First Steps CHOREOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

20 MARCH 22-25 & 27, 2021 21 DIGITAL PERFORMANCE SEASON First Steps CHOREOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

PHOTO RWB SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DIVISION STUDENTS, BY LEIF NORMAN

CANADA’S ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET SCHOOL 380 GRAHAM AVE. | WPG, MB | R3C 4K2 T 204.956.0183 E [email protected] W RWB.ORG/SCHOOL @RWBSCHOOL Welcome

To choreographers and dancers, I would like to express my deep admiration. I had the wonderful opportunity to work with you closely this season, and to watch you express your artistic voice. You all did so with great authenticity and care. Your resilience has been a source of inspiration for me throughout the season. You managed to rise above the many challenges we collectively faced, and to remain focused on creating this amazing show. I thank you for allowing me to be a part of your process and I am proud of all of you. To all viewers, I know you will feel the voice of these artists through your screen. I encourage you to cheer them on with me as we watch and enjoy their wonderful work. To all the staff who made this production possible, thank you for making First Steps a success again this year.

Philippe Larouche First Steps Artistic Coordinator

About the RWB School Professional Division

Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division is well-known across the country and around the world for delivering excellence in dance education. Our state-of- the-art facility, located in the heart of historic downtown Winnipeg, is home to between 90 and 110 students enrolled annually in our full-time programs. We provide classical ballet training based on the Russian system and supported with a full program of studies in complementary dance forms, health, wellness, and life skills. Our approach produces artists who have the versatility to perform and teach a wide variety of dance styles and can enjoy long and fulfilling careers; it also produces responsible young adults who are well-rounded, creative, and who possess a strong work ethic and leadership skills. The connection to the RWB Company and exposure to the Company’s artistic staff are among the RWB School’s many competitive advantages. Alumni have gone on to exciting careers in all facets of the dance industry and currently make up 70% of the RWB Company and over half of the RWB School’s artistic faculty.

Land and Water Acknowledgment

We are grateful to practice our art on Treaty One land, the traditional territory of the Anishi- naabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation. We acknowledge that our water is sourced from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation. We stand with the indigenous community and commit to build an ongoing process of reconciliation and collaboration.

2 ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DIVISION Repertoire & Casting

Impact

CHOREOGRAPHER Myles Mackesy MUSIC Eureka Pulse COMPOSER Neil Cowley DANCERS Emma Curtis, Julia Hockey, Taisi Tollasepp This piece is about the power of women’s voices and actions, especially when they are heard and amplified by other women. More and more voices today are being heard, making an impact on the current issues around the world that require us to reflect and be part of the greater change.

Letting Go

CHOREOGRAPHER Camilla Hood MUSIC Arrival of the Birds, Transformation COMPOSER The Cinematic Orchestra DANCERS Olivia Koppanyi, Aidan Vaudreill This piece is about accepting the events from the past and learning to grow, move forward and understand when it is time to let go and find something better.

My Clique, Your Clique

CHOREOGRAPHER Grade 9 class, guided by Philippe Larouche MUSIC Project Cybersyn COMPOSER Ross from Friends DANCERS Morgan Dunham, Anne Forman, Paige Irwin, Evelyn Little, Sophie Richardson, Saneatsu Abe, Logan Shaw, Mia Zaborski A piece choreographed by the Level 4 class of the Professional Division, a unique opportunity to work through the creative process of a piece from start to finish.

Bird Set Free

CHOREOGRAPHER Niki Powell MUSIC Bird Set Free COMPOSER Sia DANCERS Katrina Oulette, Niki Powell

The depiction of someone struggling with the external and internal pressures that coerce people into becoming someone they are not; someone who is being controlled by these pressures and building strength to break free.

