By James Neufeld, Author of Passion to Dance, A History of The National Ballet of Canada

Sir Frederick Ashton with Michael Somes, Alexander Grant and David Scott rehearsing La Fille mal gardée, photo by Barry Gary.

La Fille mal gardée is pretty as a milliner’s bonnet trimmed with yards of pink ribbon. For the child in us, it boasts a may-pole dance, barnyard animals, a real live pony, and even a magic umbrella. But how has it kept its youthful bloom after 35 years in The National Ballet of Canada’s repertoire? The answer – with prettiness that’s more than skin deep. Since it has good bones, its beauty actually increases with age.

Sir Frederick Ashton, one of the greatest of 20th-century choreographers, visited Toronto in 1976 to prepare the National Ballet’s dancers for the company premiere of this work. He was notoriously dismissive about his own accomplishments. “The ballets that really survive are primarily based on dancing. But I don’t work for survival. I’m like Louis the 14th: I’m only interested in the first performance.” Time has proved him wrong. The National Ballet’s La Fille mal gardée has kept us spellbound long beyond its first performance.

It has survived because of a special connection to the Ashton tradition. Alexander Grant, Artistic Director of the company from 1976 to 1983, created many of Sir Frederick Ashton’s most memorable character roles, including the loveable Alain in La Fille mal gardée, during their time together at the UK’s Royal Ballet. When Sir Frederick Ashton, his lifelong friend, died in 1988, Grant inherited the performance rights to La Fille mal gardée and became its custodian, supervising revivals for the company as recently as 2002. Because of Grant’s direct involvement in preserving the ballet, the National Ballets’s La Fille mal gardée has always enriched its sunny, bucolic charm with a profound understanding of its comic characters, misfits and eccentrics like Alain and the Widow Simone. It enchants with its dancing and wins our hearts with its generous humanity.

Alexander Grant as Alain, photo by Leslie E. Spatt.	Frank Augustyn and Karen Kain as Colas and Lise, photo by Barry Gary.
Piotr Stanczyk as Colas, photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.	Sonia Rodriguez as Lise, photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

This March, audiences will remember Sir Frederick and his friend, Alexander Grant, who died last September, and to whom this run of La Fille mal gardée is dedicated.

By Emily Burke, National Ballet Blogger

Matjash Mrozewski leading Company Class.

On a crisp winter morning, The National Ballet of Canada’s 60-some-odd dancers pile into the rehearsal studio for a rigourous and intensive hour-and-fifteen-minute workout to get their bodies ready for the day ahead and to keep their technique sharp. This is how they start every workday. While most of us are drinking our second cup of coffee and attending to emails, these dance professionals are perfecting arabesques and pirouetting their morning away.

In the corner of the studio is a pianist who starts out by playing slow and sleepy music while the dancers do barre exercises. He progresses to dramatic and intense melodies as they leap and twirl across the floor. At the front of the room, by the wall of mirrors, is the teacher, Matjash Mrozewski, and though he’s keeping them moving diligently through their exercises, he’s also making them laugh and takes time to address their questions and concerns one-on-one.

Though he’s leading the class, Matjash used to dance with the company so he knows what it’s like to take a daily ballet class in this studio. He stopped dancing full-time in 2001 but has since worked with the company as a guest dancer, a choreographer and of course, one of the morning teachers. After class, we had a quick chat.

Corps de Ballet member Nadine Drouin in Company Class.

Corps de Ballet member Aarik Wells in Company Class.

Emily: I noticed that you kept class moving quickly and yet you didn’t seem strict or severe about it.

Matjash: No, you know, life’s short. So if you can enjoy it, why not. I used to joke that my class was fun Friday class every day of the week. But I’m still learning and growing as a teacher so I’m not going to come in with a lot of airs and graces. I’m starting to become more aware of what I can offer and part of it is just a good atmosphere. Not only that, but it does count for something.

Emily: What is the goal of class?

