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The Man in Black & & (A Dance)

January 20, 2015… , Artistic Director of The National of , announced today that the Winter Season will feature The Man in Black by James Kudelka presented with Wayne McGregor’s Chroma and the company premieres of ’s Allegro Brillante and Carousel (A Dance) by . The Winter Mixed Programme runs March 4 – 8, 2015 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

The Man in Black is performed in cowboy boots to a series of songs sung by the late great Johnny Cash and is by turns haunting, funny, anguished and touching. The Toronto Star called The Man in Black “a work so inventive, so alert to the music and their lyrics, and so deeply moving” and The Vancouver Sun described it as an “absolute killer… heartbreaking.”

An undeniable sensation when it made its company premiere in 2010, Chroma is set to a score by British composer and includes unique orchestrations of songs by and sets by acclaimed architect John Pawson. Chroma is one of the most popular works in the National Ballet’s repertoire and a contemporary classic.

Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante condenses a bounty of classical dance concepts into a brief and rapturous celebration of ballet. Set to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3, it is Balanchine’s pure dance aesthetic at its finest.

Carousel (A Dance) is a timeless tribute in dance to the music of the great . The work originated in 2002 as a tribute to honour Rodgers’ artistry and his contribution to American song.

The Man in Black is generously supported by Gail Hutchison.

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 Economic Development & Culture Department; the Government of Canada – Department of Canadian Heritage, through the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages; and the Government of Ontario through the Honourable Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

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For more information, please contact:

Catherine Chang Christine Achampong Senior Communications Manager Publicity Coordinator 416 345 9686 x302 416 345 9686 x332 [email protected] [email protected] national.ballet.ca national.ballet.ca

The Man in Black with Chroma & Allegro Brillante & Carousel (A Dance) Casting Announced

February 17, 2015… The National Ballet of Canada’s Winter Season opens with a mixed programme of The Man in Black with Chroma & Allegro Brillante & Carousel (A Dance), onstage March 4 – 8, 2015 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

The Man in Black features six songs sung by the late great Johnny Cash. Wearing cowboy boots, four dancers create moving tableaux laden with joy, sorrow and redemption, featuring choreography inspired by line, swing and step dancing. When it premiered in Toronto in 2013, Toronto Star hailed it as “a work so inventive, so alert to the music and their lyrics, and so deeply moving.”

Chroma, by acclaimed British choreographer Wayne McGregor, has been described as “among the greatest classics of ” by The Globe and Mail. Chroma is set to a score by Joby Talbot that includes unique orchestrations of three songs by The White Stripes with sets by acclaimed architect John Pawson. Chroma is an exploration of “the architecture of the human body” that redefines the future of modern dance.

Set to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Allegro Brillante is George Balanchine’s pure dance aesthetic at its finest. A joyous and uplifting expression of movement, Allegro Brillante condenses an exquisite bounty of classical dance into a brief celebration of ballet.

Carousel (A Dance) by British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon is a timeless tribute to Richard Rodgers. The 15 minute ballet is distillation of the 1945 musical Carousel.

Principal Casting

The Man in Black James Leja, Rebekah Rimsay, Piotr Stanczyk, Robert Stephen (March 4, 5, 7 at 7:30 pm, 8 at 2:00 pm) Stephanie Hutchison, Patrick Lavoie, McGee Maddox, Jonathan Renna (March 5, 7 at 2:00 pm, 6 at 7:30 pm)

Chroma Giorgio Galli, , Tanya Howard, , McGee Maddox, Evan McKie, Félix Paquet, Robert Stephen, Dylan Tedaldi, Xiao Nan Yu (March 4, 5, 6, 7 at 7:30 pm)

Skylar Campbell, Naoya Ebe, Francesco Gabriele Frola, Rui Huang, Elena Lobsanova, Chelsy Meiss, Brent Parolin, Jonathan Renna, Jenna Savella, Dylan Tedaldi (March 5, 7, 8 at 2:00 pm)

Allegro Brillante Xiao Nan Yu and McGee Maddox (March 4, 5 at 7:30 pm, 7, 8 at 2:00 pm) Elena Lobsanova and Francesco Gabriele Frola (March 5 at 2:00 pm, 6, 7 at 7:30 pm)

Carousel (A Dance) Jillian Vanstone and Harrison James (March 4, 5 at 7:30 pm, 7, 8 at 2:00 pm) Hannah Fischer and Ethan Watts (March 5 at 2:00 pm, 6, 7 at 7:30 pm)

The Man in Black is generously supported by Gail Hutchison.

Naoya Ebe is sponsored through Dancers First by Gretchen Ross.

Tanya Howard is sponsored through Dancers First by Nancy Pencer.

Elena Lobsanova is sponsored through Dancers First by Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan.

Robert Stephen is sponsored through Dancers First by Mr. Thor Eaton & The Honourable Nicole Eaton, Senator.

