≈ 2 hours and 45 minutes · With intermission
Last updated: May 12, 2022
We are so pleased to bring you this exquisite rendering of the classic ballet Sleeping Beauty in its Canadian premiere. Staged by internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer Marcia Haydée (after Marius Petipa), this timeless story celebrates, at its essence, the power of love over evil. Originally from Brazil, Ms Haydée is renowned for her illustrious career with Stuttgart Ballet and has been hailed as one of the greatest ballerinas of our time. Woven into her interpretation of Sleeping Beauty is a more intricate reading of the central characters— particularly the malevolent Carabosse—to underscore their nuanced human complexity. With beautiful sets and lighting, this production, invited by Artistic Director Ivan Cavallari, showcases the virtuosity and finesse of one of Canada’s original ballet companies.
Welcome back Les Grands Ballets to NAC Dance!
Enjoy!
Prologue (36 minutes)
Act 1 (32 minutes)
Intermission (20 minutes)
Act 2 (34 minutes)
Act 3 (41 minutes)
Total: 2 hours and 43 minutes
PROLOGUE
The long-awaited day is finally here. The palace halls ring with the flurry of excitement as King Florestan and the Queen beam with pride over their daughter, Princess Aurora. Today is her Christening and the six Good Fairies have arrived to bestow their gifts upon the young girl, their Goddaughter.
With a jolt, a crack of thunder and lightning announce the arrival of the evil fairy Carabosse and end the festive mood. She is livid at not having been invited to partake in the important day. The Good Fairies try to calm her but are unable to prevent her from casting a horrible spell on the Princess. On her 16th birthday, it is declared, Princess Aurora will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The King and Queen fall into despair. The Lilac Fairy, who had not yet presented her gift to the Princess, succeeds in softening Carabosse’s curse with a spell of her own. Princess Aurora is protected from death, but will fall into a 100-year slumber that can only be broken by true love’s kiss.
INTERLUDE
Time passes and Princess Aurora blossoms into a young woman, under the watchful protection of the Lilac Fairy. Yet, Carabosse always lingers near, anticipating the fateful day when her curse will unfold.
ACT I. THE SLEEP
In the palace garden, King Florestan and the Queen are hosting a lavish party for Princess Aurora’s 16th birthday. Among the guests are four princes who have come to vie for the Princess’ affection. An elderly woman, hiding in plain sight, makes her way to the Princess’ side and gifts her a bouquet of roses. Little does Princess Aurora know, the elderly woman is actually Carabosse and a spindle is hidden in the bouquet. While admiring the flowers, Aurora pricks her finger and falls under spell. She is laid in her bed, destined to sleep for 100 cursed years. When the whole court falls victim to the enchanted sleep, the Lilac Fairy creates a thick forest to conceal and protect the kingdom until the curse can be broken. Enraged at having been thwarted, Carabosse slips away to plot her revenge.
ACT II. THE KISS
A century later, there is another royal party where a young prince is being courted. Prince Désiré longs for solitude and escapes the party, and the many women there trying to charm him, by going for a walk in the forest. Carabosse has spotted him, but so has the Lilac Fairy and forest nymphs. The Lilac Fairy acts first, conjuring a vision of sleeping Princess Aurora. As if in a dream, Prince Désiré begins to dance with Aurora and falls completely in love. Hopeful, the Lilac Fairy leads him to the sleeping kingdom to find and awaken her.
Carabosse stakes out the Prince from the thorny rose thicket and pounces on him with a spell. The Lilac Fairy comes to his rescue, returning the spell against Carabosse. When Prince Désiré finally makes it to Aurora’s bedside, he falls to his knees and kisses her, breaking her curse.
ACT III. THE WEDDING
The whole kingdom has awoken from their cursed sleep and rejoice in preparing the wedding between Princess Aurora and Prince Désiré. The guestlist includes beloved fairytale characters who make special appearances for this joyous event. The Lilac Fairy blesses the couple’s union and continues to watch over them, but Carabosse remains never far, awaiting her moment of reprisal.