Matjash: The point of class is to maintain the general training. In the repertoire that the dancers are performing, sometimes the work won’t address the entire technique and the entire base of the classical vocabulary. In rehearsal and performances, they may only be working on specific areas of the classical technique. Class is the baseline that keeps that fine technique strong throughout the season.

Emily: How do you develop a class? How do you decide what the progression will be?

Matjash: Well, over the centuries, ballet has developed its own natural progression. But I do have to think about what the repertoire is. I have to think about how long the dancers’ day is and what their workload’s like. You don’t want to kill them in class but you also want to set them up for all the stuff they’re about to do.

Emily: What else have you learned in the time you’ve been teaching?

Matjash: Over time I keep talking with dancers and figuring out what works, what doesn’t work. As a dancer, I did very little classical work. So being able to correct the technical things is something I feel I still need to work on.

Emily: You seemed pretty comfortable up there!

Matjash: The inner dialogue was a little different but I do enjoy it, of course.

All photos by Emily Burke.

Heather Ogden in The Sleeping Beauty.

Christopher Wahl is one of Canada’s most renowned photographers, well known for his revealing portraits. Christopher has shot extensively for the National Ballet including Principal Dancer Heather Ogden in The Sleeping Beauty.

What do you like about shooting the dancers of The National Ballet of Canada?
The joy of working with dancers is their ability to take direction well, capability to perform and their enthusiasm for a good picture! It makes for a great working environment.
You are well-known for your portraits.  What is the key to a great portrait shot?
Portrait photographs are made, not taken. They are collaboration between the sitter and the photographer. My job is to gain trust and portray our time spent together. A great photograph is hard to make. I work to make photographs look like my photographs. It is remarkably fulfilling when it all comes together.
You shot Heather Ogden in a basketball court for the 2006/07 souvenir book. What was your inspiration for that shot?
I chose the basketball court because I thought Heather would look beautiful amongst the kids… who paid no attention to us as we worked! It was a lovely afternoon. I adore Heather both on stage and off.
How did you become a professional photographer?
I have never had a different job other than photography in my adult life. It was either photography or continue to be a ski bum (which I excelled at by the way!). I chose photography, but still ski as much as I can.

Heather Ogden in the 2006/7 Souvenir Book.	Christopher Wahl shooting Heather Ogden for The Sleeping Beauty.
Greta Hodgkinson in Hardly Magazine.	Christopher Wahl shooting Greta Hodgkinson.
Sonia Rodriguez in the 2006/7 Souvenir Book.	Piotr Stanczyk in Hamlet.

Look out for Christopher’s photo shoot with Principal Dancer Jillian Vanstone in March’s Toronto Life and his photo shoot in the summer issue of Men’s FASHION Magazine featuring Principal Dancers Guillaume Côté, Jiří Jelinek and Piotr Stanczyk.

See more of Christopher’s photo here at www.christopherwahl.com.

By Nick Augustyn, National Ballet Blogger

Princess Aurora’s tutu from Act I.

While walking to the costume studio on the fourth floor of The National Ballet of Canada, I admired the many colourful costume design sketches that lined the hallway. Surrounded by them were several small glass cases, one of which had a pair of off white leather boots with grey leather detailing that my dad wore when he danced Franz in Coppélia. The craftsmanship of the boots was marvelous. You could see how soft the leather was without touching them.

When I walked into the studio, Assistant Wardrobe Coordinator Grant Heaps, who along with Wardrobe Coordinator Barbara de Kat look after the company’s costumes, was organizing some costumes on a rack while Bob Dylan music played from some corner of the studio. He was very warm and inviting. It was immediately clear that he was very passionate and proud of his work at the National Ballet.

As Grant was giving me a tour, First Soloist McGee Maddox entered the studio to do some fittings. Grant had all of McGee’s outfits on standby for the upcoming shows: The Sleeping Beauty, The Seagull and La Fille mal gardée. Grant had him in and out of there in 20 minutes, noting all the alterations to be made.