Chelsy Meiss is sponsored through Dancers First by Diana St. B. Weatherall.

Jenna Savella is sponsored through Dancers First by an anonymous donor.

Hannah Fischer is sponsored through Dancers First by Judy & Bella Matthews.

Francesco Gabriele Frola is sponsored through Dancers First by Sherry and Edward Drew.

Giorgio Galli is sponsored through Dancers First by Anne-Marie Canning.

Harrison James is sponsored through Dancers First by Lucy White.

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 Economic Development & Culture Department; the Government of Canada – Department of Canadian Heritage, through the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages; and the Government of Ontario through the Honourable Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

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For more information, please contact:

Catherine Chang Christine Achampong Senior Communications Manager Publicity Coordinator 416 345 9686 x302 416 345 9686 x332 [email protected] [email protected] national.ballet.ca national.ballet.ca

2014/15 Roster Celia Franca, C.C. Founder

George Crum Music Director Emeritus

Karen Kain, C.C. Barry Hughson Artistic Director Executive Director

David Briskin , O.C. Music Director and Principal Conductor Artist-in-Residence

Magdalena Popa Lindsay Fischer Principal Artistic Coach Artistic Director, YOU dance /

Peter Ottmann Mandy-Jayne Richardson Senior Ballet Master Senior Ballet Mistress

Guillaume Côté, Greta Hodgkinson, Svetlana Lunkina, McGee Maddox, Evan McKie, Heather Ogden, Sonia Rodriguez, Piotr Stanczyk, Jillian Vanstone, Xiao Nan Yu

Lorna Geddes, Alejandra Perez-Gomez, Rebekah Rimsay, Tomas Schramek, Hazaros Surmeyan

Naoya Ebe, Keiichi Hirano, Tanya Howard, Stephanie Hutchison, Etienne Lavigne, Patrick Lavoie, Elena Lobsanova, Tina Pereira, Jonathan Renna, Robert Stephen

Skylar Campbell, Jordana Daumec, Alexandra MacDonald, Chelsy Meiss, Tiffany Mosher, Jenna Savella, Brendan Saye, Christopher Stalzer, Dylan Tedaldi

Jack Bertinshaw, Trygve Cumpston, Shaila D’Onofrio, Jackson Dwyer, Rhiannon Fairless, Hannah Fischer, Francesco Gabriele Frola, Giorgio Galli, Selene Guerrero-Trujillo, Emma Hawes, Juri Hiraoka, Kathryn Hosier, Rui Huang, Harrison James, Lise-Marie Jourdain, Larissa Khotchenkova, Miyoko Koyasu, James Leja, Elizabeth Marrable, Shino Mori, Jaclyn Oakley, Andreea Olteanu, Félix Paquet, Brent Parolin, Meghan Pugh, Asiel Rivero, Ben Rudisin, Kota Sato, Nan Wang, Ethan Watts, Sarah Elena Wolff

RBC Apprentice Programme / YOU dance: Nicole Blain, Patrick Foster, Giorgio Garrett, Christopher Gerty, Spencer Hack, Soo Ah Kang, Elenora Morris, Clare Peterson, Calley Skalnik, Andrew Tomlinson

Robert Binet Ernest Abugov Guillaume Côté Jeff Morris Choreographic Associates Stage Managers

Lorna Geddes Joysanne Sidimus Manager / Assistant Ballet Mistress Guest Balanchine Répétitieur

The Man in Black

Choreography: James Kudelka, O.C. Music: Johnny Cash Costume Design: Jim Searle and Chris Tyrell for Hoax Couture Lighting Design: Trad A Burns Répétiteur: Peter Ottmann

Premiere: BalletMet Columbus, Columbus Ohio, April 23, 2010 The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: September 15, 2011

The Man in Black is generously supported by Gail Hutchison.

For Jim, further on up the road.

Performance Dates: March 4 – 8, 2015 Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

The wonderful choreographic imagination of James Kudelka has never ceased to surprise audiences and The Man in Black is no exception. Set to six songs performed by the late country and western giant Johnny Cash - -- In My Life, Four Strong Winds, Sam Hall, If You Could Read My Mind, Hurt and Further On (Up The Road) - -- the work for one female and three male dancers is by turns haunting, funny, anguished and touching, an utterly arresting work by one of today’s finest dancemakers.

Quotes

“Only such a master of his craft as Kudelka could draw from the vernacular of American country-western dance styles to create a work so inventive… It’s a dance you could see time and again, knowing you’d discover some new layer at every viewing.” Toronto Star, 2013

“Kudelka’s choreographies reveal their riches slowly, and repeated viewings of The Man in Black will provide more insight into his subtext.” The Globe and Mail, 2013

“absolute killer… heartbreaking.” Vancouver Sun, 2011

James Kudelka, O.C. Choreographer, The Man in Black

James Kudelka is widely acknowledged as one of North America’s most innovative choreographers. His mastery of both and modern, contemporary dance has earned him commissions from companies – some 25 in all – as stylistically diverse as , Chicago’s Hubbard Street Dance and Les Jazz de Montréal.