FIRST STEPS 3 Repertoire & Casting

Arrhythmia

CHOREOGRAPHER Lauren Voros MUSIC Heartbeat COMPOSER BiteStar DANCERS William Hrivnak Arrhythmia is a tribute to the amazing cardiac care teams and surgeon who supported Lauren on her journey with congenital heart disorder, which resulted in a lifechanging journey. This piece depicts the resiliency to overcome adversity and continue to strive to fulfill our dreams.

Obelius

CHOREOGRAPHER Emma Duncan MUSIC Your Hands are Cold, Recomposed COMPOSER Dario Marianelli, Max Richter DANCERS Irene Blanc-Zoco, Genevieve Galea, Julianna Generoux, Rachel Gibbs, Lauren Saunders, Kyra Soo, Maggie Weatherdon A piece which incorporates elements of both contemporary and neoclassical ballet to convey how even in dark times your strength and perseverance will always push you towards something greater.

Hard Knock Life

CHOREOGRAPHER Dakotah Tolchard MUSIC Hard Knock Life COMPOSER Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin DANCERS Sasha Domracheva, Priscilla Gubiotti, Julia Hockey, Olivia Kowalchuk, Akira Thornton, Dakotah Tolchard, Hannah Trickett, Elisha Woo, Nathaniel Ritter-Magot A jazzy number that brings fun, excitement and a strong sense of power to the audience.

Statue

CHOREOGRAPHER William Hrivnak MUSIC Consolations, S. 172: No 3 in D-Flat Major & Lento Placido COMPOSER Franz Liszt DANCERS Felix Jenga A contemporary piece about a statue that comes to life each and every night knowing that he will soon disappear in the morning.

4 ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DIVISION Repertoire & Casting

Infânçia

CHOREOGRAPHER Priscilla Gubiotti MUSIC A Brisa do Mar, Infância COMPOSER Estanislau Gubiotti DANCERS Olivia Kowalchuk, Destiny Malloy, Tess Pepetone, Hannah Trickett A neoclassical piece which reminisces around childhood memories and the longing for the freedom that comes with it. The music is written and composed by the choreographer’s father and is inspired by the breeze of the ocean in Brazil, growing up in Brazil and missing home.

Timeline

CHOREOGRAPHER Julianne Chartier MUSIC Windowpane COMPOSER Mild High Club DANCERS Maggie Weatherdon Time is an inescapable force which we fight but ultimately succumb to.

Imperium

CHOREOGRAPHER Genevieve Galea and Maggie Weatherdon MUSIC The Waves, Domestic Pressures, Orlando Transformation COMPOSER Max Richer & Johann Johannsson DANCERS Irene Blanc-Zoco, Julianna Generoux, Rachel Gibbs, Kyra Soo, Hannah Wiedle, Logan Savard The battle between oneself and one’s mind, representing the severity of mental illness and the control it has over someone’s life. This piece gives hope that life will go on and get better as one battles their demons.

FIRST STEPS 5 Student Choreographers

Myles Mackesy STONEY CREEK, ON – LEVEL 7 In the beginning, the intention was to create a piece that highlights the versatility of a dancer, specifically female dancers and how they all work together to create something powerful and meaningful. As Myles began creating his direction needed to shift to accommodate regulations around the pandemic, specifically dancers unable to touch and remain physically distanced.

Myles enjoys choreographing and improvising on his own time. First Steps is the perfect opportunity to develop his ideas with other dancers and show- case it to a larger audience. As a choreographer he understands he is in control of how the piece looks, as a dancer you are almost like the choreographer’s puppet, trying to project their vision. In both roles, you work together to decide what is best, but at the end of the day, it is the choreographer’s vision.

The challenging aspect for Myles is working with his friends to bring his vision to life, as a choreographer, he has a vision, but if it doesn’t look the way he wants, it is difficult to correct your peers. As part of his vision, the costumes are designed to give the dancers a powerful demeanor that features the intricacies of the piece and the lighting showcases the intensity.

