Media Release
Canadian Premiere of Silent Screen Launches 2024/25 Season
Onstage With Rhapsody & Body of Work November 9 – 16
November 5, 2024… Hope Muir, Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, shared today that the Canadian premieres of Sol León and Paul Lightfoot’s Silent Screen and Sir Frederick Ashton’s Rhapsody with Guillaume Côté’s Body of Work will launch the 2024/25 season at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts November 9 – 16.
The unique choreographic language of Sol León and Paul Lightfoot comes to the National Ballet for the first time with Silent Screen, a mesmerizing, 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, 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.
The National Ballet joins the international celebration of Sir Frederick Ashton with Rhapsody, a chic and joyful ballet set to Sergei Rachmaninoff’s glorious Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Muir acquired this Canadian premiere for Ashton Worldwide, a five-year festival honouring the great choreographer’s legacy.
Body of Work kicks off Guillaume Côté’s special performances in his final season with the National Ballet as Principal Dancer. Set to Ludwig van Beethoven’s uplifting Symphony No.7, this solo is an expression of Côté’s own extraordinary legacy in dance.
Casting
Body of Work
Guillaume Côté
Rhapsody
Tirion Law and Siphesihle November (November 9, 13, 16 at 7:30 pm)
Koto Ishihara and David Preciado (November 10 at 2:00 pm/November 15 at 7:30 pm)
Emerson Dayton and Naoya Ebe (November 14 at 7:30 pm/ November 16 at 2:00 pm)
Silent Screen
Christopher Gerty, Ben Rudisin
Hannah Galway
Shaakir Muhammad, Erica Lall
Spencer Hack, Josh Hall, Emma Ouellet, Noah Parets
Oliver Yonick, Xiao Nan Yu*
(November 9, 13, 16 at 7:30 pm/November 10 at 2:00 pm)
Christopher Gerty, Ben Rudisin
Hannah Galway
Shaakir Muhammad, Erica Lall
Spencer Hack, Josh Hall, Emma Ouellet, Noah Parets
Oliver Yonick, Alexandra MacDonald
(November 14, 15 at 7:30 pm/November 16 at 2:00 pm)
* Guest Artist
– 30 –
Season Sponsor: BMO Financial Group
Silent Screen is generously supported by The Producers’ Circle.
The Producers’ Circle (2025): John & Claudine Bailey, Laura Dinner & Richard Rooney, Gail Drummond & Bob Dorrance, Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin, 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 Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation and Alexander Younger & Sarah Richardson.
Lead philanthropic support for Rhapsody is provided by the Isobel Allen New Creations Fund.
Naoya Ebe is sponsored through Dancers First by Gretchen Ross.
Christopher Gerty is sponsored through Dancers First by Ms. Nancy Viner & Dr. Raymond Stein.
Siphesihle November is sponsored through Dancers First by Jerry Lozinski, O.C. & Joan Lozinski, O.C.
Ben Rudisin is sponsored through Dancers First by Sylvie Allard & Brian O’Keefe.
Hannah Galway is sponsored through Dancers First by Alison & Alan Schwartz.
Noah Parets is sponsored through Dancers First by John Covington Jr & Robert Lukey.
Emma Ouellet is sponsored through Dancers First by Victor & Bernice Royce.
The National Ballet of Canada gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Canada Council for the Arts; the Ontario Arts Council; the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council; the Government of Canada – Department of Canadian Heritage with the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage; and the Government of Ontario with the Honourable Stan Cho, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming and Minister of Sport.
Bianca Teixeira and Matteo Dilaghi of Bayerisches Staatsballett in Silent Screen. Photo by Nicholas MacKay.
For more information, please contact:
Touchwood PR
Andréa Grau, Founder and Owner
Keira Hunt, Publicity and Promotions Manager
Chelsea Cabello, Senior Publicist
Press@touchwoodpr.com
The National Ballet of Canada
Catherine Chang, Associate Director of Communications & Content Strategy
Kate Dresser, Communications Manager
Media@national.ballet.ca
