Shostakovich Trilogy (Parts 1 and 3) in 2014/15 Season the Tempest Postponed

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#6 Shostakovich Trilogy (Parts 1 and 3) in 2014/15 Season The Tempest Postponed

August 15, 2014… Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced that the company will be performing Alexei Ratmansky’s Shostakovich Trilogy (Parts 1 and 3) May 30 – June 7, 2015 in Toronto at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The work will replace Mr. Ratmansky’s The Tempest, which is postponed to a future season, and will be presented as part of a mixed programme with Being and Nothingness by Choreographic Associate and Principal Dancer Guillaume Côté.

Recognized as one of the most versatile and artistically wide-ranging of contemporary choreographers, Mr. Ratmansky has always maintained a deep and abiding connection to the cultural climate and traditions of his native Russia. In his Shostakovich Trilogy, he turns to the towering musical figure of the ballet’s title and explores through three key works the conflicting dualities of art and politics, imaginative freedom and responsibility, that shaped much of the composer’s life.

The San Francisco Chronicle hailed Shostakovich Trilogy “a masterpiece” and The New York Times described it as “fascinating, poetic, enigmatic and bittersweet”.

The National Ballet of Canada’s 2014/15 season begins with a tour of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to the Lincoln Center in New York City, September 9 – 14, 2014. The Fall Season in Toronto opens with Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, November 8 – 16, 2014, followed by Nijinsky, by John Neumeier, November 22 – 30, 2014.

Guillaume Côté is sponsored through Dancers First by Emmanuelle Gattuso and Allan Slaight.

Shostakovich Trilogy (Parts 1 and 3) and Being and Nothingness are presented by KPMG LLP.

Lead philanthropic support for Shostakovich Trilogy (Parts 1 and 3) is provided by an anonymous friend of the National Ballet and The Producers’ Circle.

Lead philanthropic support for Being and Nothingness is provided by an anonymous friend of the National Ballet, The Volunteer Committee of The National Ballet of Canada and The Producers’ Circle: John & Claudine Bailey, David Binet, Susanne Boyce & Dr. Brendan Mullen, Gail Drummond & Bob Dorrance, Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan, Kevin & Roger Garland, The William & Nona Heaslip Foundation, Rosamond Ivey, Hal Jackman Foundation, Anna McCowan-Johnson & Donald K. Johnson, O.C., Judy Korthals & Peter Irwin, Judith & Robert Lawrie, Mona & Harvey Levenstein, Joan & Jerry Lozinski, The Honourable Margaret Norrie

McCain, C.C.,Julie Medland, Sandra Pitblado & Jim Pitblado, C.M., Lynda & Jonas Prince, Sandra L. Simpson and Noreen Taylor & David Staines, O.C.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is co-presented by Thomson Reuters and TD Bank Group.

Lead philanthropic support for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland provided by an anonymous friend of the National Ballet with additional support generously provided by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Richard M. Ivey, C.C., Rosamond Ivey, Judith & Robert Lawrie and Wallace McCain & Margaret McCain, C.C.

This tour of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was made possible in part through a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts Dance Touring Grants – International Programme.

This tour of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was made possible in part through a grant from the Ontario Arts Council – National and International Touring Programme.

Manon is presented by Chloé Fragrances.

BMO presents Nijinsky.

Lead philanthropic support for Nijinsky is provided by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, an anonymous friend of the National Ballet, The Producers’ Circle and The Volunteer Committee of The National Ballet of Canada.

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 Public Relations Manager Publicity Coordinator 416 345 9686 x302 416 345 9686 x332 [email protected] [email protected] national.ballet.ca national.ballet.ca

Ratmansky & Côté Opens May 30 Three Premieres by Alexei Ratmansky and Guillaume Côté

May 20, 2015… Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the casting for Ratmansky & Côté which features two company premieres by Alexei Ratmansky and a world premiere by Guillaume Côté. Ratmansky & Côté, presented by KPMG LLP, runs May 30 – June 6, 2015 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Recognized as one of the most versatile and in-demand choreographers of his generation, Alexei Ratmansky’s Shostakovich Trilogy was hailed “a masterpiece” by San Francisco Chronicle and described as “fascinating, poetic, enigmatic and bittersweet” by The New York Times. Symphony #9 and Piano Concerto #1, parts 1 and 3 of the highly acclaimed Shostakovich Trilogy, are set to the music of the legendary composer Dmitri Shostakovich with sets by influential American designer George Tsypin, costumes by Dutch-born visual artist Keso Dekker and lighting design by Jennifer Tipton recreated by John Torres.