Even as a student at Canada’s National Ballet School, Mr. Kudelka demonstrated a choreographic interest in exploring innovative approaches. While adept in the classical ballet vocabulary, he infuses it with a contemporary sensibility acquired from his intense interest in modern movement idioms.

Mr. Kudelka’s work covers an impressive range, from virtuoso , through large- scale and always arresting adaptations of such classics as , and , to boldly innovative creative collaborations with dancers, designers and musicians.

Mr. Kudelka has never been afraid to tackle psychologically challenging subject matter in his story ballets – he views dance as a primary medium of artistic discourse – and through his gift for movement metaphor infuses poetic, emotional meaning into his many non-narrative works.

After nine distinguished years as Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada (1996 to 2005), Mr. Kudelka continues to undertake collaborative projects that engage and challenge him as a choreographer.

Hoax Couture – Chris Tyrell and Jim Searle Costume Designer, The Man in Black

Hoax Couture was founded in 1985 by Chris Tyrell and Jim Searle. Without formal fashion training, the Hoax duo began by selling t-shirts and within a year their first fashion collection was available exclusively through Holt Renfrew. Hoax Couture has collaborated with James Kudelka on several projects, including The Man in Black for The National Ballet of Canada and BalletMet Columbus, From the House of Mirth, AllOneWord at the Enwave Theatre and Living Dances at the Fleck Theatre for Coleman Lemieux and Compagnie (CLC). Also for CLC they designed Hymn to the Universe, which premiered in 2011 at Place des Arts in Montréal featuring the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra. In 2010, they partnered with CLC on a project for Luminato and in 2009, they collaborated in the creation of Breaking Ground in Regent Park. In 2008, they designed The Ruins Proclaim the Building was Beautiful by James Kudelka for ’s 75th anniversary.

They currently run a bespoke tailoring, costume design and fashion design business in Toronto. In addition to their fashion and costume design business, the designers founded Dare To Wear Love, an annual charitable fashion event that has raised over $500,000 to date in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation to help to turn the tide of the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Africa.

Trad A Burns Lighting Design, The Man in Black

Trad A Burns’ career has spanned theatre, dance and amusement parks, as well as architectural and retail lighting. Designing over 500 productions during the last two decades, his varied work has been seen around the world. Designs include works for Theatre Workshop, The Public Theatre, La Mama ETC, HERE, Classic Stage Company, North Shore Music Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Cleveland Public Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Cedar Point, Valleyfair, Knott’s Berry Farm, Kings Island, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disneyland Japan, Disney Sea, Disney Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruise Lines, Universal Studios and Japan, Woodstock Ice Productions and The Family of Charles M. Schulz.

He has had the privilege of designing world premieres for such notable choreographers as , James Kudelka, Edwaard Liang, Trey McIntyre, Donald Byrd, Donald McKayle, Kirk Peterson, Bart Cook, Septime Webre, Victoria Morgan, Adam Hougland, Jessica Lang, Ma Cong, Devon Carney, Viktor Kabaniaev, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Missy Lay Zimmer & Andrew Hubbard, Viktor Plotnikov, Mauricio Wainroit, Luca Veggetti and Sarah Slipper. His dance lighting design has also been seen at American Ballet Theatre, The , Hubbard Street, , , , , , Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Spectrum Dance, Ballet Met, Ballet BC, Verb Ballets and Inlet Dance Theatre.

Chroma

Choreography: Wayne McGregor Staged by: Antoine Vereecken Music: Joby Talbot and , The White Stripes Set Design: John Pawson Costume Design: Moritz Junge Lighting Design: Lucy Carter Répétiteurs: Rex Harrington and Peter Ottmann

Premiere: , , Covent Garden, , UK, November 17, 2006 The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: November 24, 2010

Chroma is produced in association with The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London.

Performance Dates: March 4 – 8, 2015 Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

An undeniable sensation when it made its company premiere in 2010, the award winning Chroma, choreographed by Wayne McGregor, is set to a score by British composer Joby Talbot and includes unique orchestrations of songs by The White Stripes alongside Talbot’s own original compositions and sets by renowned architect John Paswon. A luminous exploration of “the architecture of the human body”, Chroma is a rare work that redefines the future of modern dance.

One of the most in-demand contemporary works, The National Ballet of Canada was the first company outside of The Royal Ballet to perform Chroma in 2010. It is now in the repertoire of several companies worldwide.

