Hope’s Insights on Silent Screen

I’m delighted to welcome you to the opening programme of our 2024/25 season, featuring the Canadian premiere of Silent Screen. The breadth and creativity of this programme reflect my ambition to develop and share the versatile artistry of The National Ballet of Canada all season long. Here is some background on the works you’re about to experience.

Body of Work

Principal Dancer Guillaume Côté begins his final season with the National Ballet by performing his powerful solo, Body of Work, a prelude to his farewell performances in June. Over his 26-year career with the company, Guillaume has distinguished himself as a preeminent dancer and one of the first Choreographic Associates in our history. Body of Work honours his artistry in both disciplines. Originally created for his friend and fellow Canadian dancer Anik Bissonnette for the 2014 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award Gala, the solo is set to the second movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

Canadian Premiere: Rhapsody

Sir Frederick Ashton’s Rhapsody is so chic and joyful, so exquisitely musical and virtuosic, it never fails to impress. Ashton created it in 1980 for two ballet legends – Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lesley Collier – and their styles still reverberate in the lead roles. My acquisition of Rhapsody coincides with the 50th anniversary of Baryshnikov’s defection following a performance in Canada. It is also our contribution to Ashton Worldwide, a five-year international festival celebrating Ashton’s legacy. Both events make Rhapsody feel especially timely.

Canadian Premiere: Silent Screen

Silent Screen marks an important moment for the National Ballet as we welcome the acclaimed partnership of Sol León and Paul Lightfoot to our company for the first time. I’ve always admired the complexity of Sol and Paul’s work and the humanity that runs through their theatrical creations. Silent Screen introduces you to the distinctive body of work that Sol and Paul created over 35 years in Europe, shaped by their long association with Nederlands Dans Theater. Set to music by Philip Glass, Silent Screen pulls you into a silent film and then through that narrative breaks into a more familiar performance space, exploring relationships, the power of art and the journey of life.

Thank you so much for joining us this season. Welcome and enjoy the show!

Hope Muir, Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director

Silent Screen is onstage with Rhapsody and Body of Work November 9 – 16

Top Photo: Hope Muir. Photo by Karolina Kuras.