Being and Nothingness, by Principal Dancer and Choreographic Associate Guillaume Côté, is a multi-part reflection of some of the key themes in Jean-Paul Sartre’s existential philosophy. The work is set to solo piano music by Philip Glass (performed by Edward Connell) with sets by Michael Levine, costumes by pretty, fancy by Krista Dowson, former Corps de Ballet member and lighting design by David Finn. Being and Nothingness (Part 1), a solo created for Principal Dancer Greta Hodgkinson, was originally presented as part of the National Ballet’s second Innovation programme in November 2013.

The National Ballet’s popular and free Ballet Talks, sponsored by the Hal Jackman Foundation, will take place in R. Fraser Elliot Hall at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The Ballet Talks will begin one hour before the performance with seating on the orchestra level only and will be on a first come, first serve basis. The Ballet Talks for Ratmansky & Côté will be led by Ballet Master Lindsay Fischer.

Link to Being and Nothingness trailer>

Principal Casting

Being and Nothingness Jack Bertinshaw, Greta Hodgkinson, Kathryn Hosier, Svetlana Lunkina, Chelsy Meiss, Félix Paquet, Brent Parolin, Ben Rudisin, Dylan Tedaldi (May 30, June 3, 5, 6)

Skylar Campbell, Hannah Fischer, Emma Hawes, Tanya Howard, Harrison James, Patrick Lavoie, Brent Parolin, Meghan Pugh, Dylan Tedaldi (May 31, June 4)

Symphony #9 Elena Lobsanova and Félix Paquet, Jordana Daumec and Keiichi Hirano, Skylar Campbell (May 30 at 2:00 pm, May 31, June 5)

Xiao Nan Yu and McGee Maddox, Chelsy Meiss and Piotr Stanczyk, Naoya Ebe (May 30 at 7:30 pm, June 3, 4, 6)

Piano Concerto #1 Svetlana Lunkina and Harrison James, Jillian Vanstone and Dylan Tedaldi (May 30, 31, June 3, 5)

Elena Lobsanova and Naoya Ebe, Jenna Savella and Francesco Gabriele Frola (June 4, 6)

Being and Nothingness and Shostakovich Trilogy (Parts 1 and 3) are presented by KPMG LLP.

Lead philanthropic support for Being and Nothingness is provided by an anonymous friend of the National Ballet, The Volunteer Committee of The National Ballet of Canada and The Producers’ Circle.

Lead philanthropic support for the Shostakovich Trilogy (Part 1 and 3) is provided by an anonymous friend of the National Ballet and The Producers’ Circle.

The Producers’ Circle: John & Claudine Bailey, David Binet, Susanne Boyce & Brendan Mullen, Gail Drummond & Bob Dorrance, Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan, Kevin & Roger Garland, Emmanuelle Gattuso and Allan Slaight, The William & Nona Heaslip Foundation, Rosamond Ivey, Hal Jackman Foundation, Anna McCowan-Johnson & Donald K. Johnson, O.C., Judy Korthals & Peter Irwin, Judith & Robert Lawrie, Mona & Harvey Levenstein, Joan & Jerry Lozinski, The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain, C.C., Julie Medland, Sandra Pitblado & Jim Pitblado, C.M., Lynda & Jonas Prince, Susan Scace & Arthur Scace, C.M., Q.C., Sandra L. Simpson and Noreen Taylor & David Staines, O.C.

Performance Sponsors: Teknion, June 4 at 7:30 pm; Steve and Sally Stavro Family Foundation, June 6 at 7:30 pm

Ratmansky & Côté Ballet Talks Sponsor: Hal Jackman Foundation

Guillaume Côté is sponsored through Dancers First by Emmanuelle Gattuso and Allan Slaight.

Jillian Vanstone is sponsored through Dancers First by George & Kathy Dembroski.

Naoya Ebe is sponsored through Dancers First by Gretchen Ross.

Keiichi Hirano is sponsored through Dancers First by Patricia Younger.