Quotes

“Chroma, a dazzling example of cutting-edge, pushed-to-the-extreme ballet by Wayne McGregor...” Toronto Star, 2012

“Chroma clearly ranks among the greatest classics of contemporary ballet.” The Globe and Mail, 2012

“An edgy, sexy romp that gives the audience a chance to savour the artistry of dancers” Toronto Sun, 2012

“muscular poetry that socks you in the gut…” The Hamilton Spectator, 2012

Wayne McGregor Choreographer, Chroma

Wayne McGregor was born in Stockport, UK in 1970 and studied dance at University College Bretton Hall and the José Limón Institute in . He is the founder and Artistic Director of Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, resident company of Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London, for which he has created over 30 works. Mr. McGregor is also Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet.

Recently, Mr. McGregor choreographed The Art of Fugue for The Royal Ballet. His repertoire also includes Atomos for Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, Raven Girl for The Royal Ballet and Borderlands for San Francisco Ballet. He has also created new works for Paris Opéra Ballet, Ballet, , , , 1 and , among others.

Mr. McGregor has also choreographed and directed for opera including productions for Teatro alla Scala, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and . His theatre credits include Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Ring Round the Moon (West End); Aladdin with Sir Ian McKellen; The Woman in White (London & Broadway); Cloaca (); A Little Night Music, Antony and Cleopatra (National Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing, You Never Can Tell (Peter Hall Company); and Cleansed (Royal Court).

Mr. McGregor has choreographed for film and television including Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire and has been the subject of films including Wayne McGregor – Across The Threshold, A South Bank Show (ITV1), In The Spirit Of Diaghilev (BBC4) and La Danse by Fred Wiseman.

Mr. McGregor was named a CBE Commander of the Order of the British Empire for Services to Dance in the 2011 New Year Honours List. His other awards include three Critics’ Circle Awards for Amu, Chroma and Infra; for Infra in 2009; Choreographer of the Year from Ballet Tanz in 2009; South Bank Show and Movimentos Awards for Entity in 2009; Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production for Chroma in 2007; two Time Out Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2001 and 2003; IMZ Dance Screen Award in 2002; Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2004 and South Bank Show Award for Dance in 2007.

Joby Talbot Composer, Chroma

Joby Talbot was born in Wimbledon in 1971. He studied composition privately with Brian Elias and at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College before completing a Master of Music (Composition) at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Simon Bainbridge.

Mr. Talbot’s diverse output has included a trumpet concerto for and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Desolation Wilderness, 2006); a 60-minute a cappella choral journey along the Camino de Santiago for Nigel Short’s (Path of Miracles, 2005); arrangements of songs by Detroit rock duo The White Stripes alongside existing works for Wayne McGregor’s Chroma (The Royal Ballet, 2006); and, as a co-production with The National Ballet of Canada, Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2011), the first full-length score to be commissioned by The Royal Ballet in 20 years.

He has also written the madrigal The Wishing Tree (The King’s Singers, 2002), the orchestral Sneaker Wave (BBC National Orchestra of Wales, 2004) and an arrangement of Purcell’s Chacony in G minor for the BBC Proms (BBC Symphony Orchestra, 2011). Worlds, Stars, Systems, Infinity was commissioned in 2012 for the ’s interactive digital installation, Universe of Sound, as an addition to Holst’s . Tide Harmonic (2009), a work for large ensemble, began life as the score for Eau by choreographer Carolyn Carlson and CCN Roubaix. Other significant works written or adapted for dance include Fool’s Paradise (Christopher Wheeldon and Morphoses, 2007), an arrangement of Mr. Talbot’s 2002 silent film score ; Genus (, 2007); Entity (Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, 2008); and Chamber Symphony for Chamber by choreographer Medhi Walerski (Residentie Orkest/Nederlands Dans Theater and Norwegian Opera and Ballet, 2012).

Mr. Talbot also has considerable experience writing for the screen, including BBC Two’s comedy series and feature films The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005), (2007), Franklyn (2008) and Closed Circuit (2013). For Hunky Dory (2011), he developed orchestral arrangements of pop songs with the film's young musicians, alongside writing the largely electronic score.

In 2013, Mr. Talbot premiered Genus Quartet with the Calder Quartet, Meniscus with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in and a new version of Tide Harmonic for Christopher Wheeldon and , as well as seeing international revivals of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Chamber, Chroma, Path of Miracles and Worlds, Stars, Systems, Infinity. In 2014, Mr. Talbot premiered The Winter's Tale, his second full-length narrative score for The National Ballet of Canada and The Royal Ballet in collaboration with Christopher Wheeldon, and will begin work on a new one-act piece for Dallas Opera to premiere in 2015.