PROLOGUE
King Florestan XIV
Andrew Gidday
The Queen
Anne Dryburgh
Cantalabutte
Jean-Sébastien Couture
Carabosse
Roddy Doble (12, 14 eve)
Célestin Boutin (13, 14 mat)
Lilac Fairy
Myriam Simon (12, 14 eve)
Maude Sabourin (13, 14 mat)
Crystal Fountain Fairy
Kiara Flavin (12, 14 eve)
Maude Fleury (13, 14 mat)
Enchanted Garden Fairy
Anna Ishii (12, 14 eve)
Carrigan MacDonald (13, 14 mat)
Woodland Glade Fairy
Mai Kono (12, 14 eve)
Catherine Toupin (13, 14 mat)
Fairy of Songbirds
Kiara Felder (12, 14 eve)
Tatiana Lerebours (13, 14 mat)
Fairy of Golden Vine
Anya Nesvitaylo (12, 14 eve)
Alexandra Eccles (13, 14 mat)
Cavaliers
Stefano Russiello
Enno Kleinehanding
Giuseppe Canale
Stephen Satterfield
Antoine Bertran
José Losada
Carabosse Monsters
François Gagné
Théodore Poubeau
Small Cavaliers
Elias Shanski
Nahla Desrosiers
Milan Rochon
Caleb St-Jean
Yihan Athena Chen
Roméo Gault
Courtiers
Quentin Nabor
Étienne Delorme
François Gagné
Théodore Poubeau
Santiago Merchant
Angel Vizcaino
Juan Sebastian Hoyos
Court Women
Catherine Toupin
Carrigan MacDonald
Tatiana Larebours
Tuesday Leduc
Sarah-Maude Laliberté
Mikaela Milic
Maude Fleury
Young Aurora
Emiko Addleman
Alice Clement
Léonore Genois
Nanny
Claudia Colonna
Small monsters
Thalie Turene
Sunny Chen
Princesse-Rose Gonzalez
Héloïse Pilon
*Changes to casting can be made without prior notice.
ACT 1
King Florestan, The Queen, Cantalabutte, Carabosse, Lilac Fairy, and
Princess Aurora
Rachele Buriassi (12, 14 eve)
Yui Sugawara (13, 14 mat)
Prince of the North
James Lyttle
Prince of the West
Melih Mertel
Prince of the East
Graeme Fuhrman
Prince of the South
Hamilton Nieh
Aurora's Friends
Catherine Toupin
Kiara Flavin
Alexandra Eccles
Kiara Felder
Waltz of the Flowers
Rose Trahan
Gabrielle Chenard
Sahra Maira
Maude Fleury
Carrigan MacDonald
Camilla Agraso
Sarah-Maude Laliberté
Tatiana Lerebours
Giuseppe Canale
Étienne Delorme
Antoine Bertran
Théodore Poubeau
Enno Kleinehanding
Stefano Russiello
Angel Vizcaino
François Gagné
Waltz Girls
Maïté Ribeiro (12, 14 mat)
Heloísa Silveira Portell (13, 14 eve)
Yihan Athena Chen (12, 14 mat)
Laure Menu (13, 14 eve)
Nahla Desrosiers (12, 14 mat)
Sofia Chiosa Faguy (13, 14 eve)
Juliette Bernard (12, 14 mat)
Elisabeth Gallagher (13, 14 eve)
Waltz Boys
Elias Shanski
Roméo Gault (12, 14 mat)
Emmerich Chenonceaux (13, 14 eve)
Milan Rochon
Caleb St-Jean
Lackeys
Thalie Turene (12, 14 mat)
Princesse-Rose Gonzalesz (13, 14 eve)
Sunny Chen (12, 14 mat)
Héloïse Pilon (13, 14 eve)
* * *
ACT 2
Princess Aurora, Carabosse, Lilac Fairy, and
Prince Désiré
Esnel Ramos (12, 14 eve)
Roddy Doble (13, 14 mat)
The Countess
Tetyana Martyanova (12, 14 eve)
Anya Nesvitaylo (13, 14 mat)
Hunting Women
Maude Fleury
Éline Malègue
Sahra Maira
Tatiana Lerebours
Anya Nesvitaylo (12, 14 eve)
Tetyana Martyanova (13, 14 mat)
Hunting Men
Angel Vizcaino (12, 14 eve)
André Santos (13, 14 mat)
Stefano Russiello
Giuseppe Canale
Antoine Bertran
Stephen Satterfield
Enno Kleinehanding
James Lyttle
Nymphs
Kiara Felder
Carrigan MacDonald
Kiara Flavin
Maude Fleury
Camilla Agraso
Éline Malègue
Sarah-Maude Laliberté
Elodie Scholtes-Labrec
Catherine Toupin
Alexandra Eccles
Rose Trahan
Gabrielle Chenard
Tatiana Lerebours
Mikaela Milic
Anya Nesvitaylo
Claudia Colonna
Carabosse's Monsters
François Gagné
Théodore Poubeau
Étienne Delorme
Santiago Merchant
Juan Sebastian Hoyos
Quentin Nabor
Antoine Bertran
ACT 3
King Florestan, The Queen, Cantalabutte, Carabosse, Lilac Fairy, Princess Aurora, Prince Désiré, Prince of the North, Prince of the West, Prince of the East, Prince of the South, and
Ali Baba
José Losada
Diamond Fairy
Vanesa G.R. Montoya
Gemstones
Maude Sabourin (12, 14 eve)
Éline Malègue (13, 14 mat)
Yui Sugawara (12, 14 eve)
Tetyana Martyanova (13, 14 mat)
Anya Nesvitaylo
Puss-in-Boots
Stephen Satterfield
The White Cat
Kiara Felder (12, 14 eve)
