The National Ballet of Canada

Winter Triple Bill of Premieres

World Premiere of UtopiVerse by William Yong
North American Premiere of Emma Portner’s islands
Canadian Premiere of Suite en Blanc by Serge Lifar
Casting Announced

March 11, 2024… Hope Muir, Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the casting for the world premiere of UtopiVerse by William Yong, the North American premiere of islands by Emma Portner and the Canadian premiere of Suite en Blanc by Serge Lifar, onstage March 20 – 24, 2024 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Toronto-based choreographer William Yong creates his first commission for the National Ballet. A futuristic spectacle, UtopiVerse is a multi-disciplinary exploration of the concept of utopia and the pursuit of perfection. The work features music by Benjamin Britten and Canadian composer Constantine Caravassilis.

islands is a sculptural duet by Canadian genre-breaking choreographer Emma Portner. The highly acclaimed work premiered at Norwegian National Ballet to instant acclaim. Originally created for two women, the powerful and touching pas de deux explores the notion that women in ballet are often separated by tutus by fusing their bodies together. islands is set to an eclectic compilation of music by contemporary artists including Forest Swords.

Serge Lifar’s stunning Suite en Blanc pays homage to the classical form and is an unforgettable celebration of ballet technique – showy and chic with clouds of white tutus. Set to the music of Édouard Lalo, Lifar’s ballet is an exciting addition to the National Ballet’s repertoire of classical works.

Casting 

UtopiVerse

Lotus
Koto Ishihara (March 20, 22 at 7:30 pm/March 23 at 2:00 pm)
Tirion Law (March 21, 23 at 7:30 pm/March 24 at 2:00 pm)

Leo
Ben Rudisin (March 20, 22 at 7:30 pm/March 23 at 2:00 pm)
Siphesihle November (March 21, 23 at 7:30 pm/March 24 at 2:00 pm)

The Daemon
Christopher Gerty (March 20, 22 at 7:30 pm/March 23 at 2:00 pm)
Noah Parets (March 21, 23 at 7:30 pm/March 24 at 2:00 pm)

The Undermined
Emma Oulette

islands

Heather Ogden and Emma Ouellet (March 20, 23 at 7:30 pm)
Alexandra MacDonald and Alexander Skinner (March 21 at 7:30 pm/March 23 at 2:00 pm)
Hannah Galway and Jenna Savella (March 22 at 7:30 pm/March 24 at 2:00 pm)

Suite en Blanc

La Sieste
Chelsy Meiss, Tene Ward, Monika Haczkiewicz (March 20, 23 at 7:30 pm)
Chelsy Meiss, Alexandra MacDonald, Calley Skalnik (Mar 21, 23 mat)
Clare Peterson, Selene Guerrero-Trujillo, Monika Haczkiewicz (March 22 at 7:30 pm/March 24 at 2:00 pm)

Thème Varié
Brenna Flaherty, Donald Thom, Larkin Miller (March 20, 23 at 7:30 pm)
Koto Ishihara, Naoya Ebe, Harrison James (March 21 at 7:30 pm/March 23 at 2:00 pm)
Calley Skalnik, Peng-Fei Jiang, Larkin Miller (March 22 at 7:30 pm/March 24 at 2:00 pm)

Sérénade
Isabella Kinch (March 20, 21, 22, 23 at 7:30 pm)
Brenna Flaherty (March 23, 24 at 2:00 pm)

Presto
Koto Ishihara (March 20, 23 at 7:30 pm)
Jeannine Haller (March 21 at 7:30 pm/March 23 at 2:00 pm)
Ayano Haneishi (March 22 at 7:30 pm/March 24 at 2:00 pm)

Isaac Wright or Keaton Leier, David Preciado or Kota Sato, Scott McKenzie or Josh Hall, Noah Parets

La Cigarette
Calley Skalnik (March 20, 23 at 7:30 pm)
Svetlana Lunkina (March 21, 22 at 7:30 pm/ March 23, 24 at 2:00 pm)

Mazurka
Spencer Hack (March 20 at 7:30 pm/March 23 at 2:00 pm)
Siphesihle November (March 21 at 7:30 pm)
Aidan Tully (March 22 at 7:30 pm)
Naoya Ebe (March 23 at 7:30 pm)
Harrison James (March 24 at 2:00 pm)

