Alberta Ballet | |
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General information | |
Name | Alberta Ballet |
Year founded | 1966 |
Founders | Ruth Carse and Muriel Taylor |
Location | Calgary |
Website | albertaballet |
Senior staff | |
Director | Francesco Ventriglia |
Artistic staff | |
Music Director | Peter Dala |
Other | |
Official school | Alberta Ballet School |
Alberta Ballet (also known as the Alberta Ballet Company) was founded by Muriel Taylor and Dr. Ruth Carse in 1958 and became a professional company in 1966. [1] [2] The company is a resident company of both the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, Alberta and the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Alberta and performs its full season in both venues.
Carse directed the company until 1975. [3] She was followed by Jeremy Leslie-Spinks (1975-1976), Brydon Paige (1976–1988), and Ali Pourfarrokh (1988–1998). During Pourfarrokh's tenure, in 1990, the company merged with the Calgary City Ballet and moved into the Nat Christie Centre in Calgary. Since then, it has performed in both Edmonton and Calgary.
Former San Francisco Ballet dancer Mikko Nissinen then directed the company until 2002. Nissinen introduced Balanchine works, while continuing to commission new works from Canadian and international choreographers. He toured the company to China, Finland, and Egypt. [3]
Jean Grand-Maître was then appointed as artistic director. In 2019 Christopher Anderson was appointed co-artistic director of the company alongside Grand-Maître. This was planned as part of a three year transition process leading to Anderson becoming full artistic director of the company for the 2022/2023 season.
In June 2023 it was announced that Christopher Anderson and Alberta Ballet had "decided to part ways”. [4] Anderson left the company in December of 2023.
Francesco Ventriglia has been director of the company since January 2024.
Artistic director Jean Grand-Maître has choreographed Carmen, which toured China, and Fiddle and the Drum, a collaboration with Joni Mitchell while at the Alberta Ballet. In the spring of 2010 the company built on its ballet and pop collaboration by staging an Elton John production named Elton: [5] Love Lies Bleeding. [6] Elton John reportedly was so moved by Fiddle and the Drum that he asked Alberta Ballet to produce a ballet for him.
Alberta Ballet was the first Canadian company to stage a ballet by Christopher Wheeldon of the New York City Ballet. Wheeldon choreographed A Midsummer Night's Dream with the company. It also commissioned two pieces from Jorma Elo, of the Boston Ballet.
Canadian choreographer Sabrina Matthews has created pieces the company as well.
The season included performances of the glam-rock ballet Love Lies Bleeding , featuring principal dancer Yukichi Hattori in the role of Elton John. [7]
The 2016–2017 season featuring Alberta Ballet company dancers included Dracula, The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, and the World Premiere of Our Canada, a new creation in collaboration with Gordon Lightfoot. Dracula was on-loan from Texas Ballet Theater and choreographed by their artistic director, Ben Stevenson (dancer).
Guest company performances included Shadowland (performed by Pilobolus), a mixed bill from dance company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, and Life (performed by BalletBoyz). [8]
Dancers of Alberta Ballet (2024/25): [9]
Name | Nationality | Ranking |
---|---|---|
Alan Ma | China | Principal Dancer |
Luna Sasaki | Japan | Principal Dancer |
Mariko Kondo | Japan | Principal Dancer |
Aaron Anker | United States | Principal Dancer |
Alexandra Hughes | United States | Principal Dancer |
Caleb Durbin | Australia | Soloist Dancer |
Jolie Rose Lombardo | United States | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Zachary Boresow | United States | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Scotto Hamed-Ramos | United States | Soloist Dancer |
Alyssa Churchill | Canada | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Zara Bailey | Australia | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Tess Browning | Canada | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Scotto Hamed-Ramos | United States | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Matthew Maxwell | Australia | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Seira Iwamoto | Japan | Senior Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Macyn Malana Vogt | United States | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Yaroslav Khudych | Ukraine | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Allison Perhach | United States | Soloist Dancer |
Michael Scott-Kahans | Australia | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Rhys Hudson | United States | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Emmanuel López Martinez | Mexico | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Leona Takada | Japan | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Mirko Melandri | Italy | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Federico Vitali | Italy | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Alfonso Maria Guerriero | Italy | Corps de Ballet Dancer |
Victoria Bourassa | Canada | Apprentice Dancer |
Rikuto Kubota | Japan | Apprentice Dancer |
Chizuru Kikuchi | Japan | Apprentice Dancer |
Teodora Dvoretski | Canada | Apprentice Dancer |
Hotaru Maruyama | Japan | Apprentice Dancer |
Hinata Takahara | Japan | Apprentice Dancer |
Isabel Tornqvist | Canada | Apprentice Dancer |
Dylan West | United States | Apprentice Dancer |
The Professional Division at Alberta Ballet School is a full-time dance and academic training program for students in grades 7 through 12, with a part-time, dance-only option for those in grades 5 and 6. The School's Dedicated Contemporary Dance Stream is available to students in grades 10, 11 and 12 who wish to focus on contemporary dance. [10]
The School is led by Artistic Principal Ashley McNeil and, in 2018, was recognized by Canadian Heritage for its national impact in training artists for professional artistic careers, at the highest levels. [11]
The culture of Alberta refers to the art, customs, and traditions of the people of Alberta. Alberta entered into Confederation in 1905, placing her in a tie with Saskatchewan as the country's second youngest province. Despite her short history, the province possesses a rich culture. The vastness of the land and variation of geography – which includes mountains, foothills, grassland, parkland, forest, and rockland – have served as important sources of creative inspiration across all art forms. Alberta's primary industries of farming, ranching, and petroleum also play a major part in the province's culture and identity.