Tanya Howard is sponsored through Dancers First by Nancy Pencer.

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

Chelsy Meiss is sponsored through Dancers First by Diana St. B. Weatherall. Hannah Fischer is sponsored through Dancers First by Judy & Bella Matthews.

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

Emma Hawes is sponsored through Dancers First by JJ Dayot & Rick Schiralli.

Kathryn Hosier is sponsored through Dancers First by Donna Meyers & Doug Richmond.

Harrison James is sponsored through Dancers First by Lucy White.

Félix Paquet is sponsored through Dancers First by Stephen Delaney.

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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 Rex Harrington, O.C. Music Director and Principal Conductor Artist-in-Residence

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

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 Pointe Shoe Manager / Assistant Ballet Mistress Guest Balanchine Répétitieur

Company Premiere

Symphony #9 & Piano Concerto #1

Symphony #9 Choreographer: Alexei Ratmansky Staged by: Katita Waldo Répétiteur: Rex Harrington Music: Dmitri Shostakovich Set Design: George Tsypin Costume Design: Keso Dekker Lighting Design: Jennifer Tipton, recreated by John Torres

World Premiere: American Ballet Theatre, New York City, New York, October 18, 2012 The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: May 30, 2015

Piano Concerto #1 Choreographer: Alexei Ratmansky Staged by: Felipe Diaz Répétiteur: Lindsay Fischer Music: Dmitri Shostakovich Piano Soloist: Zhenya Yesmanovich Trumpet Soloist: Richard Sandals Set Design: George Tsypin Costume Design: Keso Dekker Lighting Design: Jennifer Tipton, recreated by John Torres

World Premiere: American Ballet Theatre, New York City, New York, May 31, 2013 The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: May 30, 2015 Symphony #9 and Piano Concerto #1 Scenery and Costumes courtesy of American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet.

Shostakovich Trilogy (Parts 1 and 3) are presented by KPMG LLP.

Lead philanthropic support for the Shostakovich Trilogy (Part 1 and 3) is provided by an anonymous friend of the National Ballet and The Producers’ Circle.

Performance Dates:

May 30 – June 6, 2015 Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

Recognized as one of the most versatile and artistically wide-ranging of contemporary choreographers, Alexei Ratmansky has always maintained a deep and abiding connection to the cultural climate and traditions of his native Russia. In his Shostakovich Trilogy (of which, Symphony #9 and Piano Concerto #1 will be included in this programme), he turns to the towering musical figure of the ballet’s title and explores through three key works the conflicting dualities of art and politics, imaginative freedom and responsibility, that shaped much of the composer’s life.

Quotes

“A masterpiece” The San Francisco Chronicle 2014

“fascinating, poetic, enigmatic and bittersweet… powerfully charged” The New York Times 2013

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Alexei Ratmansky Choreographer, Symphony #9 and Piano Concerto #1

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Alexei Ratmansky is a choreographer and former ballet dancer. He is Artist-in-Residence at American Ballet Theatre and former Artistic Director of Bolshoi Ballet, having trained under Pyotr Pestov and Alexandra Markeyeva at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Prior to his appointment as Artistic Director, Mr. Ratmansky was a Principal Dancer with Kiev Ballet, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet and The Royal Danish Ballet.

Mr. Ratmansky has created ballets for the Mariinsky Ballet, Paris Opéra Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, Australian Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Teatro alla Scala, Kiev Ballet and the State Ballet of Georgia, as well as for Mikhail Baryshnikov, Nina Ananiashvili, Wendy Wheelan and Diana Vishneva. His 2003 work, The Bright Stream, created for Bolshoi Ballet, led to his appointment as Artistic Director of the company the following year. For the Bolshoi, he choreographed full-length productions of The Bolt (2005) and Lost Illusions (2011) and re-staged Le Corsaire (2007) and Flames of Paris (2008). His works for Mariinsky Ballet include Cinderella (2002) and Little Humpbacked Horse (2009). In 2011, he created Psyche for Paris Opéra Ballet, Romeo and Juliet for the National Ballet. In 2013, he created Opera for Teatro alla Scala and The Tempest, a co-production between the National Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. In 2015, Mr. Ratmansky premiered a new The Sleeping Beauty for American Ballet Theatre.

