Experience the breadth of The National Ballet of Canada repertoire in this Triple Bill of acclaimed works honouring the legacy and future of dance. Presenting two Canadian premieres in dramatically different styles plus a special solo performance by retiring Principal Dancer and Choreographic Associate Guillaume Côté, this programme underscores the continuing evolution of our art form and the versatility of our artists in the face of new creative challenges.
Canadian Premiere
Silent Screen
Overview
The mesmerizing language of Sol León and Paul Lightfoot comes to the National Ballet for the first time with Silent Screen, a profound theatrical experience set to the music of Philip Glass. Based in Europe, León and Lightfoot are the architects of a highly respected body of work rarely experienced in North America. With this acquisition, Artistic Director Hope Muir opens the door to their canon. Silent Screen immerses the dancers in a silent film projected on shifting screens, taking the audience on a journey that finishes where it began.
Silent Screen Trailer
Fast Facts
- León and Lightfoot are celebrated throughout Europe for their idiosyncratic, integrative work and leadership of the prestigious Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT).
- Everything in Silent Screen is in motion, even the screens, which contract and expand the stage like a camera lens.
- The creators added a personal touch by including their daughter, Saura Lightfoot-León, in the film.
Watch and Explore
The Creators
Spain’s Sol León joined NDT 2 after graduating from the National Ballet Academy of Madrid in 1987. Two years later, she joined NDT 1 and danced the work of Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, Ohad Naharin and many others.
Born in England, Paul Lightfoot trained at The Royal Ballet School and joined NDT under Jiří Kylián, dancing there until 2008. During his dancing career, Lightfoot formed his famous choreographic partnership with Sol León.
In 2002, León and Lightfoot were named House Choreographers of Nederlands Dans Theater. León was Artistic Advisor of NDT from 2012 to 2020 and Lightfoot Artistic Director from 2011 to 2020.
The Score
Glassworks was Philip Glass’ debut album on CBS. A six-movement work written for the recording studio in 1981, the music was intended to introduce his aesthetic to a more general audience. In terms of sound, Glassworks is consistent with Glass’ vast oeuvre of contemporary classical music favouring repetitive structures.
Reviews
“A rare, compelling ballet in which all characteristic León & Lightfoot ingredients are combined… an ‘insurmountable piece of art’… This masterpiece will inevitably touch your soul.” – TROUW
“The most beautiful and captivating [León & Lightfoot] have created in their already richly stocked oeuvre.” – De Telegraaf
“Gripping… ingenious melting together of dance with a film” – NRC Handelsblad
“Purposeful and revealing… an eclectic blend of dance, image and music” – The Herald
Overview
Body of Work kicks off Guillaume Côté’s special performances in his final season with The National Ballet of Canada as Principal Dancer. Set to Ludwig van Beethoven’s uplifting Symphony No.7, this touching solo was Côté’s homage to his friend and fellow dance icon, Canada’s Anik Bissonnette, at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award Gala in 2014. Now, the solo takes on new life as an expression of Côté’s own extraordinary legacy in dance.
Fast Facts
- Body of Work is the prelude to Côté’s final performances with the National Ballet in June 2025 after an amazing 26 years with the company.
- How does a dancer relate to the body? Côté asks this question in Body of Work, saying: “There is nothing more beautiful than a dancer who can listen to the body’s subtleties in a way that is organic and pure.”
- Minimal costuming, a bare stage and a solitary artist interpreting Beethoven – Body of Work is pure movement and music.
Watch and Explore
The Creator
Guillaume Côté joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1998, became Principal Dancer in 2004 and Choreographic Associate in 2013. His creations for the company include Being and Nothingness, Le Petit Prince and Frame by Frame with Robert Lepage. In 2021, he founded his company Côté Danse and created the immersive dance experience Touch. He is also Artistic Director of the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur.
The Score
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 premiered in Vienna in 1813 with great success and is renowned for its lively rhythm and momentum. The second movement, the stirring Allegretto, is particularly popular and often performed alone. The composer Richard Wagner called it “the apotheosis of dance”.
Canadian Premiere
Rhapsody
Overview
Join the international celebration of Sir Frederick Ashton with Rhapsody, a chic and joyful ballet Artistic Director Hope Muir has acquired for Ashton Worldwide, a five-year festival honouring the great choreographer’s legacy. Beloved for his poetic storytelling and elegant style, Ashton showcases his energetic side with Rhapsody, in which two thrilling Principals and a small Corps de Ballet embody the vitality of the music, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s glorious Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.
Fast Facts
- Several of Ashton’s most cherished works are in the National Ballet repertoire, including The Dream and La Fille mal gardée.
- Ashton created Rhapsody in 1980 for two ballet stars: Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lesley Collier.
- This presentation of Rhapsody coincides with the 50th-anniversary of Baryshnikov’s famous defection in Toronto.
Watch and Explore
The Creator
Sir Frederick Ashton studied in England with famed dancers Léonide Massine and Marie Rambert. His distinct style has been preserved in his repertoire of cherished ballets, including A Month in the Country and La Fille mal gardée. He was knighted in 1962, made a Companion of Honour in 1970 and received the Order of Merit in 1977.
The Score
Sergei Rachmaninoff composed his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra in 1934, inspired by Niccolò Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 for solo violin, which is symbolic of virtuoso technique. Rachmaninoff’s theme and variations take on the Caprice was the basis for Michel Fokine’s ballet Paganini in 1939.
Reviews
“A virtuoso display” – The Independent
“★★★★★” – Financial Times
Casting
Casting will be announced on our eNewsletter, Ballet News, and on social media and will be posted here approximately two weeks prior to the opening. Please note, casting is always subject to change.
Credits
Silent Screen
Choreography:
Sol León and Paul Lightfoot
Music:
Philip Glass
Set Design:
Sol León and Paul Lightfoot
Costume Design:
Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, realized by Joke Visser and Hermien Hollander
Lighting Design:
Tom Bevoort
Film Concept:
Lightfoot León
Film Realisation:
Metropolis Film and Dicky Schuttel
World Premiere: Nederlands Dans Theater, Lucent Danstheater, Den Haag, April 28, 2005
The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, November 9, 2024
Silent Screen is generously supported by The Producers’ Circle.
The Producers’ Circle (2024): 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 and The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation.
Body of Work
Choreography:
Guillaume Côté
Music:
Ludwig van Beethoven
Costume Design:
Krista Dowson
Lighting Design:
Jeff Logue
Rhapsody
Choreography:
Frederick Ashton
Music:
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Costume Design:
William Chappell
Costume Design Re-Created:
Natalia Stewart
Lighting Design:
Peter Teigen
Lead philanthropic support for Rhapsody is provided byThe Isobel Allen New Creations Fund.
World Premiere: The Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, London, UK, August 4, 1980
The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, November 9, 2024
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Ballet Talks
The National Ballet invites you to attend the Ballet Talk 45 minutes before every performance in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.