Elite Syncopations
with Skyward by Alysa Pires
& On Solid Ground by Siphesihle November
& After the Rain
Elite Syncopations
with Skyward by Alysa Pires
& On Solid Ground by Siphesihle November
& After the Rain
Kenneth MacMillan created Elite Syncopations for The Royal Ballet in 1974 during his tenure there as Artistic Director. The score features ragtime favourites by Scott Joplin and other composers of the era, played onstage by musicians participating in the dancehall scene. The choreography is flirtatious with an air of spontaneity and carries the influence of social dances of the 1920s.
Harrison James and Jillian Vanstone in Elite Syncopations. Photo by Karolina Kuras.
Kenneth MacMillan was a leading choreographer of the 20th century. He was Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet from 1970 to 1977 and Principal Choreographer from 1977 to 1992. His ballets are renowned for their drama, character development and elegance, with major works including Romeo and Juliet, Manon and Mayerling. He was knighted in 1983.
Born in Texas in 1867, composer and musician Scott Joplin was celebrated as “the king of ragtime,” and created multiple ragtime pieces, two operas and a ballet in his lifetime. His Maple Leaf Rag is considered a definitive expression of the genre.
Skyward is an uplifting new work from Choreographic Associate Alysa Pires, her first main stage creation for The National Ballet of Canada. A work in four movements, it incorporates the feelings of hope and anticipation that accompanied Pires’ creative process, owing to two significant events in her life: her return to the studio after lockdown and the birth of her first child. Featuring music commissioned for the award-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird, Skyward emphasizes upward movement and a sense of flight inspired by starlings. It’s a piece that holds special meaning for Pires and reflects our collective energy or hope to move forward.
Alysa Pires in rehearsal. Photo by Karolina Kuras.
Alysa Pires is an alumna of The National Ballet of Canada’s Choreographic Workshop and has created works for such companies as Ballet Kelowna, Ballet Edmonton, Ballet Jörgen, and New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute. Her company, Alysa Pires Dance Projects, made its full-length debut with Exterminating Angel at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2016.
American composer Nico Muhly writes orchestral music, chamber music, sacred music and works for the stage, film and television. An avid collaborator, he has worked with such choreographers as Benjamin Millepied, Bobbi Jene Smith and Justin Peck, and with leading musicians such as Paul Simon. Muhly is part of the artist-run record label Bedroom Community.
Robert Honstein is a New York-based composer of orchestral, chamber and vocal music rooted in performance and personal narrative. He collaborates with leading international musicians and his work is performed by orchestras, ensembles and soloists from around the world. Honstein is a founding member of the American composer collective, Sleeping Giant.
Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Bryce Dessner is the co-founding guitarist of the acclaimed rock band, The National. Trained as a classical musician, he composes music for stage, film and the world’s leading orchestras and ensembles. Dessner is Artist-in Residence at London’s Southbank Centre and with Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra.
David Lang is one of America’s most performed composers, deeply versed in the classical tradition and committed to music that resists categorization. His extensive catalogue includes opera, orchestral works, chamber and solo music that is hypnotic, emotional and urgent. His numerous honours include the Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award and the Rome Prize.
This world premiere marks Principal Dancer Siphesihle November’s choreographic debut for the company’s main stage following the short work he created for the RBC Apprentices as part of YOU dance in the 2020/21 season. Inspired by the energy of the creative process and the music he has chosen, November explores what it means to find joy in dance and how we translate that joy, self-awareness and self-exploration of the body and spirit into something the audience can also experience. Another milestone in his rising career, On Solid Ground expresses November’s love for dance and music and the captivating energy he brings to the stage.
Siphesihle November. Photo by Karolina Kuras.
Siphesihle November was born in Zolani, South Africa and trained at Canada’s National Ballet School. He joined The National Ballet of Canada as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2017, was promoted to First Soloist in 2020 and Principal Dancer in 2021. He won The International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize in 2019.
Choolwe Laina Muntanga, 20, is a Zambian-born singer songwriter from the UK. She has since joined the Arts Educational Schools London practicing a degree in Musical Theatre. Her sound is inspired by a combination of the Seventh Day Adventist Hymns or traditional Gospel sounding vocals with her own original lyrics and style, hoping to draw listeners into the love for her culture, being Zambian and growing up in the UK, as well as her faith. She has since worked as a musician with Kennedy Muntanga Dance Theatre for the production Greater than Lion in 2021.