Carrigan MacDonald (13, 14 mat)
Bluebird
André Santos (12, 14 eve)
Angel Vizcaino (13, 14 mat)
Princess Florine
Anna Ishii (12, 14 eve)
Mai Kono (13, 14 mat)
Little Red Riding Hood
Tatiana Lerebours (12, 14 eve)
Catherine Toupin (13, 14 mat)
The gray wolf
Étienne Delorme
Lackeys
Thalie Turene
Sunny Chen
Princesse-Rose Gonzalez
Héloïse Pilon
Snow White
Claudia Colonna
The Seven Dwarves
Elias Shanski
Nahla Desrosiers
Milan Rochon
Caleb St-Jean
Juliette Bernard
Roméo Gault
Yihan Athena Chen
Beauty
Alexandra Eccles
The Beast
Enno Kleinehanding
Colombine
Catherine Toupin (12, 14 eve)
Rose Trahan (13, 14 mat)
Harlequin
Stefano Russiello
Gretel
Tuesday Leduc
Hansel
Juan Sebastian Hoyos
Rapunzel
Sarah-Maude Laliberté (12, 14 eve)
Elodie Scholtes-Labrec (13, 14 mat)
Rapunzel's Prince
Antoine Bertran (12, 14 eve)
Quentin Nabor (13, 14 mat)
Bluebeard's wife
Kiara Flavin
Bluebeard
Santiago Merchant
Sheherazade
Maude Fleury (12, 14 eve)
Tatiana Lerebours (13, 14 mat)
Aladdin
Théodore Poubeau
Cinderella
Carrigan MacDonald (12, 14 eve)
Camilla Agraso (13, 14 mat)
Cinderella's Prince
François Gagné
The Frog Princess
Mikaela Milic
The Frog Princess' Husband
Giuseppe Canale
Artistic Director: Ivan Cavallari
Ballet Masters: Hervé Courtain, Marina Villanueva
Production Director: Stéphan Pépin
Technical Director: Simon Beetschen
Technical and Production Coordinator: Gabrielle Lemoine-Brin
Stage Managers: Catherine Ledoux (en congé maladie), Gabrielle Lemoine-Brin
Resident Lighting Designer: Marc Parent
Resident Sound Designer and Sound Engineer: Raymond Soly
Head Stage Carpenter: Kenneth Gregg
Assistant to Head Stage Carpenter: Mike Arnold
Head of Accessories: Pierre Berthiaume
Head Lighting Technician: Patrick Carrière
Assistant to Head Lighting Technician: Dominic Drouin
Head of Sound: Aidan MacCormack
Head of Costumes: Denise Morin
Assistant to Head of Costumes: Joël Boudreault
Head of Makeup: Sarah Ladouceur
Assistant to Head of Makeup: Véronique St-Germain
Head of Hair and Wigs: Janie Drouin
Head of Wardrobe: Mélanie Ferrero
Assistant to Head of Wardrobe: Louisanne Lamarre
Costumes Project Acount Manager: Marie-Hélène Gravel
Clerks, Wardrobe: Christelle Deforceville
Costumes Buyer: Julie Pelletier
Principal Cutter: Caroline Boisvert
First Assistant Cutter: Kéli Alexandre
Assistant Cutter: Michèle Gagné
Sewers: Emilie Tremblay-Lévesque, Cecilia Meza, Silvana Fernandez, Pamela Masseport, Natalie Talbot, Francine Viens, Isabelle St-Gelais, Zeina Khalife, Joël Boudreault, Cecilia Daïni, Gillian Meuris, Carole Jones, Hélène Falardeau, Eve Boisvert, Anabel Caron
Interns: Yeelen Stanislas, Claudelle Dextraze
Dye and Textile Artists: Valérie Delacroix
External Cutter: Julie Sauriol
Wigs: Cybèle Perruques, Denis Parent
Technicians and dressers, IATSE Members, local 56 and 863
For over 60 years, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens has been a creation, production and international performance company devoted to the development of dance in all its forms, while always staying faithful to the spirit of classical ballet. The dancers of Les Grands Ballets, under the artistic direction of Ivan Cavallari, perform choreographies by both long-established and trendsetting creators. Situated at the heart of Montreal’s Quartier des spectacles, Les Grands Ballets offers leisure services in its STUDIOS and supports its National Centre for Dance Therapy, which promotes all the benefits that dance can bring. The company’s mission is also to ensure accessibility to art for everyone; in that spirit its achievements include the founding of The Nutcracker Fund, which every year enables thousands of children to enjoy a first ballet experience. Les Grands Ballets, recognized for its excellence, creativity and daring, is fully committed to the local community, and is acclaimed on stages around the world.
