Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

In the 2021/22 season, The National Ballet of Canada continued to make progress on our work of becoming a more equitable, diverse and inclusive company. We celebrate the diversity in our city and country and seek to better reflect Canada’s population on our stage and within our company.

Our Partnerships

Charles C. Smith, Kevin A. Ormsby and Theresa Ruth Howard.

We have continued our partnerships with Charles Smith and Kevin A. Ormsby of Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) and Theresa Ruth Howard of Mobballet as they advise us on comprehensive, institution-wide policies.

By commissioning mainstage work from diverse choreographic voices and offering a platform to spotlight the depth of dance artistry in Toronto through Sharing the Stage, the National Ballet is committed to building creative partnerships which highlight the breadth of culture and creative influence in Canada.

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Our Repertoire

Theresa Ruth Howard gave dancers and staff a presentation on Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations through a contemporary lens, exploring the inspiration that the ballet draws from Black history and culture. Theresa shared key learnings in her presentation which allowed the company to approach the ballet from a more inclusive and historically accurate perspective.

Our Artists

We understand that representation matters and this year there were several examples of moving towards inclusivity. For the first time, some performers with textured hair wore natural hairstyles instead of straight-styled wigs for our production of The Sleeping Beauty. In performances of A Streetcar Named Desire, choreographer John Neumeier made the decision that dancers could perform in skin toned tights and shoes, a decision that Hope Muir, Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director, advocates for all National Ballet performances. Plus same-sex couples were represented in the film of Soul and in Swan Lake.

Intimacy Consultant

Another first, Hope hired Anisa Tejpar to act as Intimacy Consultant for A Streetcar Named Desire to support the dancers through intimate and/or emotionally charged scenes. This is ground-breaking work in the arts, with the intention to create safe and trusting relationships amongst the artists, particularly because dance inherently involves touch, physicality and partnering.

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