The Critics’ Circle in London named Bolshoi Ballet Best Foreign Company under Mr. Ratmansky’s direction in 2005 and 2007 and he received their National Dance Award for The Bright Stream. He was awarded the 2005 Prix Benois de la Danse for his choreography of Anna Karenina for The Royal Danish Ballet. In 2011, Mr. Ratmansky received the New York Dance and Performance Award for Outstanding Production for The Bright Stream. He was named a MacArthur Fellow and was selected as a Rolex Mentor by the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative in 2013.

His ballets for New York City Ballet include Russian Seasons, Concerto DSCH and Namouna and for American Ballet Theatre, On the Dnieper, Seven Sonatas, Dumbarton and The Nutcracker.

Katita Waldo Répétiteur, Symphony #9

Born in Madrid, Spain, Katita Waldo trained at Escuela de Danza Classica, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, The Washington Ballet and San Francisco Ballet School. After joining San Francisco Ballet in 1988, Ms. Waldo was promoted to Soloist in 1990 and to Principal Dancer in 1994.

Ms. Waldo’s lead roles include Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Myrtha in Giselle, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and Grand Pas de Deux Ballerina in Nutcracker (all by Helgi Tomasson); Sylph in August Bournonville’s La Sylphide and Desdemona in Lar Lubovitch’s Othello. Ms. Waldo created roles in Lubovitch’s Elemental Brubeck, Tomasson’s Tuning Game and The Fifth Season and Christopher Wheeldon’s Quaternary and Within the Golden Hour, among others. Ms. Waldo’s repertoire also includes George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, Concerto Barocco, Apollo, Bugaku and Theme and Variations; William Forsythe’s Artifact Suite, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude and in the middle, somewhat elevated; Mark Morris’ Maelstrom, Sandpaper Ballet and Pacific; Yuri Possokhov’s Magrittomania, Damned, Study in Motion and Reflections; Jerome Robbins’ The Cage, The Concert, West Side Story Suite and Dances at a Gathering; Stanton Welch’s Tu Tu, Falling and Naked and Wheeldon’s Continuum, Polyphonia and Rush.

Ms. Waldo received Isadora Duncan Dance Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Performance — Ensemble in 2001 and 2002. A frequent guest teacher and guest artist, she served as Yuri Possokhov’s ballet mistress/assistant in staging Magrittomania at Bolshoi Ballet in 2004 and as choreographer’s assistant for Wheeldon’s Misericors, which he created for Bolshoi Ballet in 2007. In 2010, Ms. Waldo was appointed Ballet Master at San Francisco Ballet. She came out of retirement in 2013 to perform as the Stepmother in the U.S. premiere of Wheeldon’s Cinderella.

Felipe Diaz Répétiteur, Piano Concerto #1

Felipe Diaz was born in Bogota, Colombia where he began his training with his parents Ana Consuelo Gomez and Jaime Diaz. Mr. Diaz continued his training at the San Francisco Ballet School.

Over a career spanning 22 years, Mr. Diaz has danced as a soloist with San Francisco Ballet, English National Ballet and Dutch National Ballet. He has performed numerous lead roles including the Prince in Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella, Basilio in Alexei Ratmansky’s Don Quixote, the Cavalier in Christensen/Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker and the Eagling/van Schaik production, James in La Sylphide, Lensky in John Cranko’s Onegin, Petrouschka in Petrouschka, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and leading roles in works by renowned choreographers such as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Harald Lander, Helgi Tomasson, Christopher Wheeldon, Hans van Manen, Alexei Ratmansky and William Forsythe, among others.

After retiring from the stage, Mr. Diaz began working as ballet master for the Dutch National Ballet and has been a guest teacher for several ballet companies in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Mr. Diaz assumed the title of Ballet Master at San Francisco Ballet in 2013.

