External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
| Alberta Ballet | |
|---|---|
| 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 2002. 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, and began his tenure as dance instructor at the University of South Carolina. [5]
Francesco Ventriglia has been director of the company since January 2024. [6]
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: Love Lies Bleeding. [7] [8] 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. [9]
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). [10]
The 2017–2018 season included performances of Tango Fire, Dangerous Liasons, The Nutcracker, Travis Wall's Shaping Sound, Opus Cactus by MOMIX, Cinderella, All of Us (The Tragically Hip ballet), and Paquita & Other Works. [11]
The 2018–2019 season included performances of The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, a medley by Ballet BC, de.Vi.ate, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Fiddle and the Drum, and Les Sylphides and Other Works. [12]
The 2019–2020 season included performances of Taj Express, Frankenstein, The Nutcracker, and Unleashed. This season also featured a guest performance by Diavolo, a Los Angeles-based dance company featured on NBC's America's Got Talent. [13]
In February 2020, Septime Webre's Peter Pan, Swan Lake, and Don Quixote Divertissements were cancelled due to public health concerns over the spread of COVID-19. [14]
Swan Lake and Peter Pan, originally scheduled to be performed during the 2019–2020 season, were scheduled for May 2021 and July 2021 respectively. Jean Grand-Maître's All of Us was also scheduled to be performed in August 2021. [15] Both Peter Pan and All of Us were cancelled on February 24, 2021, and Swan Lake was further postponed. [16]
Alberta Ballet came back in the 2021–2022 season, including performances of Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Hamlet, Phi, and Cinderella. [17]
The 2022–2023 season included performances of The Handsmaid's Tale, Away We Go, The Nutcracker, Love Rocks, Giselle, and Botero. [18]
The 2023–2024 season included performances of Ballet Hispánico in Doña Perón, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Hansel & Gretel, and Der Wolf & The Rite of Spring. This season also included a guest performance of Hamlet from the Beijing Dance Theater. [19]
The 2024–2025 season included performances of La Sylphide, GRIMM, The Nutcracker, The Winter Gala, The Wizard of Oz, and Don Quixote. This season also included a guest performance from the Dance Theatre of Harlem. [20]
The 2025–2026 season includes performances of Once Upon A Time, which premiered as A Thousand Tales in 2023 on the Dubai Opera Stage, Nijinsky, The Nutcracker, The Winter Gala, Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake, and Notre Dame de Paris. [21]
Dancers of Alberta Ballet (2025–2026): [22]
| Name | Nationality | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Anker | United States | Principal |
| Alexandra Anker-Hughes | United States | Principal |
| Luna Sasaki | Japan | Principal |
| Caleb Durbin | Australia | Soloist |
| Allison Perhach | United States | Soloist |
| Kurtis Grimaldi | Canada | Senior Corps de Ballet |
| Andrea Arbasino | Italy | Corps de Ballet |
| Patrice Bertrand | Canada | Corps de Ballet |
| Paloma Bonnin | Paraguay | Corps de Ballet |
| Victoria Bourassa | Canada | Corps de Ballet |
| Zachary Beresow | United States | Corps de Ballet |
| Grace Campbell | Australia | Corps de Ballet |
| Zoe Horn | Australia | Corps de Ballet |
| Bel Johnson-Darby | Australia | Corps de Ballet |
| Chizuru Kikuchi | Japan | Corps de Ballet |
| Yaroslav Khudych | Ukraine | Corps de Ballet |
| Rikuto Kubota | Japan | Corps de Ballet |
| Jolie Rose Lombardo | United States | Corps de Ballet |
| Alfonso Maria Guerriero | Italy | Corps de Ballet |
| Hotaru Maruyama | Japan | Corps de Ballet |
| Matthew Maxwell | Australia | Corps de Ballet |
| Mirko Melandri | Italy | Corps de Ballet |
| Michael Scott-Kahans | Australia | Corps de Ballet |
| Hinata Takahara | Japan | Corps de Ballet |
| Isabel Tornqvist | Canada | Corps de Ballet |
| Yi-Min Tsung | Taiwan | Corps de Ballet |
| Federico Vitali | Italy | Corps de Ballet |
| Ian Collins | Mexico | Apprentice |
| Rémy Gray | Australia | Apprentice |
| Lulu Manzur | United States | Apprentice |
| Kate McDonald | Canada | Apprentice |
| Kali Phillips | United States | Apprentice |
| Camryn Visser | Canada | Apprentice |
| Dylan West | Unites States | Apprentice |
| Kairi Watanabe | Japan | Supplementary 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. [23]
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. [24]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