Antoine Vereecken Stager, Chroma

Antoine Vereecken was born in Gent, . He began dancing aged 16 and trained at the of Antwerp. Between 1993 and 1997 he performed and toured with Les Ballets C. de la B. under the direction of Alain Platel. In 1997, Vereecken joined Malaika Kusumi's Renaissance de la Danse in Frankfurt, and later joined the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, under the direction of Rami Be'er. From 2001 to 2003, Vereecken performed with the Richard Alston Dance Company, London and during that time restaged Richard Alston's Red Run at the London Contemporary Dance School. After a series of choreographic projects including Maresa von Stockert's Tilted Co. and Dance Nomad, Mr. Vereecken joined Wayne McGregor | Random Dance in 2000 until 2011. During his time with Random Dance, principal roles were created for him in many new works which he toured extensively both nationally and internationally. He was featured in various dance films, including Primary Situations Framed by Julie Masterton and the documentary Wayne McGregor: Going Somewhere directed by Catherine Maximoff.

As an assistant, Mr. Vereecken has worked alongside Wayne McGregor on many works including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for Warner Brothers, Dido and Aeneas for Teatro alla Scala in and Gareth Pugh’s Lexus Design Disrupted at New York Fashion Week, as well as restaging several of Mr. McGregor’s works for San Francisco Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, , The , , The Royal Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, The Australian Ballet and among others. In 2012, Mr. Vereecken won an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for his restaging of Chroma on the San Francisco Ballet. He coached Ossein for the Varna Ballet Competition and Theatre and staged Polar Sequences for the D.A.N.C.E programme in Dresden.

As a teacher, Mr. Vereecken has taught for The Royal Ballet School, London Contemporary Dance School, Canada’s National Ballet School, The Royal Danish Ballet Summer School, Royal Ballet School of Antwerp, , English National Ballet School, D.A.N.C.E, DAF Dance Arts Faculty in Rome and Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, among others.

John Pawson Set Designer, Chroma

John Pawson was born in 1949 in Halifax, Yorkshire. He spent many years in Japan before returning to England to enrol at the Architecture Association in London, leaving to establish his own practice in 1981.

From the outset, Mr. Pawson’s work has focused on finding solutions to fundamental problems of space, proportion, light and materials, rather than on developing a set of stylistic mannerisms. These themes are also explored in his book Minimum which was first published in 1996 and examines the notion of simplicity in art, architecture and design across a variety of historical and cultural contexts.

Mr. Pawson’s commissions span a wide range of scales and building typologies, ranging from private homes to Calvin Klein’s flagship store in New York City, airport lounges for Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong, a condominium for Ian Schrager on New York City’s Gramercy Park and the interiors of a 50-metre yacht and 19-metre sloop.

Over the years, his office has accrued extensive experience of the particular challenges of working within environments of historic, landscape and ecological significance. Recent examples include the Royal Institute of British Architects prize-winning Sackler Crossing, a walkway over the lake at London’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Cistercian monastery of Our Lady of Nový Dvùr in the , which was awarded the Frate Sole International Prize for Sacred Architecture in 2008.

In 2010, the Design Museum in London mounted a major exhibition of the work of the John Pawson office titled Plain Space.

Moritz Junge Costume Designer, Chroma

Moritz Junge was born in Germany and studied at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin and at the Slade School of Fine Art in London.

Mr. Junge’s costume designs include Wayne McGregor’s Live Fire Exercise, Limen, Infra and Chroma (The Royal Ballet); F.A.R. and Dyad (Wayne McGregor | Random Dance); L’Anatomie de la Sensation (Paris Opéra Ballet); Outlier (New York City Ballet); Dyad 1929 (The Australian Ballet); The Trojans and Aida (The Royal Opera); The Messiah (English National Opera); The Kitchen, Dido, Queen of Carthage and The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other (National Theatre); All About My Mother (The Old Vic); Judgment Day (Almeida Theatre); La Cenerentola (Glyndebourne Festival Opera/Deutsche Oper Berlin); Ottone in villa (Kiel); Rigoletto (Hanover); Die Zauberflöte (Lucerne); costumes and co-set designs for The Tempest (The Royal Opera) and Adriana Lecouvrer, The Bartered Bride and Un ballo in maschera (Theater Freiburg).

Mr. Junge was the winner of the Linbury Prize for Stage Design in 2001 and designed the costumes for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Lucy Carter Lighting Design, Chroma

Lucy Carter won the UK Knight of Award for Dance in 2008 for Chroma. Her other works with Wayne McGregor include Carbon Life, Live Fire Exercise, Limen, Infra and Qualia (The Royal Ballet); Dido and Aeneas and Acis and Galatea (The Royal Opera/The Royal Ballet); Dyad 1909 (The Australian Ballet); Kirikou and Karaba; Genus (Paris Opéra Ballet); Skindex and Renature (Nederlands Dans Theater); Dyad 1929, Entity, Amu, Digito1, AtaXia and Nemesis (Wayne McGregor | Random Dance); 2 Human (English National Ballet); Yantra and Nautilus (); and Outlier (New York City Ballet).