Rex Harrington Répétiteur, Symphony #9

One of the most accomplished and acclaimed male dancers of his era, Rex Harrington brought seemingly limitless panache, energy, style and showmanship to the vast range of characterizations he created during his 20 years with The National Ballet of Canada. A much sought-after dancer internationally, he performed with Teatro alla Scala, San Francisco Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet. Renowned for his incomparable partnering skills, Mr. Harrington danced with such legendary ballerinas as Ekaterina Maximova, Carla Fracci, Evelyn Hart and Karen Kain. He created numerous roles during his career as a dancer, including the central role in James Kudelka’s The Four Seasons, Peter in Mr. Kudelka’s The Nutcracker, Lewis Carroll in Glen Tetley’s Alice and The Young Gentleman in Mr. Tetley’s La Ronde, as well as lead roles in works by such choreographers as John Alleyne, Jean-Pierre Perrault Jiří Kylian and Majesh Mekowski.

Mr. Harrington was born in Peterborough, Ontario and graduated from Canada’s National Ballet School in 1981, joining The National Ballet of Canada in 1983. He became a Principal Dancer in 1988 and remained in that position until his retirement in 2004. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000 and was given a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2005. In 2006, he received an Honorary Degree from York University and was appointed Artist-in-Residence with the National Ballet.

Harrington was a frequent judge on the popular television programme, So You Think You Can Dance Canada and acted on the Showcase series King in 2012 and was a contestant on The Amazing Race Canada in 2014.

Dmitri Shostakovich Composer, Symphony #9 and Piano Concerto #1

Dmitri Shostakovich was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1906. After a period influenced by Prokofiev and Stravinsky, Shostakovich developed a hybrid of styles that juxtaposed a wide variety of trends within a single work, such as the neo- classical style and post-romantic style. His unique approach to tonality involved the use of modal scales and some astringent neo-classical harmonies similar to Hindemith and Prokofiev. His music frequently includes sharp contrasts and elements of the grotesque.

Shostakovich prided himself on his orchestration, which is clear, economical and well-projected. This aspect of Shostakovich's technique owes much to Gustav Mahler. His most popular works are his 15 symphonies and 15 string quartets. His works for piano include two piano sonatas, an early set of preludes and a later set of 24 preludes and fugues. Other works include two operas, six concertos and a substantial quantity of film music.

Shostakovich had a complex and difficult relationship with the Soviet government, suffering two official denunciations of his music and the periodic banning of his work. At the same time, he received a number of accolades and state awards and served in the Supreme Soviet. Despite the official controversy, his works were popular and well received.

Dmitri Shostakovich died on August 9, 1975.

George Tsypin Set Designer, Symphony #9 and Piano Concerto #1

George Tsypin is a sculptor, architect and designer for opera, musicals and large spectacles and installations. Mr. Tsypin has worked for many years with renowned directors and composers, such as Peter Sellars, Julie Taymor, Zhang Yimou, Francesca Zambello, Pierre Audi, Jurgen Flimm, Philip Glass, John Adams, Kaija Saariaho, Zhang Yimou and Andrey Konchalovsky. He has a longstanding creative association with the conductor Valery Gergiev.

His designs for opera have been produced all over the world, including the Salzburg Festival, Opera de Bastille in Paris, Covent Garden in London, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Tsypin has worked in all major theaters in the U.S., as well as in film and television.

Mr. Tsypin's Broadway credits as a set designer for musical include Disney theatrical's production of The Little Mermaid and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark for which he won an Outer Critics Award and received a Tony Award nomination. He conceived, wrote the script, co-directed and designed the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award. Mr. Tsypin has won many awards, including the International Competition of "New and Spontaneous Ideas for the Theater for Future Generations" at Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

Keso Dekker Costume Designer, Symphony #9 and Piano Concerto #1

Dutch-born visual artist Keso Dekker has designed sets and costumes for over 500 theatre productions, with over 70 directors and choreographers across Europe and the U.S. Initially a painter and designer of private and public spaces and museum exhibitions, Mr. Dekker also taught, published and wrote for television and organized exhibitions on the subjects of design, fashion, dance and the visual arts. Foremost are his stage designs for modern dance and ballet, for which he has received a Dutch Design Award.

Pivotal throughout Mr. Dekker’s career has been his close bond with choreographer Hans van Manen. Mr. Dekker designed Mr. van Manen’s entire body of work since 1978, totaling 70 creations. Mr. Dekker first collaborated with Alexei Ratmansky on Souvenir d'un lieu cher in 2012 for Dutch National Ballet, later followed by the Shostakovich Trilogy for American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet.