Grant then showed me the costume storage room with boxes and boxes of every production’s costumes. The room is a historical archive. It occurred to me then what an important job Grant has. He preserves history and makes sure it can be shared with future audiences.

The first costumes Grant showed me were Princess Aurora’s tutus, for the upcoming performance of Sleeping Beauty. Though her tutus were made in 1973, and had been refitted and repaired many times, it was unnoticeable. I asked Grant to show me the alterations made for the different ballerinas. He pointed out the subtle additions to the back by the clasps.

Looking more closely I was stunned by the tutu’s level of detail and beautiful symmetry. Immediately I noted the tragic irony of these costumes. The closer you are to them the more you can appreciate their grand minutia. These thorough details are something most audience members cannot fully experience. Having been an audience member of the last run of Sleeping Beauty I do remember being captivated by Aurora and her tutus; particularly in Act III. Seeing them up-close made me appreciate the craftsmanship and world class quality that the costume department uses to give authenticity and the heft of reality to its fabricated pieces.

Princess Aurora’s tutu from Act III.	Grant Heaps in the costume storage room with Karen Kain’s tutu from The Dying Swan.
Grant Heaps and Barbara deKat backstage photo by Bruce Zinger.	Grant Heaps backstage with Patrick Lavoie and Etienne Lavigne. Photo Bruce Zinger.

Nick Augustyn is a freelance writer and videographer with a B.F.A in screenwriting from York University, and a graduate of the Etobicoke School of the Arts. His love of dance and the performing arts grew out of his backstage upbringing with his father, former National Ballet Principal Dancer Frank Augustyn.

Photos by Nick Augustyn.

By Emily Burke, National Ballet Blogger

Greta Hodgkinson, photo by Sian Richards.

Principal Dancer Greta Hodgkinson is at your disposal and ready to teach you everything she knows. OK, well maybe not quite everything, but she’ll impart as much wisdom and skill as possible during the master class she’s teaching on February 5 at 11:00 a.m. The event, called Ballet Class with the Stars, will run an hour and a half and is open to aspiring dancers aged 14 and up with an intermediate level of ballet training.

The National Ballet of Canada holds these classes every month or two, led each time by a different Principal Dancer. Previous classes this season were taught by Sonia Rodriguez and Guillaume Côté. Following Greta, Aleksandar Antonijevic will lead a class on April 22, and Heather Ogden will teach on May 6. So dust off your old ballet slippers, grab your favourite leotard and maybe even do a little warm up before heading down to the Walter Carsen Centre to learn from the best dancers in the country.

And don’t shy away from fear that the class will be too rigorous. Though many of the people who make it out tend to be young ballet students who might even know their way around a pointe shoe, there’s a wide range of skill and experience.

“The first time I taught one of these classes, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in terms of the level but I learned that it’s best to do something basic enough that people can follow along,” says Greta. “So this time, I just want to give people an overall idea about what we do, to pass along a little bit about what I know and my expertise but also try and make it fun. That’s the most important thing.”

Greta’s excited about the upcoming class, and says that some of the people coming out to these classes are also looking to chat one-on-one with the Principal Dancers, so Greta likes to make some time for that too. “The last class I did a couple of the students approached me afterwards with other questions about dance or about their technique or about how they can improve in a specific area, so there’s a period after the class that I like to stay and answer the student’s questions. And then of course there are all the pictures and things like that afterwards too, which is always fun!”

Greta’s master class falls at a time when she’ll also be really busy preparing for the next series of performances. The National Ballet is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year so the company has put together a special program this winter that includes three full-length ballets. The usual winter season would contain one full-length production and a mixed bill and in many ways the full-length shows require more practice and preparation. Greta’s getting all set to dance the principal role in both The Sleeping Beauty and John Neumeier’s The Seagull. The third upcoming production will be La Fille mal gardée.

“Sleeping Beauty is a huge production so it’s busy. But it’s thrilling to dance,” she says. “I’m also excited about revisiting The Seagull. It’s a very dramatic ballet with a really beautiful story so I’m looking forward to challenging myself with that again.”