Ms. Carter’s other dance work includes Incantations (The Joffrey Ballet), and Still Life (), both choreographed by Val Caniparoli; The Two of Us, Silence of the Soul and 5 2 10 (Walker Dance Park Music), Reflection (Rambert), all by Fin Walker; Classic Cut, Exit no Exit, Faultline and Just Add Water (); Snow White in Black (); When Once is Never Enough, Faun and As You Are (Coiscéim).

Her opera credits include The Adventures of Mr. Broucek (Opera North/ Scottish Opera), Maria Stuarda (Opera North), Parthenogenesis (Linbury Studio Theatre), Imeneo (Opera Ireland) and in 2013, Lohengrin (Welsh National Opera).

Company Premiere

Allegro Brillante

Choreography: George Balanchine Staged by: Lindsay Fischer Music: Costume Design: Karinska Costume Consultant: Original Lighting Design: Jean Rosenthal

Premiere: New York City Ballet, City Center of Music and Drama, March 1, 1956 The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: March 4, 2015

The performance of Allegro Brillante, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine TrustSM and has been produced by arrangement with the Balanchine Style® and ® Service standards established and provided by the Trust.

Performance Dates: March 4 – 8, 2015 Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante condenses a bounty of classical dance concepts into a brief and rapturous celebration of ballet. In his own words, Balanchine described the piece as “everything I know about classical ballet in thirteen minutes.”

A joyous and uplifting expression of movement, the ballet is set to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Allegro Brillante is Balanchine’s pure dance aesthetic at its finest.

Quotes

“The choreography springs with celestial inevitability from Tchaikovsky's third piano concerto, brilliant in every effect.” , 2007

“Propulsive, melodic and romantic.” , 1993

George Balanchine Choreographer, Allegro Brillante

George Balanchine was born in St. Petersburg, in 1904. He joined Mariinsky Ballet as a member of the at the age of 17. In 1924, Mr. Balanchine was invited by Serge Diaghilev to join in Paris and was hired as Ballet Master in 1925, holding this position until the company was dissolved in 1929. Mr. Balanchine formed his own company, Les Ballets 33, in 1933 in Paris and shortly thereafter met the American dance connoisseur Lincoln Kirstein, which led him to move to the US. In collaboration with Mr. Kirstein, Mr. Balanchine formed the School of American Ballet and American Ballet, which later became the resident at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Mr. Balanchine was choreographer for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo from 1944 to 1946, and in 1946, he formed , which later became New York City Ballet. He held the position of Artistic Director with New York City Ballet until his death in 1983.

A major artistic figure of the 20th-century, Mr. Balanchine revolutionized the look of classical ballet. Taking classicism as his base, he heightened, quickened, expanded, streamlined and even inverted the fundamentals of the 400-year-old language of academic dance. This had an inestimable influence on the growth of dance in the US. Although at first his style seemed particularly suited to the energy and speed of American dancers, especially those he trained, his ballets are now performed by all the major classical ballet companies throughout the world.

Lindsay Fischer Staging, Allegro Brillante

A native of New York City, Lindsay Fischer studied at Canada’s National Ballet School. After graduating in 1978, he embarked on an illustrious international dance career that saw him perform with ballet companies in Lisbon, , New York City and Toronto. He performed as a with the and New York City Ballet and danced as a guest artist with some of the most gifted ballerinas of the day, including Margaret Barbieri, and Evelyn Hart.

After retiring from the stage in 1997, Mr. Fischer joined the artistic staff of Canada’s National Ballet School, where, in addition to teaching, he developed an organizational structure to assist the school’s graduates through the process from high school and graduation to professional employment. This led to the creation of the school’s Post-Secondary and Dancer Career Planning Programmes, both of which Mr. Fischer managed until leaving the school in 2007. In 2008, Mr. Fischer was made Director of the Professional Dance programme at The Banff Centre in Alberta.

In addition to having created works for the school’s senior students, Mr. Fischer has overseen production of works by such choreographers as George Balanchine, James Kudelka, Rudi van Dantzig, Peggy Baker, Christopher House, Matjash Mrozewski and Toer van Schayk. He has also staged works and been a guest ballet master with companies in Canada and abroad. He was a Guest Répétiteur for The National Ballet of Canada from 1997 to 2007 and in 2007 was named Ballet Master with the company. He restaged for the National Ballet in 2011 and is presently the Artistic Director of YOU dance, the National Ballet’s education and outreach programme that introduces young people to the world of ballet.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Composer, Allegro Brillante

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsky, Russia in 1840. At the age of four, he composed his first song and soon began piano lessons. When Tchaikovsky was 19, his studies for a career in law gave way to his childhood love of music to which he would devote his life. In 1861, he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music and by 1866, Tchaikovsky had begun to teach theory of composition in and became a local celebrity with his compositions.