Jennifer Tipton Lighting Designer, Symphony #9 and Piano Concerto #1

Jennifer Tipton is well known for her work in theater, dance and opera. Her recent work in opera includes Il Trovatore at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Don Giovanni directed by Daniel Witzke at Opera San Jose, L’Elisir D’Amore directed by Bartlett Sher and Maria Stuarda directed by Sir David McVicar at the Metropolitan Opera. Her recent work in theater includes The Testament of Mary at London’s Barbican Theater, Rasheeda Speaking at The New Group, Cry, Trojans for the Wooster Group and Richard Nelson’s The Apple Family Plays at New York’s Public Theater. In dance Ms. Tipton’s work includes Liam Scarlett’s The Age of Anxiety for The Royal Ballet, Alexei Ratmansky’s Shostakovich Trilogy for San Francisco Ballet and American Ballet Theatre as well as Paul Taylor’s American Dreamer.

Ms. Tipton teaches lighting at the Yale School of Drama. She received the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize in 2001, the Jerome Robbins Prize in 2003 and the Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture in April 2004 in New York City.

In 2008, Ms. Tipton was made a United States Artists Gracie Fellow and a MacArthur Fellow.

World Premiere

Being and Nothingness

Choreography: Guillaume Côté Répétiteurs: Mandy-Jayne Richardson and Lindsay Fischer Music: Philip Glass Pianist: Edward Connell Set Design: Michael Levine Costume Design: pretty, fancy by Krista Dowson Lighting Design: David Finn

Premiere: The National Ballet of Canada, Toronto, May 30, 2015

Being and Nothingness (Part 1) Premiere: Festival Ballet Providence, Providence Rhode Island, October 3, 2013 The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: Toronto, November 22, 2013

Being and Nothingness is presented by KPMG LLP.

Lead philanthropic support for Being and Nothingness is provided by an anonymous friend of the National Ballet, The Volunteer Committee of The National Ballet of Canada and The Producers’ Circle.

The Producers’ Circle: John & Claudine Bailey, David Binet, Susanne Boyce & Dr. Brendan Mullen, Gail Drummond & Bob Dorrance, Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan, Kevin & Roger Garland, The William & Nona Heaslip Foundation, Rosamond Ivey, Hal Jackman Foundation, Anna McCowan-Johnson & Donald K. Johnson, O.C., Judy Korthals & Peter Irwin, Mona & Harvey Levenstein, Joan & Jerry Lozinski, The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain, C.C., Julie Medland, Sandra Pitblado & Jim Pitblado, C.M., Sandra L. Simpson and Noreen Taylor & David Staines, O.C.

Guillaume Côté is sponsored through Dancers First by Emmanuelle Gattuso and Allan Slaight.

Performance Dates: May 30 – June 6, 2015 Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

Being and Nothingness is a multi-part reflection of a key theme in Jean-Paul Sartre’s existential philosophy. Set to music by Philip Glass, Principal Dancer and Choreographic Associate Guillaume Côté explores the shifting moments of consciousness that shape the nature of human identity constructed against the horizon of non-being in his new work.

Being and Nothingness (Part 1) was originally presented as part of The National Ballet of Canada’s second Innovation programme in 2013.

Quotes

“Côté, who in addition to being the company’s danseur noble is also now a Choreographic Associate, has crafted a riveting seven-minute solo for Greta Hodgkinson, in which she appears to be battling some powerful inner demons.” National Post, 2013

“Côté was able to provoke a thoughtful expression of the inner struggle that lies at the heart of our desire to exercise our free will.” Elle Canada, 2013

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Guillaume Côté Choreographer, Being and Nothingness

Best known to audiences of The National Ballet of Canada as one of the company’s most gifted and dynamic performers, Guillaume Côté is also a choreographer of unique vision and talent. In 2013, in addition to his position as a Principal Dancer, Mr. Côté assumed the role of Choreographic Associate with the company.

As a dancer, Mr. Côté’s versatility, accomplished technique and strong sense of the theatrical moment have made for a large number of powerfully etched performances in his time onstage. He brings those same virtues to bear on his choreography, which is characterized by a rich physicality and a complex and often suddenly shifting emotional tenor. As a composer, Mr. Côté understands both the technical and dramatic centrality of music in the condition of the dance work and as a consequence, his ballets are forged with a careful attention to the symbiosis of musical and physical effect.

