1 Alberta Ballet CANADA ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JEAN GRAND-MAÎTRE
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18/19 ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JEAN GRAND-MAÎTRE Company Artists Hayna Gutierrez & Garrett Groat, Photo by Paul McGrath Alberta Ballet CANADA 1 2018—2019 SEASON 2018—2019 DEAR DANCE LOVERS, OUR 52ND SEASON IS SO RICH with ideas, contrasts and artistic daring, it may very well go down in history as one of our most memorable. Join us as we invite the very finest dancers, composers, singer-songwriters, designers and filmmakers from across the country on our exciting and inspiring journey. For our upcoming yearlong celebration of dance, Alberta Ballet is proud to have concocted what is arguably the richest convergence of Canadian artistry 2018—2019 SEASON 2018—2019 ever gathered in one season. A season book-ended with acclaimed tributes to two of Canada’s greatest music legends, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, is any artistic director’s dream come true. We’ll also stage the titanic and lavish world premiere of the most celebrated classical ballet of all time, The Sleeping Beauty, and Thomas. Heather and Groat Garrett Artists Company the comedic genius of William Shakespeare. And of course, we’re pleased to host two of Canada’s hottest Jean globe trotting sensations on our stage: Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal and Ballet BC. The season is a terpsichorean feast unlike no other. These captivating presentations will offer something Grand-Maître for everyone in abundance. From great classical ballets for the entire family – including a special 10th anniversary edition of our much loved The Nutcracker “A season of legends, – to the very best of the avant guard. Our stage will explode in a maelstrom of electrifying dreamweavers, sprites and enchanting magic, gathering artistic mavericks from across the nation. Artistic Director, Jean Grand-MaÎtre and Joni Mitchell Joni and Grand-MaÎtre Jean Director, Artistic and poets.” I look forward to sharing this season of legends with you! ALBERTA BALLET ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, JEAN GRAND-MAÎTRE Photo by Paul McGrath Paul by Photo 2 Alberta Ballet CANADA Alberta Ballet CANADA 3 2018—2019 SEASON 2018—2019 IN A BEAUTIFUL MERGING OF CANADIAN DANCE AND MUSICAL talent, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal honours one of Canada’s most influential literary and musical giants, the late singer- Caldéron & Yosmell Baker Brandi Artists Company songwriter, Leonard Cohen. Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal explores Cohen’s prolific body of work and interprets it in an unforgettably vibrant homage to the legendary artist. Inspired by his inimitable music and poetic insights into the human experience, renowned choreographers Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Andonis Foniadakis and Ihsan Rustem 2018—2019 SEASON 2018—2019 borrow a selection of Cohen’s most beloved songs to create a spectacular new multimedia work commissioned especially by Alberta Ballet presents Louis Robitaille, Artistic Director of BJM. Dance Me will evoke in “five seasons” the grand cycles of Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal in existence, as described in Cohen’s music and poems. Witness three choreographers’ distinctive styles and personalities effortlessly complement each other in a way that reminds Mitchell & Benjamin Kraeling Kennedy Artists Company all that art is always open for interpretation, and colliding viewpoints is part of the process. Leonard Cohen’s BJM has been granted exclusive dance rights for five years by the Cohen estate, and by Sony ATV Music Publishing, Sony Music Entertainment Canada and Old Ideas LLC to perform this work. Savour the highly-anticipated Alberta premiere before the production leaves on world tour. Dance Me is a rare opportunity to see this singular depiction of one of our country’s most influential poets and composers in a maelstrom of sensuous kinetic performance. Dance Me CHOREOGRAPHY Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Andonis Foniadakis, Ihsan Rustem Company Artists Izabela Szylinska & Jeremy Coachman & Jeremy Szylinska Izabela Artists Company Company Artists Céline Cassone & Company Artists. All Photos by Marc Montplaisir Marc by Photos All Artists. & Company Cassone Céline Artists Company MUSIC Leonard Cohen PERFORMANCES Calgary Sep 20-22 (incl. Sat matinée) Edmonton Sep 28-29 4 Alberta Ballet CANADA Alberta Ballet CANADA 5 2018—2019 SEASON 2018—2019 A BRAND-NEW SPIN ON THIS TIMELESS CLASSIC. Experience the world premiere of Christopher Anderson’s Company Artist: Hayna Gutierrez. Photo Paul McGrath Paul Photo Gutierrez. Hayna Artist: Company retelling of The Sleeping Beauty, with a decidedly western Canadian sensibility. Inspired by Tchaikovsky’s noble score, Anderson’s grand interpretation of this most famous fairy tale will transport all to the kingdom that slept 100 years. Cursed by a wicked fairy, the newborn Princess Aurora 2018—2019 SEASON 2018—2019 is fated to die from a prick to her finger on her sixteenth birthday. A good fairy intervenes to alter the wicked fairy’s tragic spell: instead of dying, Princess Aurora, and her entire kingdom, will fall into a deep sleep. Only true love’s