Camilla Hood BRANDON, MANITOBA – LEVEL 7 Camilla was inspired by the music and when the song came to a close, she felt as though it had taken her on an emotional journey and wanted to create movement to accompany the song. As she worked with her dancers the movement became more specific and they focused on emotions and feelings and the inspiration continued to grow.

The idea of creating something with her peers and challenging herself to learn something new drew Camilla to participate in First Steps as a choreographer. The creative process and learning how to talk, teach and maintain physical distancing was difficult to overcome, but in the end, it all came together beautifully.

Camilla found costumes and lighting that helped complete the piece with a cool lightness that allows you to feel as though you are flowing through water. She was most surprised to find how long it takes to get a piece to a finished state; however, all those tweaks and details helped pull the story together.

6 ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DIVISION Student Choreographers

Niki Powell WINNIPEG, MANITOBA – LEVEL 5 Niki is inspired by the strength of individual identity. For her debut as a choreographer, she used movement to show how people can overcome the fears, insecurities and bullies that belittle others into someone they are not. She allowed the importance to embrace what makes each person themselves to drive her creative process.

Niki enjoys improvisation, creating movement and portraying her own stories through dance to an audience. As a dancer in her own piece, she experienced both sides of the creative process, which brought clarity to moments when the choreography was too awkward or intense. For Niki, the music supported the creation process and matched a contemporary/ lyrical discipline, with lighting to highlight the most significant moments and the colours of her costumes.

Lauren Voros KELOWNA, BC – LEVEL 7 Lauren is grateful to be able to be back in Winnipeg as she rebuilds and re- strengthens her ability to dance and bring joy to audiences, especially during these restrictive times.

She realizes that as a choreographer, she must learn to stand confidently at the front of the room and be able to express all the thoughts, ideas, and emotions and share them clearly so dancers can bring that vision to life for the audience.

Coming back after heart surgery, Lauren had restricted movement, and required a lot of collaboration between herself and her dancers to finish the choreography. She is forever grateful for their willingness to work together to see this piece through to its end.

FIRST STEPS 7 Student Choreographers

Emma Duncan DENVER, COLORADO - ASPIRANT Emma was inspired by the ability to come together and work with her peers during such tumultuous times. The title Obelius translates to “pillar of strength” in Greek. To Emma, dance is a pillar of strength that helps her push through the tough times. “I am amazed with how hard everyone is working; it’s so rewarding to collaborate with my friends and work towards creating something that represents our emotions.” Instead of choosing one specific dance discipline, Emma chose to combine two styles of dance to create contrast within her piece. The first half is very grounded and flowey contemporary. Whereas, the second half is quick and light ballet based pointe work. As a second-year choreographer of First Steps, Emma wanted to grow and push herself to create something new while applying what she learned from her previous experience.

Emma decided to use lighting that shifts through color pallets to help develop the emotion of the piece. The start is very slow and dreary, she amplified this by choosing cool tones for lighting. The blue hues create a dark, despondent presence that sets the stage for the opening section. As the piece unfolds, it transitions to a more uplifting and bright style with orange and pink tones to reflect the progression in mood. The shift of the lighting color pallets mirrors the evolving tone of the piece. She chose a more simplistic aesthetic for the costumes in order to accent the dancers movement.

Dakotah Tolchard EDMONTON, ALBERTA - LEVEL 6 Dakotah’s inspiration for her piece comes from her childhood days of performing musical theatre and wanting to create something that was a bit more out of the box and a lot of fun for the dancers and the audience.

She decided to work with the discipline of jazz, which allows her to tell the story better than any other discipline. Dakotah has wanted to choreograph since she was little and is extremely grateful to have to the opportunity to select music, work with her peers, select costumes and lighting to create a piece that will delight all ages. She was challenged most by the condensed timeline before filming the performance and getting over creative roadblocks when finishing the piece.

8 ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DIVISION Student Choreographers

William Hrivnak TORONTO, ON – LEVEL 7 After last year’s First Steps experience, William Hrivnak’s mind was opened to a new path that he continues to explore. He fell in love with choreography and is inspired to continue to create contemporary pieces.