In 1876, Tchaikovsky was able to turn his attention fully to composing through the patronage of Nadezhda von Meck. With the aid of her funding, he completed many of his most well-known works including Eugene , Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty, among others. In 1890, von Meck suddenly announced that she was bankrupt and could no longer support Tchaikovsky. Her claim was false and, although the composer was no longer financially dependent on her, it was a shattering blow to his self-esteem. This occurred during his writing of the score for The Nutcracker and added to the difficulties he was having composing for what he considered an uninspiring scenario.

The last three years of Tchaikovsky’s life were filled with great despondency and he did not live to see the success of The Nutcracker.

Karinska Costume Designer, Allegro Brillante

Barbara Karinska was born in Russia in 1886. As a young woman she ran a Moscow embroidery shop before leaving the country after the October revolution. Before settling in America in 1938, Ms. Karinska worked in Paris, making costumes from the sketches of artists such as Christian Berard, André Derain, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall and Cecil Beaton.

After arriving in New York, Ms. Karinska designed many of the tutus and conventional dresses for the New York City Ballet. As the company's most respected costume designer, she created the costumes for several of George Balanchine's works, including Divertimento No. 15, , La Bourée Fantasque, , La Valse, Star and Stripes, The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Liebeslieder Walzer, and .

Ms. Karinska designed and executed costumes for the theatre, opera and cinema and in 1962 was given the Capezio Award in recognition of her contribution to dance.

Ms. Karinska died in New York City in 1983.

Holly Hynes Costume Consultant, Allegro Brillante Costume Designer, Carousel (A Dance)

Holly Hynes has designed over 200 ballets in her long career as a costume designer. In North America, her theatrical designs have been seen on Broadway as well as in works for such major ballet companies as American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Ballet, , Alberta Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Boston Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boris Eifmann Company and . Abroad, her designs have been acclaimed at such companies as Paris Opéra Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Teatro alla Scala, The Kirov Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, The National Ballet of Bulgaria, The Stanislasky Music Theatre in Moscow, The Norske Ballet, The Australian Ballet and Bolshoi Ballet. In 2007, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as a designer on the revival of the opera La Gioconda.

In addition to her design work, Ms. Hynes serves as a consultant with authority to teach costume reproductions of various established designs within The Foundation and Rights Trust, George Balanchine Trust and for Peter Martins, serving many companies internationally. For 21 years she was Director of Costumes for New York City Ballet. Her previous designs for The National Ballet of Canada include George Balanchine's Don Quixote, 's Pur ti Miro and the revival of Christopher Wheeldon's .

Jean Rosenthal Lighting Design, Allegro Brillante

Eugenia (Jean) Rosenthal was born in New York City in 1912. After briefly studying acting and dance at the Neighborhood Playhouse during the 1929/30 academic year, Ms. Rosenthal became a technical assistant to Martha Graham. This was the beginning of a life long association with Ms. Graham and her dance company. Between 1936 and her death in 1969, Ms. Rosenthal designed the lighting for 53 productions in the company’s repertory.

During her three years (1930–1933) at Yale University, Ms. Rosenthal studied theatre history with George Pierce Baker, scene design with Donald Oenslager, costume design with Frank Bevin and lighting design with Stanley McCandless. In the spring of 1933, Ms. Rosenthal left Yale for New York City where she joined one of the WPA Federal Theatres. By 1935, she had become a technical assistant in Federal Theatre Project 891. John Houseman was the Producer, Orson Welles the Director, Nat Carson the Scene Designer and Abe Feder the Lighting Designer.

During her career she designed the lighting for over 300 productions. Her Broadway credits include West Side Story (1957), The Sound of Music (1959), Barefoot in the Park (1963), John Gielgud's Hamlet (starring Richard Burton, 1964), Hello Dolly! (1964), Fiddler on the Roof (1964), The Odd Couple (1965) and Cabaret (1966). Her dance, opera and drama credits include productions for New York City Ballet (1948– 1957), Martha Graham Dance Company (1934–1969), American Ballet Theatre (1960– 1968), New York City Opera (1950–1954), Dallas Civic Opera (1957–1969) and American Shakespeare Festival (1955–1959). A number of the designs she created for New York City Ballet and Martha Graham Dance Company are still in the repertoire of both companies.

Ms. Rosenthal died in 1969, ten days after attending the opening of her last creative work, Martha Graham's Archaic Hours.

