Performances

Return to the Stage

After a period without live performances or large gatherings, there was a sense of homecoming when we finally returned to the Four Seasons Centre for the 2021/22 season. More than ever, we understood that coming together as an audience fulfills our need for human connection and community that we craved for so long, and that the arts as essential to our wellbeing. Not only did our audience return, they did so enthusiastically and decisively, with a sense of gratitude all their own.

Angels’ Atlas & Soul & Serenade

Guillaume Côté and Tanya Howard in Soul. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

We welcomed audiences back to the Four Seasons Centre for the first time in more than 20 months with a programme of Serenade and Angels’ Atlas. To hear the opening chords of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings live as we gathered once again – in the audience, in the orchestra pit and on the stage – was truly an emotional moment. Both ballets were visually striking and contemplative, a distillation of the collective human experience through ensemble work. In the interlude, the National Ballet shared Soul, a stunning film by Jera Wolfe that explores relationships by showing only half of two pas de deux, with the other half remaining private to the pairs.

We dedicated one of the performances to front line health care workers in our city, inviting them to experience these ballets with us, recognizing that it was through their dedication and hard work that we were able to gather again safely.

Angels’ Atlas Trailer

Watch Soul

Skyward and On Solid Ground

Artists of the Ballet in On Solid Ground. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

Choreographic Associate Alysa Pires and Principal Dancer Siphesihle November created their first main stage productions for the National Ballet which premiered in March. Nurturing diverse choreographic voices and commissioning Canadian work have been hallmarks of the company since it was founded, and it was exciting to add these two innovative works to our repertoire.

Inside the Studio: Skyward Video

Inside the Studio: On Solid Ground Video

Swan Lake

Maria Kochetkova and Siphesihle November with Artists of the Ballet in Swan Lake. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

One of the landmark works of the classical canon, Swan Lake has been staged for the National Ballet by three former Artistic Directors – Celia Franca, Erik Bruhn and James Kudelka. Adding to this formidable list is a new version directed and staged Karen Kain. Drawing from the love story in Bruhn’s interpretation and the foundation of the Petipa/Ivanov production in 1895, Karen balanced tradition with innovation, evoking a new atmosphere that made it alive to the present and added new perspectives from her experience as a dancer and artistic leader.

Swan Lake Trailer

2021/22 Performances and Attendance