The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca, the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 by artistic director Hope Muir. Renowned for its diverse repertoire, the company performs traditional full-length classics, embraces contemporary work and encourages the creation of new ballets, as well as the development of Canadian dancers and choreographers.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America.
Nederlands Dans Theater is a Dutch contemporary dance company. NDT is headquartered at the Amare building in The Hague. NDT also performs at other venues in the Netherlands, including Amsterdam's Het Muziektheater and Nijmegen's Stadsschouwburg.
The Boston Ballet is an American professional classical ballet company based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams and Sydney Leonard, and was the first professional repertory ballet company in New England. It has been led by Violette Verdy (1980–1984), Bruce Marks (1985–1997), and Anna-Marie Holmes (1997–2000). Mikko Nissinen has been Artistic Director of Boston Ballet since 2001. Nissinen leads the company in partnership with Executive Director Ming Min Hui.
Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) is a ballet company in Portland, Oregon, United States. The company performs an annual five-program season at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts and conducts regional and national tours. It was featured in the October/November 2007 issue of Pointe magazine, with principal dancer Kathi Martuza on the cover.
"Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" is a medley of two songs written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It is the opening track of the 1973 double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Greta Hodgkinson O.Ont is an American-Canadian ballet dancer. She was a Principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada until she stepped down in 2020. She continues to perform freelance and is Artist-in-Residence of the National Ballet.
Atlanta Ballet is a ballet company, located in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the longest continuously performing ballet company in the United States and the State Ballet of Georgia.
Christopher Peter Wheeldon is an English international choreographer of contemporary ballet.
David Anthony Nixon is a Canadian dance choreographer.
Sabrina Matthews is a Canadian ballet choreographer. She has created pieces for some of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world, including multiple pieces for the renowned Stuttgart Ballet. This in-demand choreographer has premiered works on three continents in over a dozen cities from Beijing, to New York, to London. She was recognized as one of Canada's Amazing Women to Watch, alongside Oscar nominees. Sabrina Matthews has received commissions from Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Boston Ballet, England's Royal Academy of Dance's Genee International Ballet Competition, and the National Ballet of Canada. Her works have been performed by major international ballet companies in Canada, the United States, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
The Dayton Ballet is a ballet company based in Dayton, Ohio.
Colorado Ballet encompasses a 31-member professional performing ballet company, a studio company for advanced dance students, an academy, and an education and outreach department. Based in downtown Denver, Colorado, Colorado Ballet serves more than 125,000 patrons each year.
Darren John Anderson is an internationally acclaimed ballet dancer. He is also known for his work in contemporary and classical choreography.
Margaret Ruth Pringle Carse was a Canadian dancer, educator and choreographer. She founded the Alberta Ballet Company dance company and is considered a pioneer in the field of dance in western Canada.
True North: Symphonic Ballet is a pièce d'occasion commissioned by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday.
Yukichi Hattori is a Japanese-Canadian ballet dancer, dance teacher and choreographer based in Calgary, Alberta. He is a former principal dancer with the Alberta Ballet Company.
Guillaume Côté is a Canadian ballet dancer, choreographer, composer and artistic director. He is a principal dancer and a Choreographic Associate at the National Ballet of Canada. In February 2024, he announced that the 2024/2025 season will be his last season before retirement. He has been the Artistic Director of the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur since 2014 and is the Artistic Director of Côté Danse.
Love Lies Bleeding is a ballet performed by the Alberta Ballet Company that features the work of pop star Elton John. The ballet is a pop-contemporary jukebox ballet that features 14 songs written by John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. The show was directed and choreographed by the company's artistic director Jean Grand-Maître. The show debuted at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary in May, 2010. The show was a critical and financial success and went on to perform around Canada and parts of the U.S.