    Read the rest of the post »

  • Oct15

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    Ballet BC: In/verse Heads New Season

    Posted in: Ballet, Vancouver

    Rachel Meyer
    [Rachel Meyer]

    Ballet BC presents In/verse at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from November 22 to 24, with three evening performances featuring two world premieres and a North American premiere.
     
    The North American Premiere of A.U.R.A (Anarchist Unit Related to Art) by Italian choreographer Jacopo Godani, is “…one of the most in-demand choreographers in the world,” according to Vogue Italia, and set to a score composed and performed by German electro-acoustic duo 48nord. The work for 15 dancers showcases Godani’s explosive style and raw, unbound energy, inspiring the “….dancers to take their bodies and brains farther.” Godani has created works for many international companies, including Netherlands Dance Theatre, The Royal Danish Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo and The Royal Ballet of Flanders.

    Darren Devaney
    [Darren Devaney]
     
    “We are the first company in Canada to present Jacopo Godani’s work,” says Ballet BC’s Artistic Director Emily Molnar. “Overall the evening is a significant coup for the company since it also includes a highly anticipated world premiere by American sensation Nicolo Fonte. This spectacular evening of international dance is a daring example of Ballet BC’s diverse approach to contemporary ballet and in keeping with the Company’s vision of creating dance that moves and captivates audiences.”
     
    The World Premiere by American choreographer Nicolo Fonte, will be danced to the ETHEL string quartet recording of works by Mesinai, Zarvos and Lang. Fonte’s new work stays true to his reputation for creating “…highly fluid, complex and exhilarating…” pieces. Fonte’s work marries classical and contemporary ballet. His powerful identity as a choreographer has resulted in great success internationally and includes creating and staging works for major dance companies around the world, among them Stuttgart Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Finnish National Ballet and The Dutch National Ballet.
     
    Racheal Prince
    [Racheal Prince]

    Ballet BC Artistic Director Emily Molnar creates a full ensemble world premiere that will feature her signature complex and sensual choreography, inspired by prolific American composer and saxophone player John Zorn’s Book of Angels. Molnar, a former member of The National Ballet of Canada, Ballet BC and Frankfurt Ballet, is an internationally respected and critically acclaimed artist who has choreographed for Alberta Ballet, Ballet Mannheim, Ballet BC, Cedar Lake Dance, Pro Arte Danza, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and Ballet Augsburg, among others.

    In/verse
    Dates: November 22 to 24, 8 pm
    Venue: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 649 Cambie Street, Vancouver
    Tickets: $22.25 to $70 (plus service charges); available via phoning Ticketmaster at 1.855.985.2787 (855-985-ARTS) or online

    Ballet BC is a company of 17 talented dancers from Canada and around the world, combining classical integrity with a contemporary sensibility. The company presents both a distinct and diverse repertoire of the most sought-after Canadian and international contemporary ballet choreography.

    Photo credit: Michael Slobodian.

  • May11

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    Ballet BC Presents Bliss

    Posted in: Ballet, Events, Music, Theater Reviews, Vancouver

    Artists of Ballet BC
    [Artists of Ballet BC; Photo credit: Chris Randle]

    Last night, Vancouver audiences were treated to a trio of performances by Ballet BC’s talented dance company. Bliss actually expands on choreographer José Navas’ original 2010 premiere (The bliss that from their limbs all movement takes), adding two additional compositions (Annunciations, and A Thousand Ways to Meet You Tenderly) to the evening. Navas is the founder and artistic director of José Navas/Compagnie Flak.

    The program starts with world premiere Annunciations, danced to Mozart’s Allegro from Trio in G, Adagio from Trio in B flat, and Allegretto from Trio in B flat. It sets a light, cheerful start to the evening, with dancers and backdrop all in red. This work is inspired by Edwin Muir’s poem, The Annunciation, with themes of love, time, and sound. The poem also contains the lines that form the third movement: “Immediacy of strangest strangeness is the bliss That from their limbs all movement takes.

    Annunciations contains delicate dancing, explorative movement, and passion. Towards the end of the composition, the floor lighting is such a deep blue that it appears as though the dancers are sublimely moving along water.

    The second composition, A Thousand Ways to Meet You Tenderly, takes a decidedly more ominous tone, set to darker stage colours and costumes, starker lighting, and Henryk Gorecki’s Symphony No. 3: Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. The music’s title should be enough to cue the audience in as to what type of performance will unfold. I found it slow and droning, comprising four pairs of dancers moving from either side of the stage to dance with one another. With four chairs set on either side, dancers get up to meet their respective partner in the middle. Though the movements in this piece were beautiful to watch and very well executed, the repetitive music and slow pace didn’t provide me with the energy of the first piece.

    The final movement was by far the most colourful: The bliss that from their limbs all movement takes. This piece, containing a musical collaboration by Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar, is wonderfully set to the 15 dancers that take to the stage and present a glorious range of motion. Ballet BC should be commended for its group of talented, sensuous, and dexterous dancers who brought this piece to the climax of the evening.

    Whether or not the second piece moved me as much as the first and last, I felt that these three movements set a clever pace and design to the evening program. Two 20 minute intermissions break up the performances accordingly.

    Bliss has two remaining performances on May 11 and 12. Tickets are available both online and by phone: 1.855.985.2787.

    Ballet BC, a company of 16 talented dancers from around the world, is committed to the ballet of today. Solidly grounded in the classical ballet lexicon but with more immediacy and connection to the 21st century, the company presents a diverse repertoire of Canadian and international contemporary ballet.

    Now in its 25th anniversary year, Ballet BC continues its commitment to perform on multiple regional, national and international tours in addition to its regular performance season at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. Visit the Ballet BC website for more information.

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