kiss will unleash the power to awaken her and the rest of her kingdom. This pinnacle of classical dance is heralded as ballet’s most sumptuous and artistically exacting masterpiece. Both the regal visual splendor and Tchaikovsky’s monumental score will McGrath Paul Photo Gutierrez. Hayna Artist: Company enchant the entire family. Christopher Anderson’s singular interpretation substitutes the fairy tale’s usual European setting with awe-inspiring Alberta Ballet in landscapes of the Canadian Rockies. Audiences will thrill at the grandeur of this breathtaking event. Experience an epic production whose great classicism is now infused with a majestic local aesthetic and great Albertan The pride. STAGING AND ADDITIONAL CHOREOGRAPHY Christopher Anderson, inspired by Marius Petipa MUSIC Sleeping Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky McGrath Paul Photo: Thomas. Heather Artist: Company PERFORMANCES Beauty A new family ballet Calgary Oct 24-27 (incl. Sat matinée) Edmonton Nov 1-3 (incl. Sat matinée) Company Artist Hayna Gutierrez. All photos by Paul McGrath 6 Alberta Ballet CANADA Alberta Ballet CANADA 7 2018—2019 SEASON 2018—2019 ACCLAIMED AS ONE OF CANADA’S FINEST RENDERINGS AND celebrated as a delightfully traditional depiction, Edmund Alberta Ballet in Stripe’s The Nutcracker celebrates its 10th anniversary this season. Opulent and historically authentic, this magical turn-of-the- The century retelling of E.T.A. Hoffman’s famous tale is transposed to Imperialist Russia’s majestic era, when French fashion was in Sasaki Luna Artist Company vogue and Tchaikovsky composed his timeless masterpiece. 2018—2019 SEASON 2018—2019 The Nutcracker features a cast of more than 120 performers. With equally sumptuous sets and costumes designed by Emmy Nutcracker Award winner Zack Brown, Alberta Ballet’s incomparable Featuring live music with the Edmonton Symphony The Nutcracker offers your entire family a festive and Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra glittering evening. Alberta Ballet will commemorate this production’s 10th anniversary with a special edition that includes guest cameos and new choreographic elements. Alberta Ballet’s holiday tradition of The Nutcracker will shine brighter than ever in 2018! CHOREOGRAPHY Edmund Stripe MUSIC Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky CONDUCTOR Peter Dala All photos by Paul McGrath Paul by photos All PERFORMANCES Edmonton Dec 6-9 (incl. Sat & Sun matinées) Calgary Dec 14-16, 20-24 8 Alberta Ballet CANADA (incl. Sat & Sun matinées) Alberta Ballet CANADA 9 2018—2019 SEASON 2018—2019 REDISCOVER BALLET BC IN ITS TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO THE JUBILEE stage after a 10-year hiatus, showcasing premiere Canadian talent in this tantalizing triple bill. Artists of Ballet BC in Solo Echo. Photo by Michael Slobodian Michael by Photo Echo. Solo BC in Ballet of Artists Alberta Ballet presents With its fresh take on a traditional art form, brilliantly fusing ballet and modern dance, the company’s provocative choreography has exploded onto the world stage to great acclaim. Ballet BC’s Artistic Director, Emily Molnar C.M., has been hailed one of Canada’s “new generation of ballet sensations”, as she has steered the company into a golden era of innovation and collaboration since 2009. 2018—2019 SEASON 2018—2019 Program consists of: Ballet BC SOLO ECHO CHOREOGRAPHY: Crystal Pite A tantalizing triple bill MUSIC: Johannes Brahms Inspired by two Brahms sonatas for cello and piano, creative personal touchstones for the artist throughout her career, and the poem “Lines for Winter” by Mark Strand, Crystal Pite continues her lifelong artistic exploration of tension and its resolution. Solo Echo Slobodian Michael by Photo Cérémonie. Petite BC in Ballet of Artists moves from aggression to yearning, from the individual to the collective, travelling the pathways from conflict to acceptance. ENEMY IN THE FIGURE CHOREOGRAPHY: William Forsythe MUSIC: Thom Willems Enemy in the Figure is a dark and thrilling poem about vision and perception, form and chaos. Light—as integral to the performance as its choreography—intensifies the ephemeral beauty of the movement. In a universe alternately frenetic and calm, Enemy in the Figure presents a non-narrative of mystery and urgency, isolation and connection, the mechanical and the human: dance as a medium for infinite possibilities. A new experience for even the most seasoned patrons, Ballet BC’s exalted and exquisite dancers will shatter your assumptions of what ballet can be. PETITE CÉRÉMONIE Slobodian Michael by Photo Cérémonie Petite BC in Ballet of Artists Artists of Ballet BC in Solo Echo. Photo by Wendy D Wendy by Photo Echo. Solo BC in Ballet of Artists CHOREOGRAPHY: Medhi Walerski MUSIC: Selections by Mozart, Puccini, Rogers & Hart and Vivaldi Originally choreographed for Ballet BC in 2011, this work is a powerful and poetic full- company piece created by rising European dance star, Medhi Walerski. Intrigued by the idea of “life in a box”, Petite Cérémonie is a surprising and delightful mix of dance and theatre, full of imagery and adventure. PERFORMANCES Calgary Jan 18-19 (incl. Sat matinée) Edmonton Jan 22-23 10 Alberta Ballet CANADA Alberta Ballet CANADA 11 2018—2019 SEASON 2018—2019 Company Artists Reilley McKinlay and Kelley McKinlay.