The challenge this year was pulling together a story and then sticking to his creative instincts while in the studio. Throughout all the rehearsals and work- shops, the respect and joy for dance and choreography continued to grow.

The costumes represent the plain limestone Greek statues and the lighting he chose creates a warm melancholy colour to accent the movement and the music.

Priscilla Gubiotti ABBOTSFORD, BC – LEVEL 7

I was inspired by my second piece of music. Both A Brisa do Mar and Infância, were composed by my dad. In Infância, my dad is singing about growing up in Brazil and missing childhood, so I took inspiration from that in creating a piece with the feeling of both remembering childhood, and longing for the freedom that comes with it. As both a dancer and choreographer in First Steps this year, Priscilla has had the opportunity to experience both sides of the creative process. One of the biggest challenges was coming up with new choreography, she found herself going back to familiar steps and concentrated on breaking those loops to create a more diverse piece.

At first, Priscilla worried about choreographing with consideration to physical distancing, but in the end it was not as difficult as expected. Her piece focuses on the dancers and features costumes with only a bit of movement and basic lighting. It is obvious the music and the movement were the focus of this piece.

FIRST STEPS 9 Student Choreographers

Julianne Chartier STE. ANNE, MB – ASPIRANT The idea that time is an inescapable force that drives us regardless of all else was Julianne’s inspiration for her First Steps piece. She had an idea that she wanted to explore through contemporary movement She chose to explore this idea because of the freedom it gives when creating.

When considering the differences in roles, Julianne understands that as a choreographer, she has limitless creative freedom, but as a dancer you are a vessel of another’s vision. Although both roles hold challenges, she believes making sure the artistic vision is understood the way she intends is the most difficult component to choreographing.

Julianne carefully considered the other elements in her creative process including costumes and lighting. This historic tone of the costume provides structure and clean lines which echoes the strong and restrictive nature of time. The light collar of the shirt evokes the suffocating feeling the dancer experiences as she tries to break free from the relentless force that is time.

Her lighting choices reflect the tone and create contrast within the piece. It starts off cool to illustrate the cold and harsh nature of time counting on and then grows warmer to mirror the dancer’s struggle as she fights the inevitable force that is time.

Genevieve Galea & Maggie Weatherdon TORONTO, ON – ASPIRANTS

Genevieve and Maggie worked together to share one of the most challenging stories in dancers lives, the one where you turn into your own worst enemy due to subconscious self-deprecation and the battle to overcome those thoughts.

As their debut to the First Steps choreographic process, they approached it with preparation and anticipation of a new challenge.

They chose contemporary movement to allow for versatility when portraying a concept and were challenged to use their time wisely and carefully, and frequently considered how their piece would be interpreted by the audience. When working with costumes they chose something that reflects the ev- eryday individual and the lighting contributes to the mood of the piece by reflecting the inner workings of the mind.

10 ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DIVISION Juror Biographies

Yayoi Ban First Soloist, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Yayoi Ban (Ezawa) trained at Rei Classical Ballet Institute, under Reiko Togas- hi, and Momoko Tani Ballet before joining the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division in 2001. After completing two years in the Aspirant Program, she joined the Company as an Apprentice in 2005. Yayoi was most recently promoted to Soloist in 2014.

Ban’s roles include lead Russian Girl in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Giselle in Giselle, Nancy in Val Caniparoli’s A Cinderella Story, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Great Great Grand- mother Irene in Twyla Tharp’s The Princess & The Goblin, Clara and Sugar Plum Fairy in Nutcracker, Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty and as part of the RWB Company in The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude. She has also performed in Romeo + Juliet, Dracula, Swan Lake, Jorden Morris’ Peter Pan, as well as contemporary works such as Mark Godden’s Angels in the Architecture and As Above, So Below, Itzik Galili’s Hikarizatto, Mauricio Wainrot’s The Messiah and Carmina Burana, and Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco.