Learn more about Ballet Class with the Stars >

Watch a video of Ballet Class with the Stars taught by Sonia Rodriguez in October >

The National Ballet of Canada Winter Season opens with La Fille mal gardée from February 29 to March 4, continues with The Sleeping Beauty March 10 – 18 and closes with The Seagull March 21 – 25.

Emily Burke is a writer and journalist in Toronto. She loves the arts, but ballet in particular. Her favourite productions are Glass Pieces and Onegin. You can follow her on Twitter here.

Participants in Ballet Class with the Stars with Sonia Rodriguez in October, 2011. Photos by Bruce Zinger.

By Joseph Steinauer, Dancer Blogger

Joseph Steinauer as the Lead Cannon Doll.

A dancer’s feelings about the annual run of The Nutcracker are a lesson in duality. The experience is something like this: nearing exhaustion from the rigors of our fall production, we arrive at a point where the return to something familiar is both alluring and comforting. We welcome the shelter of a show that has stood the test of time, one in which we know what to expect and what is expected of us. Basically, we want to warm ourselves at the hearth of Nutcracker’s yuletide notoriety. But simultaneously, mixed in with those snug feelings, is dread. Dread of boredom. Dread of repetition. Dread of the inevitable mundanity that is sure to coalesce around show number, say, fourteen. And at that point we’re only halfway done. So as dancers, amid these contradictory emotions, our main concern becomes how do we keep this thing fresh?

Luckily for us, at The National Ballet of Canada, an assortment of burnout-bypassing tactics are at our disposal. First, being in a company of 70 dancers means there are multiple casts. For instance, on Wednesday I may dance the role of a Waiter and on Thursday I may be on as a Chocolate man. Parts are shared, sometimes between a handful of people. In the Waltz of the Flowers, my couple’s spot is shared by five different women and three men. This means I may dance the part with one partner towards the beginning of the run, switch partners in the middle, then do the last show with yet another different partner. Talk about keeping us, literally and figuratively, on our toes. Another way to keep us spirited is by casting us in new roles. This year one of my new roles is the Cannon Doll who, along with the help of two guest celebrities, initiates the battle scene by firing a cannon into the audience. Before we go on stage, it’s my job to mingle with the celebrities, explain to them the day-to-day life of a ballet dancer, and let them observe the orchestrated mayhem of the backstage crew. Meeting new people and seeing their reaction to the scale of our show makes each show unique for me (one of the guest celebrities, upon seeing the horse in the family scene come off stage, asked me what it’s like to work with live animals in a show. Yes, the costuming is that good!). Yet another way things are kept interesting during our 26-show run, and a factor that is out of our control, is the occasional sickness or injury. It is highly probable that at some point a dancer will get sick or injured and have to miss a show. This means his or her sharer for that part will go on. Well, in the event that their sharer was also supposed to do another part in the same show, then that person’s sharer would fill in for them in that spot. And so on, and so on. This is the trickle-down effect and its scope can be far-reaching. Eventually, instead of enjoying that rare night off on your couch, eating salad cookies and watching reruns of “Mad Men”, you get a phone call saying they need you at the theatre as soon as possible.

So, all in all, keeping The Nutcracker alive and exciting all the way to the end isn’t as hard a task as you may think. We’re fortunate too that Tchaikovsky’s sonorous score is the closest thing to ballet pop music you can get. To this day, I still discover new intricacies within the music. There is one final, fail-safe strategy to be summoned should all of the above tactics flounder or boomerang. It is an ingredient so delicious on the unsatiated palate, so nutritious in its alimentary composition, that it can revitalize even the weariest of souls. It comes once each year, luckily for us, at the same time we do The Nutcracker. It’s called Christmas magic.

The Horse in the wings.	Artists of the Ballet await their entrance in the Waltz of the Flowers.
Wardrobe Staff Barbara de Kat and Grant Heaps help Alexandra MacDonald into her snow maiden costume.	The Family Scene in Act I from the wings.

The Nutcracker photos by by Bruce Zinger.