Mr. Côté’s work No. 24, set to music by Paganini, won third prize at Ballet Society Hanover’s 25th International Competition in 2011 and entered the National Ballet’s repertoire in 2013. In 2012, his work Enkeli won the Audience Choice Award for Best Choreography at The Tenth International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize and Silence Screams Venom was performed at the company’s Diamond Anniversary Gala. That same year, his work for ProArteDanza, Fractals: a pattern of chaos, was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Choreography. Mr. Côté’s most recent works include Being and Nothingness (Part 1) (2013), Dance Me To The End Of Love (2014), Tonight Will Be Fine (2014) and Body of Work (2014), which made its world premiere at the 2014 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. The full version of Being and Nothingness will debut during the National Ballet’s Summer Season in June 2015 and Mr. Côté’s first full- length ballet, Le Petit Prince will debut during the National Ballet’s 2015/16 season.

In 2012, Mr. Côté choreographed and starred in the short film Lost in Motion, which was presented at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film’s sequel, Lost in Motion II which was released in 2013, was also choreographed by Mr. Côté and made its film festival debut at the Dance on Camera Festival in New York City in February 2014. Both films received rave reviews and have been viewed more than 2.5 million times online.

Mandy-Jayne Richardson Répétiteur, Being and Nothingness

A native of London, England, Mandy-Jayne Richardson studied dance at The Royal Ballet School and upon graduation, joined the legendary Sadler’s Wells Ballet. Her luminous stage presence and highly praised technique were in evidence in many works from the company’s varied repertoire including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Elite Syncopations, Brouillards and Five Tangos. A favourite with both audiences and critics for her powerful interpretive and communicative abilities, Ms. Richardson was twice voted one of England’s most interesting young performers by the readers of Dance and Dancers.

In 1986, Ms. Richardson joined the renowned Dutch National Ballet, under the artistic directorship of Rudi van Dantzig, expanding her repertoire and deepening her artistry through such roles as the pas de deux in Autumn Haze, the Fourth Song in Four Last Songs, Euridice in Toer van Schayk’s Orpheus, Summer in Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella and the second pas de deux in George Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto. Ms. Richardson joined New York City Ballet in 1988, where she had the opportunity to broaden her understanding of the Balanchine repertoire and performed leading roles in such works as Peter Martins’ Songs of the Auvergne, Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free and John Taras’ Souvenir de Florence.

Ms. Richardson retired from dance in 1991 and joined The National Ballet of Canada’s artistic staff in 1999. In 2005, she was appointed Senior Ballet Mistress. She has set numerous ballets for the company, including James Kudelka’s Cinderella, which she also set to great acclaim for Boston Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.

Lindsay Fischer Répétiteur, Being and Nothingness, Piano Concerto #1

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, Amsterdam, New York City and Toronto. He performed as a Principal Dancer with the Dutch National Ballet and New York City Ballet and danced as a guest artist with some of the most gifted ballerinas of the day, including Margaret Barbieri, Cynthia Gregory 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 Don Quixote 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.

Philip Glass Composer, Being and Nothingness

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Philip Glass is a graduate of the University of Chicago and The Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, he spent two years studying in Paris and transcribing Ravi Shankar’s Indian music into Western notation. By 1974, Mr. Glass had a number of innovative projects, creating a large collection of new music for the Philip Glass Ensemble and for the Mabou Mines Theater Company. He has since expanded his repertoire to include music for opera, dance, theatre, chamber ensemble, orchestra and film.

Mr. Glass’ scores have received Academy Award nominations for Kundun, The Hours and Notes on a Scandal and a Golden Globe Award for The Truman Show. In the past two years, his 9th Symphony received its US premiere at Carnegie Hall and his new opera, The Perfect American, opened at Teatro Real with additional performances at the English National Opera. In 2015, Mr. Glass was named the Eleventh recipient of The Glenn Gould Prize. Upcoming projects include a song cycle for Angelique Kidjo and the Brussels Philharmonic as well as an opera based on Franz Kafka’s The Trial for Music Theatre Wales.