Adage
Svetlana Lunkina, Harrison James (March 20, 23 at 7:30 pm)
Heather Ogden, Ben Rudisin (March 21 at 7:30 pm/March 23 at 2:00 pm)
Emerson Dayton, Spencer Hack (March 22 at 7:30 pm/March 24 at 2:00 pm)

La Flûte
Svetlana Lunkina (March 20, 23 at 7:30 pm)
Heather Ogden (March 21 at 7:30 pm/ March 23, 24 at 2:00 pm)
Emerson Dayton (March 22 at 7:30 pm)
Harrison James, Donald Thom, Larkin Miller (March 20, 23 at 7:30 pm)
Ben Rudisin, Naoya Ebe, Harrison James (March 21 at 7:30 pm/March 23 at 2:00 pm)
Spencer Hack, Peng-Fei Jiang, Larkin Miller (March 22 at 7:30 pm/March 24 at 2:00 pm)

About UtopiVerse & islands & Suite en Blanc >  

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2023/24 Season Sponsor: BMO Financial Group

UtopiVerse is produced and commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada. 

Lead philanthropic support for UtopiVerse is provided by an Anonymous donor, The Catherine & Maxwell Meighen Foundation, The Hal Jackman Foundation and The Hal Jackman Foundation Fund with additional support by The Producers’ Circle. 

The Producers’ Circle (2024): Gail & Mark Appel, John & Claudine Bailey, Laura Dinner & Richard Rooney, Gail Drummond & Bob Dorrance, Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin, The William & Nona Heaslip Foundation, Anna McCowan-Johnson & Donald K. Johnson, O.C., Judy Korthals & Peter Irwin, Mona & Harvey Levenstein, Jerry Lozinski, O.C. & Joan Lozinski, O.C., The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain, C.C., Julie Medland, Sandra Pitblado, C.M. & Jim Pitblado, C.M., The Harry & Lillian Seymour Family Foundation, The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation and Alexander Younger & Sarah Richardson. 

Lead philanthropic support for islands is provided by The Catherine & Maxwell Meighen Foundation. 

Naoya Ebe is sponsored through Dancers First by Gretchen Ross.   

Christopher Gerty is sponsored through Dancers First by Ms. Nancy Viner & Dr. Raymond Stein.  

Harrison James is sponsored through Dancers First by Lucy White.   

Svetlana Lunkina is sponsored through Dancers First by Anna McCowan-Johnson & Donald K. Johnson, O.C.   

Siphesihle November is sponsored through Dancers First by Jerry Lozinski, O.C. & Joan Lozinski, O.C.  

Heather Ogden is sponsored through Dancers First by Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin. 

Ben Rudisin is sponsored through Dancers First by Sylvie Allard & Brian O’Keefe.  

Jeannine Haller is sponsored through Dancers First by Devida & Derek Smith. 

Alexandra MacDonald is sponsored through Dancers First by an anonymous donor.    

Chelsy Meiss is sponsored through Dancers First by Anne-Marie Canning.  

Calley Skalnik is sponsored through Dancers First by an anonymous donor.   

Hannah Galway is sponsored through Dancers First by Alison & Alan Schwartz.   

Noah Parets is sponsored through Dancers First by John Covington Jr & Robert Lukey.  

Kota Sato is sponsored through Dancers First by Tony Arrell, C.M. & Anne Arrell.   

Isabella Kinch is sponsored through Dancers First by Daphne Taras.  

Keaton Leier is sponsored through Dancers First by Donald & Suzanne Kopas. 

Emma Ouellett is sponsored through Dancers First by Victor & Bernice Royce 

Clare Peterson is sponsored through Dancers First by an anonymous donor.   

Alexander Skinner is sponsored through Dancers First by Anne & David LeGresley.   

Tene Ward is sponsored through Dancers First by Michelle & Duncan Sinclair.  

Isabella Kinch and Matthieu Pagès in UtopiVerse. Photo by Jason George and William Yong.

The National Ballet of Canada gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Canada Council for the Arts; the Ontario Arts Council; the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council; the Government of Canada – Department of Canadian Heritage, through The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage; and the Government of Ontario through The Honourable Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

For more information, please contact: