Media Release
The National Ballet of Canada's Tour to London and Paris a "Knockout" Success
October 17, 2024 – Hope Muir, Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, shared today that the company’s first European tour since the pandemic, with performances in London and Paris, was a resounding success.
The performances at Sadler’s Wells in London and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris had capacity audiences cheering for the all-Canadian programme featuring Crystal Pite’s Angels’ Atlas, James Kudelka’s Passion, Emma Portner’s islands and William Yong’s UtopiVerse.
Critics raved about the programme:
“Angels’ Atlas ends the show with a knockout punch… dancers often move in a single, primal, electrifying pulse. The duets are seductive, even rapturous.” – The Times, London
“Mesmerising… this triple bill is a bold statement of intent from its artistic director, Hope Muir, and a salute to modern Canadian choreographic talent” – The Stage, London
“[The National Ballet of Canada] dancers emerge collectively as a beautifully schooled troupe, cohesive in style and confident in different idioms.” –The Spectator, London
“The National Ballet of Canada is of exemplary quality and virtuosity, and demonstrates great openness in its choices, while carefully preserving its classical references” – Concert Classic, Paris
“A liberating playfulness [in islands] in which the variations of their movements were astonishing.” – The Reviews Hub, London
“[Passion is] a refined, extremely intelligent vision from James Kudelka… [that] cleverly brings together two worlds of dance” – Concert Classic, Paris
“[UtopiVerse is a] dreamlike world, where everything is intertwined in a delicate, mysterious quest.” – Concert Classic, Paris
The National Ballet’s 2024/25 season opens in Toronto this November with a mixed programme featuring the Canadian premieres of Silent Screen by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot and Sir Frederick Ashton’s Rhapsody and Body of Work by Guillaume Côté, onstage November 9 – 16. This will be followed by Sir Peter Wright’s Giselle November 20 – 24 and holiday favourite The Nutcracker December 6 – 31 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
– 30 –
Season Sponsor: BMO Financial Group
Desjardins presents Giselle
iA Financial Group presents The Nutcracker
The National Ballet of Canada’s tour to Paris is presented by Productions Internationales Albert Sarfati as part of the TranscenDanses series, in collaboration with the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.
This tour is also made possible in part by grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, The Circulation and Touring component of the Arts Abroad Program and from the Ontario Arts Council's Touring and Circulation Projects program and the Government of Ontario.
Philanthropic support for Angels’ Atlas is generously provided by An Anonymous Donor, Rosamond Ivey, Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin, The Producers’ Circle, The Volunteer Committee of The National Ballet of Canada and The Gail Hutchison Fund.
Lead philanthropic support for islands is provided by The Catherine & Maxwell Meighen Foundation.
Passion is generously supported by The Gail Hutchison Fund.
Lead philanthropic support for UtopiVerse is provided by The Catherine & Maxwell Meighen Foundation, The Hal Jackman Foundation and The Hal Jackman Foundation Fund, and an Anonymous donor with additional support from The Producers’ Circle.
Lead philanthropic support for Rhapsody is provided by the Isobel Allen New Creations Fund.
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, The William & Nona Heaslip Foundation, 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.
Giselle was produced as a memorial to the late William P. Walker and was made possible through the courtesy of many generous friends of the National Ballet.
The Nutcracker is made possible by generous financial support from production underwriters Sandra Pitblado, C.M. & Jim Pitblado, C.M., Lawrence and Ann Heisey and an anonymous friend of the National Ballet.
Shaakir Muhammad and Calley Skalnik. Photo by Karolina Kuras.
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.
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