Company Premiere

Carousel (A Dance)

Choreography: Christopher Wheeldon Staged by: Jacquelin Barrett and Jason Fowler Music: Richard Rodgers, arranged and orchestrated by William David Brohn Costume Design: Holly Hynes Lighting Design: Mark Stanley Répétiteurs: Lindsay Fischer and Mandy-Jayne Richardson

Premiere: New York City Ballet, New York State Theater, , November 26, 2002 The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: March 4, 2015

Performance Dates: March 4 – 8, 2015 Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

Carousel (A Dance), by world renowned British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, is a timeless tribute to the music of the great American composer, Richard Rodgers. The 16– minute spectacle follows the storyline of the famous 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel and expresses the beauty and innocence of young love through delicate partnering, young love and a show stopping kiss.

Quotes

“A powerful distillation of the troubled romance in Carousel…a pure-dance ballet.” The New York Times, 2003

“Exhilarating.” New York Post, 2008

Christopher Wheeldon Choreographer, Carousel (A Dance)

Internationally acclaimed choreographer Christopher Wheeldon has received many awards for his work including the Martin E. Segal Award, American Choreography Award, London Critics’ Circle Award and two Olivier Awards. Mr. Wheeldon studied at The Royal Ballet School and joined The Royal Ballet in 1991, winning the Gold Medal at the the same year. In 1993, he joined New York City Ballet and began his choreographic career with New York City Ballet in 1997 when he created Slavonic Dances for the company’s annual showcase. In 2000, he retired from dance to concentrate on choreography and served as New York City Ballet's first Artist-in-Residence, creating two ballets, Polyphonia and Sérieuses.

In 2001, Mr. Wheeldon was named New York City Ballet's first Resident Choreographer and from 2007 to 2010, he was Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company.

He has choreographed such works as Morphoses, After the Rain, An American in Paris and The Nightingale and the Rose. In 2010, his new version of The Sleeping Beauty had its premiere with The Royal Danish Ballet. His full-length ballet Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was created as a co-production of The National Ballet of Canada and The Royal Ballet and premiered at the Royal Opera House in 2011. His production of Cinderella (San Franciso Ballet and Dutch National Ballet) won the 2013 Benois De La Danse. In 2014, Mr. Wheeldon created a full-length version of The Winter’s Tale, a second co-production between The National Ballet of Canada and The Royal Ballet, and will direct and choreograph a musical version of An American in Paris which premiered in Paris at the Théâtre du Châtelet in November 2014 and is Broadway bound in March 2015.

Jacquelin Barrett Staging, Carousel (A Dance)

Jacquelin Barrett trained at The Royal Ballet School, joined London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet) and, over a period of eight years, danced and principal roles in the company’s repertory. Ms. Barrett was the Ballet Mistress for Central School of Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre and English National Ballet. She is in demand as a guest teacher for many international professional companies and schools. From 1997 to 2008, Ms. Barrett taught at The Royal Ballet School, working mainly with the graduate female class. Since 2009, she has been assisting Christopher Wheeldon and staging his works around the world.

Jason Fowler Staging, Carousel (A Dance)

Jason Fowler was born in Dallas, Texas and began his ballet training at the age of 8 and continued his training at the Dallas Ballet Center and Dallas Ballet Academy. In 1993, Mr. Fowler entered the School of American Ballet, the official school for New York City Ballet. He was invited to join the company in April 1996. In addition to numerous Corps de Ballet roles with New York City Ballet, Mr. Fowler performed soloist and principal parts in Bigonzetti’s Vespro, George Balanchine’s Divertmento No. 15, Scotch Symphony, , Symphony in C, , La Valse and and Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia. In 2000, Mr. Fowler appeared in the movie Center Stage dancing in the ballet sequences choreographed by Mr. Wheeldon. Mr. Fowler has choreographed numerous works for Dallas Ballet Company including Volley, Messenger’s Divertissments, Homage a la Russe and Carnival.

Mark Stanley Lighting Designer, Carousel (A Dance)

Mark Stanley, Resident Lighting Designer for New York City Ballet, has designed over 200 premieres for their repertoire including Paul McCartney’s Ocean’s Kingdom. He has worked with choreographers around the world including Peter Martins, , Christopher Wheeldon, , Kevin O’Day, , William Forsythe, Susan Marshall and Christopher d’Amboise, among others.

His designs are in the repertoire of The Royal Danish Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Paris Opéra Ballet, Het Nationale Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Kevin O’Day Ballett Nationaltheater Mannheim, Teatro alla Scala, Mariinsky Ballet, Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, Boston Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pilobolus Dance Theatre, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, The Joffrey Ballet and other ballet companies in North American and Europe.

Mr. Stanley previously served as Resident Designer for the New York City Opera. His theatre work has been performed work at the Kennedy Center, Long Wharf Theater, Goodspeed Opera House, Ordway Music Theater, Paper Mill Playhouse, Maurice Sendak’s Night Kitchen children’s theatre and off-Broadway. His designs for George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Peter Martins’ Romeo and Juliet have been seen on Live from Lincoln Center and Great Performances.

Mr. Stanley heads the Lighting Design Program at Boston University is on the Board of the Hemlsey Lighting Programs.