Benjamin Gordon, also known as Benji Boko, is a music producer, DJ, film composer and photographer based in Brighton, UK. He is a graduate of Leeds College of Music and released his debut album Beats, Treats & All Things Unique in 2011. As a DJ, he is known for his improvised “live mixing.”
Steve Mazzaro is an American composer who scores for video games, television and film. His many collaborators include Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer and he has title credits on such films as No Time To Die, The Amazing Spiderman, Dune and The Lion King.
Msaki, or Asanda Lusaseni Mvana, is a composer, producer and singer-songwriter from East London, South Africa with her own indie label, One Shushu Day Artistry. Her debut solo album Zaneliza (2016) was nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album at the South African Music Awards.
Christopher Wheeldon, acclaimed choreographer of The Winter’s Tale and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, created After the Rain for New York City Ballet in 2005. A moving and poetic ballet in two parts, the first section is set to Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa and features three couples. For the second section, only one couple returns, and performs a haunting pas de deux set to Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel. This final pas de deux is often staged alone. The National Ballet will present the full work for this exciting company premiere.
Jillian Vanstone and Harrison James in After The Rain. Photo by Karolina Kuras.
Christopher Wheeldon is Artistic Associate of The Royal Ballet, former Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet and a former dancer with both companies. He is now a multi-award-winning choreographer creating work internationally for ballet, theatre and film. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2016.
Arvo Pärt is an Estonian composer who developed a musical language called “tintinnabuli” following his research into chant music. Many of his works are based on liturgical texts and prayers, with significant compositions including Credo and Tabula Rasa.
Elite Syncopations
Choreography:
Kenneth MacMillan
Music:
Scott Joplin, Scott Hayden, Paul Pratt, Joseph F. Lamb, Max Morath, Donald Ashwander and Robert Hampton
Sunflower Slow Drag is arranged by D.S. de Lisle, edited by Gunther Schuler;
Elite Syncopations and Stop-Time Rag are arranged by George Sponhaltz;
The Cascades is arranged by E.J. stark, edited by Gunther Schuler;
Ragtime Nightingale, Bethena, Friday Night and Cataract Rag are arranged by Robert Docker;
The Golden Hours is used by arrangement with Hollis Music Inc.
Costume Design:
Ian Spurling
Lighting Design:
William Bundy
By arrangement with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Reproduced from the Benesh Notation Score by Monica Parker
Premiere: The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, London, UK, October 7, 1974The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: O’Keefe Centre (now Meridian Hall), Toronto, November 10, 1978
Skyward
Choreography:
Alysa Pires
Music:
Nico Muhly, Doublespeak
Robert Honstein, Conduit: Pulse II
Bryce Dessner, Murder Ballades: 2. Young Emily
David Lang, These Broken Wings, Pt. 3 "Learn to Fly"
Costume Design:
Dana Osborne
Lighting Design:
Jeff Logue
Premiere: The National Ballet of Canada, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, March 9, 2022
Produced and commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada.
On Solid Ground
Choreography:
Siphesihle November
Assistant to the Choreographer:
Vania Dodoo Beals
Music:
Choolwe Muntanga, Lesa Wandi
Benjamin Gordon, Back to You
Steve Mazzaro, Shoot Me and Regret
Msaki, UNdize
Costume Design:
Siphesihle November and The National Ballet of Canada Wardrobe Department,
Stacy Dimitropoulos, Wardrobe Supervisor
Lighting Design:
Jeff Logue
Premiere: The National Ballet of Canada, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, March 9, 2022
Produced and commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada.
On Solid Ground is supported by The Producers’ Circle.
The Producers’ Circle: Gail & Mark Appel, John & Claudine Bailey, Inger Bartlett & Marshal Stearns, Laura Dinner & Richard Rooney, Gail Drummond & Bob Dorrance, The Thor E. and Nicole Eaton Family Charitable Foundation, Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan, Kevin Garland & Roger Garland, C.M., 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 & Joan Lozinski, The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain, C.C., Julie Medland, Sandra Pitblado & Jim Pitblado, C.M., The Harry & Lillian Seymour Family Foundation and The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation.
After the Rain
Choreography:
Christopher Wheeldon
Music:
Arvo Pärt, Tabula Rasa (1977) (First movement - "Ludus") and Spiegel im Spiegel (1978)
Costumes:
Holly Hynes
Lighting:
Mark Stanley
Premiere: New York State Theater, New York, January 22, 2005
The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, March 9, 2022
Visit our news section, Ballet News + for a more in-depth look at all of our productions.
Be the first to know when casting is announced by signing up for Ballet News.