In 2011, Ban performed Peter Quanz’s In Tandem at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and in 2012 she performed in Yosuke Mino’s Kevät as part of Q Dance.

Lisa Bell Actor & Singer

As a versatile and accomplished vocalist and actress, Lisa has had the opportunity to perform for audiences across Canada through professional film and theatrical productions . Most recently starring in her first silver screen musical movie debut in “Stand” Lisa has recently been nominated for an Actra award for best outstanding female performance in a feature film . Her powerful rendition as the featured vocalist for the movie’s theme song can be now be seen on VEVO.

Other credits include: Falcon Beach(CTV), Hairspray (Mirvish), Crowns (RMCT), Rent (Rainbow Stage), Avenue Q ( WJT), Marry Poppins (Rainbow Stage) , Little Shop of Horrors (Rainbow Stage).

FIRST STEPS 11 Juror Biographies

Thomas Morgan Jones Artistic Director, Prairie Theatre Exchange

Thomas has worked across Canada and internationally as a director, playwright, dramaturg, instructor, and movement coach. His productions have received eleven Dora Mavor Moore Awards and eight nominations; he received the 2011 Dora Mavor Moore Guthrie (Stratford Festival), and has been nominated for the Pauline McGibbon Award and twice for the John Hirsch Award (2008 & 2011).

He has collaborated with companies including: Theatre Direct, The Stratford Festival, Theatre Passe Muraille, Cahoots Theatre Company, Theatre Rusticle, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Carousel Players, Modern Times Stage Company, Project Humanity, Young People’s Theatre, The Magnetic North Theatre Festival, The CULTCH, The Charlottetown Festival, Cia Enviezada (Brazil) and many others.

As an educator he has taught with the Stratford Festival’s Birmingham Conservatory for six seasons, as well as Sheridan College, the University of Guelph, the University of Guelph-Humber, The Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, The Playwrights Guild of Canada, The Paprika Festival, Theatre Rusticle’s Gym, Theatre Direct, The Charlottetown Festival, Cahoots Theatre Company and many other professional companies in addition to elementary and secondary schools.

An active advocate for theatre in Canada he has sat on Theatre Ontario’s YTTP jury, The Dora Mavor Moore Award jury, The Playwrights Guild of Canada contract committee and the Toronto Fringe 24 Hour Playwright Competition jury.

He holds a B.A. from the University of Guelph, an M.A. from the University of Toronto, and has trained with SITI Company in NYC, Madrid, Paris and Fredericton, and The Suzuki Company of Toga (SCOT) in Toga (Japan), Milan and Fredericton.

He is a former playwright in residence with Shakespeare in Action and Cahoots Theatre, artist/educator in residence with Young People’s Theatre, associate artist and associate artistic director with Theatre Direct, and artistic director of Theatre New Brunswick.

12 ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DIVISION Juror Biographies

Nicole Kepp Recreational Division Principal, RWB School

Since 2002, Nicole Kepp has played an integral part in Canada’s Royal Win- nipeg Ballet School, both as a teacher in the Recreational and Professional Divisions and as Principal of the Recreational Division (since 2016). During her time with the school she has brought her own personal flair and enthu- siasm to each ballet, creative movement and jazz class, and has inspired her students to go on to careers as both teachers and professional artists.

Ms Kepp received her early training with Dancestreams Youth Company and then went on to graduate from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program. She currently holds her Licentiate qualifications through the Cecchetti Canada, and in 2009 she completed her Advanced 2 majors xame - ination through the Cecchetti Society of Canada under the guidance Suzanne Plante. Ms Kepp is also a certified ADAPT (Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers) teacher.

Ms Kepp was a member of the Manitoba committee for Cecchetti Canada for 10 years, 7 of them as provincial representative. Currently, she sits as an active member of the Festival committee for Dance Manitoba.