Michael Levine Set Designer, Being and Nothingness

Michael Levine is Canadian and has worked internationally as a set and costume designer for the past 30 years. Mr. Levine studied stage design at The Central School of Art and Design in London. His designs have been seen on the stages of Teatro alla Scala, Paris Opéra, Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, English National Opera, Tokyo Opera Nomori, Dutch National Opera, Flanders Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Zurich Opera, Genève Opera, San Fransisco Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Canadian Opera Company, The Royal National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Citizen’s Theatre and for London’s West End and Broadway. In Canada he has worked for The Shaw Festival, Canadian Stage, Tarragon Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre, The National Ballet of Canada and Dancemakers.

Mr. Levine’s recent work includes Between Worlds (English National Opera/Barbican Centre), The Queen of Spades (Zurich Opera), The Magic Flute (Dutch National Opera), The Magic Flute (Festspielhaus Baden-Baden), The Rape of Lucretia (Glyndebourne), Parsifal (Lyon Opera/Metroplitan Opera and Canadian Opera Company), Don Giovanni (Teatro alla Scala), Tales of Hoffmann (Teatro alla Scala), Rigoletto (Canadian Opera Company/ English National Opera), Tannhauser (The Royal Opera) and A Dog’s Heart (Dutch National Opera). Mr. Levine’s upcoming work includes Wozzeck by Alban Berg (Zurich Opera), The Encounter (Complicite Theatre), Hansel and Gretel (Dutch National Opera), Benjamin Dernier Nuit (Lyon Opera) and Le Petit Prince (The National Ballet of Canada).

Mr. Levine’s work has been honoured with a Gemini Award, Paris Critics Prize, The Edinburgh Festival Drama and Music Award, two Dora Mavor Moore Awards and a Toronto Arts Award. Mr. Levine is a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres.

Krista Dowson Costume Designer, Being and Nothingness

Krista Dowson launched herself into the world of costume design during her 14-year tenure with The National Ballet of Canada. Beginning by designing rehearsal wear for herself and her colleagues, she founded her own dancewear line, pretty, fancy, in 2008. Today, her creations are worn by amateur and professional dancers throughout Canada and in growing numbers internationally.

Ms. Dowson has designed and built costumes for Guillaume Côté's Body of Work and Dance Me To The End of Love which were performed at The National Ballet of Canada's MAD HOT BALLET gala in 2014 and at the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur. Other costume creations include a commission for Robert Binet's choreography for YOU dance, as well as independent performance pieces such as Robert Stephen’s In the Cantina, presented as part of Ontario Dance Weekend and Jacob Niedzwiecki’s Bravo!FACT Chorus and the Ring. Her creation for The Tutu Project fundraiser was featured at Toronto's Design Exchange.

Originally from Simcoe, Ontario, Ms. Dowson trained at Canada's National Ballet School and, after completing a two year apprenticeship at The National Ballet of Canada, was a member of the Corps de Ballet from 2002 to 2014.

David Finn Lighting Designer, Being and Nothingness

Lighting Designer David Finn’s previous work for The National Ballet of Canada includes The Four Seasons, Firebird and Terra Firma, all by James Kudelka. Dance work includes The Nutcracker and Cinderella (Birmingham Royal Ballet), Romeo & Juliette for Sasha Waltz (Paris Opéra Ballet, Teatro alla Scala and Deutches Oper Berlin), Swan Lake (Bayerisches Staatsballett) and works for renowned choreographers such as Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Merce Cunningham, José Limón, Helgi Tomasson, Liam Scarlett, Ashley Page and Dana Reitz, as well as for leading international companies. Mr. Finn was the Resident Lighting Designer for Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project from 1993 to 2000.

Mr. Finn’s opera work includes projects for the Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Opera, Paris Opéra, Teatro alla Scala, Salzburg Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, La Monnaie (Brussels), Opéra de Lyon, Opera Communale (Florence), Het Muziektheater (Amsterdam), Oper Stuttgart, Opera Australia, Santa Fe Opera, Canadian Opera Company and San Francisco Opera.

For film, Mr. Finn’s work includes stage lighting for Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence and was the producer/director of the PBS documentary The Green Monster. Mr. Finn has designed two shows for Cirque du Soleil: Zed in Tokyo and Michael Jackson ONE in Las Vegas. Future plans include Hansel and Gretel for Het Muziektheater, Waiting for Godot for the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montréal and The Marriage of Figaro for Opera Australia.