Joshua Ranville Performer

Josh was introduced to the Winnipeg arts community when he auditioned for his first play at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People (MTYP) at the age of eleven. He landed a part and he played a young residential school student in “The Rememberer” in 1997 in a cast with Tina Keeper. He then caught the performing bug and he has been a working actor ever since. He took a 3 year Theatre Practicum in Vancouver, BC. His movement credits include “Hamlet As Told on the Streets” with One Trunk Theatre at the 2012 Winnipeg Fringe Festival, a thirty minute hip hop rap dance version of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, and “Rich” at MTYP for which he was in the chorus and he was commissioned to learn how to skateboard. He really enjoys working on choreography!

Josh is also a talented musician having played in live performances with Juno award winning bands such as uncle Errol Ranville‘s the “C-Weed” band, and also “Burnt Project 1”. Most recently, Josh had some really engaging discussions about reconciliation with the students of RWB via a livestream drama performance which was put on by Sarasvàti Productions. Josh is absolutely excited to take part in some more work and development in the Winnipeg arts scene with the First Steps Students.

FIRST STEPS 13 Awards All awards will be presented at the Final Performance and Awards Ceremony on March 27 at 7:30pm.

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet People’s Choice: School Award Safe at Home MB Award Awarded to the choreographer whose work Awarded to the choreographer whose work best reflects the artistic style and spirit of is voted most popular by the audience. the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Selected by artistic faculty. The Doreen Macdonald Scholarship 1st, 2nd & 3rd Place Awards Awarded to the choreographer showing Awarded to the choreographers whose considerable talent and interest in design. works best demonstrate originality and Selected by the RWB wardrobe department. promise. Selected by First Steps jurors. The Paddy Stone Scholarship The Jacqueline Weber Award Awarded to the best work in the jazz, tap for Classical Choreography or musical theatre genre. Selected by First Awarded to the choreographer who is the Steps jurors. most successful in creating a work within the realm of classical ballet. Selected by First Steps jurors.

People of the RWB

COMPANY ARTISTIC COMPANY ADMINISTRATION Artistic Director & CEO...... André Lewis Company Managing Director...... David Warburton Associate Artistic Director...... Tara Birtwhistle Company Manager...... Isabelle Ly Senior Ballet Master...... Johnny W. Chang Ballet Masters...... Caroline Gruber, Vanessa Léonard, Jaime Vargas SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION Assistant to the Artistic Staff...... Judy Arnason School Managing Director...... Kate Fennell Program Support Manager...... Lindsay McKnight SCHOOL ARTISTIC School Office Manager...... Karin Krueger School Director...... Stéphane Léonard Recreational Division Registrar...... Jessica Jamieson Professional Division Principal...... Suzanne André Professional Division Registrar...... Taylor Wickens Teacher Training Program Director...... Johanné Gingras School Receptionist...... Melanie Saunders Recreational Division Principal...... Nicole Kepp School Office Assistants...... Sydney Barber, Sydney Mangilit Recreational Division Vice Principal...... Katrin Benedictson Rikke Mcfeetots, Vanessa Vertz Principal Pianist...... Donna Laube School Production and Event Coordinator...... Carolin Schroeder School Administrator...... Sarah Davey ADMINISTRATION Director of Finance & Administration...... Edward Esguerra MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Accounting Manager...... Debbie Wallin Director of Marketing & Communications ...... Jocelyn Unrau Payroll Coordinator...... Deneen Swartz Multimedia Communications Coordinator...... Ryan Rogocki Accounts Payable...... Alison Chaboyer Public Relations & Communications Coordinator...... Dustin Rodgers Director of People Services...... Kara Neilson Graphic Designer...... Nicole Regnier People Services Administrator...... Meghan Thiessen Archivist...... Gayle DeGagne Interim Support Coordinator...... Michele Kern

14 ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DIVISION DEVELOPMENT Activity Worker...... Cleighden Butler Director of Development...... Kristine Betker Genevieve Galea, Emilie Lewis Corporate Partnerships Manager...... Patricia Guenther-Smith Food Services Manager...... Georgia Louki Donor Relations Officer...... Madison Harding Cook...... Wayne Aastrom, Kristine Schneider Stewardship Officer...... Briar Boyko Kitchen Assistant ...... Julia Hockey, Hallee Holmlund Development Coordinator...... Pattie Kirkikis William Hrivnak, Myles Mackesay, Madison Priebe, Logan Savard Brooke Thomas, Irene Blanc Zoco CUSTOMER SERVICE Cleaners...... Amela Nukic, Julie Prystupa Box Office & Customer Service Manager...... Cort Schroder Customer Service Representatives...... Nicole Dupas MEDICAL SUPPORT TEAM Anastasia Iurovski, Kirsten Kruse, Margaret Kahler Medical services provided by ...... Pan Am Clinic Wes Rambo, Shanyn Thorarinson Physiotherapy service provided by...... Lifemark Health Medical Department...... Dr. Brian Lukie, B.Sc., MD, FACILITIES Dr. Deborah Hill, MDCM FRCPC Dip Sport Med Facilities Manager...... Marc Dela Torre Physiotherapists...... Lexie Flynn, Maintenance Assistant...... John Kaminski Katie Zwingerman, B.M.R. (P.T.) Housekeeping...... Albert Caaya, Roy Canlas Massage Therapist...... Leanne Lawrie, R.M.T. Cyril Carolino, Jade Manov, JP Octavo, Ametehanes Ukubamarian Sports & Wellness Nutrition Consultant...... Helmar Vistal Marieke Breakey, B.Sc. (HNS), R.D. Performance Enhancement Consultant...... PRODUCTION Laura Ceccarelli, BA (Hons.), MA © Director of Production...... Justin Dowbiggin Technical Director...... Jef Ward MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Stage Manager...... Candace Jacobson Don Leitch...... Chair Head Carpenter...... Jacqueline Easton Jean Giguère, C.M...... Chair Emeritus Head of Properties...... Ryan Spracklin John Osler, Kirsten Albo, Bev Davies, Jim Eldridge, Head of Electrics...... Marc Gagnon Jessica Albrechtsen, Dwight MacAulay, Tara Snider, Tara Letwiniuk, Assistant Carpenter...... Paul McWhinney Rebecca Parkinson, Lorraine Yau Assistant Electrician...... Jarret Borodenko Head of Audio Video Services...... Bob Stewart HONORARY COUNCIL MEMBERS Head of Wardrobe...... Alena Zharska Sheldon Bowles, Dee Buchwald, Irena Cohen, James Cohen, Wardrobe Administrative Coordinator...... Heather Thorleifson Jim Eldridge, Jane Emslie, Ashleigh Everett, John F. Fraser, School Costume Coordinator...... Laura Elliott Susan Glass, CM, Jean Giguere, CM, Chair Emeritus, Richard Kroft, Shoe Assistant/Seamstress...... Diana Miller Don Leitch, The Hon Otto Lang, OC, Peter J. Macdonald, Head Seamstress...... Angela Gaft Marilyn Marshall, Ruth Matas, Jennifer Moncrieff, Stuart Murray, Seamstress/Seamsters ...... Noel De Leon Art Pearson, Kevin Regan, Arni Thorsteinson, Terrence Wright, QC Kristina Maitland, Irina Voronchikhina Junior cutter/Seamstress...... Emily Woodman PAST PRESIDENTS & CHAIRS OF THE BOARD Wardrobe Mistress...... Brenda Belmonte OF THE ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET Wardrobe Assistant...... Barry Malenko 1939 - 1943...... Gweneth Lloyd 1943 - 1944...... Mrs. C.S. Riley SCHOOL ARTISTIC FACULTY 1944 - 1945...... Mrs. W.H. Collum Matthew Armet, Eugene Baffoe, Toshiyuki Ban, Yayoi Ban 1945 - 1947...... Mrs. Harold D. Barbour Rodrigo Belifuss, Katie Bonnell, Aimee Brasko, Darilyn Burdeniuk 1947 - 1949...... Dr. H.S. Gillson Liam Caines, Sabine Chaland, Keri-lee Conly, Rachel Cooper 1949 - 1951...... Mrs. Douglas Edmond Jacqui Davidson, Martha De Ita, Jaimi Deleau, Erika Delponte 1951 - 1953...... John A. Russell Nicole Dufault, Anthony Ferens, Alexander Gamayunov 1953 - 1956...... Robert Kipp Karin Giesbrecht, Julie Gregorchuk, Elizabeth Hendricks 1956 - 1957...... F.N. McKenzie Kira Hofmann, Chelsea Humble, Kelly Jedlic, Laura Kolisnyk 1957 - 1961...... Miss Kathleen Richardson Lianne Kondziela, Gael Lambiotte, Philippe Larouche 1961 - 1962...... J.G. Scott Karyn Maertens, Alenna Mark, Claire Marshall, Alanna McAdie 1962 - 1965...... Dennis H. Carter Greg McGlenning, Magdalena McGregor, Yosuke Nishi 1965 - 1967...... Sol Kanee Nicole Owens, Radostina Panova-Torodova, Danielle Platford Emilia 1967 - 1970...... Mr. Justice R.J. Matas Radawetz, Gabriela Rehak, Sharlyne Santos 1970 - 1973...... Peter J. Macdonald Olivia Sarmiento, Cheyenne Schroeder, Marilee Schroeder 1973 - 1975...... John W. Graham Cheryl Scott, Marijka Stanowych, Debra Thiessen, Tracy Tomchuk 1975 - 1977...... Richard Kroft Rachelle Vermette, Jacqueline Weber, Kendra Woo 1977 - 1980...... John Condra 1980 - 1982...... Dr. Leon Rubin ACCOMPANISTS 1982 - 1984...... Mrs. Lynne Axworthy Arlene Baschak, Howard Chan, Timothy Church, Katie Erickson 1984 - 1986...... Mrs. Louise Soubry Trish Franklin, Irena Gendelman, Alina Havrylyuk, Ari Hooker 1986 - 1988...... Joseph J. Wilder, Q.C. Jolanta Janiszewska, Ian Mikita, Michelle Mourre, Dale Rogalsky 1988 - 1989...... Arthur Pearson Nina Rudakova, David Schneider, Jay Stoller, Miro Szarek 1989 - 1991...... Rod Zimmer David Troya Ospina, Viktoriya Yamchuk 1991 - 1992...... Diane Wolch 1992 - 1993...... John F. Fraser, OC RESIDENCE 1993 - 1995...... W. Terrance Wright Residence Manager...... Tali Sitschkar 1995 - 1998...... Susan J. Glass Student Care Counsellors...... Brianne Baigrie, Carol Hoydalo 1998 - 2000...... Sandra Foster Residence Advisor...... Alexandre Borger 2000 - 2001...... Justice Deborah McCawley Rory Ellis, Mary Elliott, Ashley Hall, Jace Hodges, Emielia Jersak 2001 - 2005...... Jean Giguère Tymin Keown, Yoshi Matsuo, Arielle McCaffrey, Amber Neufeld 2005 - 2007...... James Cohen Kathryn Olson, Bob Pleschke, Megan Priebe, Liam Reid 2007 - 2008...... Jean Giguère Ellen Stothers, Cass Taylor 2008 - 2010...... Charlene Rocke 2010 - 2011...... Dr. Glenn Feltham 2011 - 2012...... Martin Thibodeau 2012 - 2017...... David Reid

FIRST STEPS 15 16 ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DIVISION