Born in Bolzano, Italy, in 1964, Ivan Cavallari received his initial training at the Teatro alla Scala Ballet School in Milan. His teachers recognized his talent by awarding him a scholarship to the Bolchoi Ballet School in Moscow in 1981, where he continued his training until 1983. From 1984 to 1985, he danced with the Scala Ballet School before joining the Stuttgart Ballet in 1986, where he became a soloist and then principal dancer under the successive directorships of Marcia Haydée and Reid Anderson. He danced all the leading roles of John Cranko’s ballets and regularly staged the latter’s works with the Royal Ballet Covent Garden in London, La Scala in Milan, the Czech National Ballet, among many other companies. He also staged numerous works by Uwe Scholz, and choreographed ballets for the Stuttgart Ballet, the State Opera Ballet in Hanover, the Lodz State Opera Ballet in Poland, the Mannheim Ballet, the Vienna State Opera Ballet, the Staatsgallerie Stuttgart and the Liaoning Ballet of China.
From 2007 to 2012, he was the Artistic Director of the West Australian Ballet, the oldest dance company in Australia. In 2013, he was named the Artistic Director of the Ballet de l’Opéra national du Rhin, where he staged such works as Dolly in April 2013, and his own choreographies of Pinocchio in 2014 and The Nutcracker in 2016.
He took over the helm of Les Grands Ballets as Artistic Director as of the 2017-2018 season. As choreographer, he created new works such as Presto-Detto and Giselle, taking the company's repertoire in a resolutely classical direction while remaining rooted in modernity. His version of Romeo & Juliet premiered in March 2022 at Place des Arts in Montreal.
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1937, Marcia Haydée left her homeland at the age of fifteen for what would be a long stay in Europe. She completed her studies with great masters of dance at the Royal Ballet School in London, and then joined the ranks of the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas in 1957.
After four years she continued her career with Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet, an institution that would prove decisive for the artist. John Cranko, at the time the Ballet’s artistic director, made her his prima ballerina and his muse, conceiving his next creations (Romeo and Juliet, Onegin, The Taming of the Shrew and Carmen) with her in mind. Following Cranko’s tragic death, Marcia Haydée took over leadership of the Stuttgart Ballet for 20 years, from 1976 to 1996. During the same period she directed the Santiago Ballet in Chile, from 1992 to 1996.
Invited to dance on the most prestigious stages, the inspiration for numerous choreographers and authors, performing duets with the finest dancers – Marcia Haydée distinguished herself as a major figure in the world of ballet. Internationally acclaimed, she was pronounced one of the greatest ballerinas of our time. Spectators and critics saw an icon in her, an immense talent, a stage presence on a grand scale.
In 1987 her talent as a choreographer came to light through her amplified version of Sleeping Beauty. Other productions were mounted, notably ENAS and Giselle and the Willis.
Ballerina, choreographer and director, the multitalented artist also gave evidence of her skills as an actor in the play Mother Teresa and the Children of the World, where she brilliantly met the challenge of reciting a text of peace in the official language of each country visited. She also appeared on the big screen, in Die Kameliendame (The Lady of the Camellias), Golgotha, Poem: I Set My Foot Upon the Air and It Carried Me, and as the subject of the documentary M for Marcia, A Portrait of a “Mistress of Dance”.
Marcia Haydée’s extraordinary career has been recognized with such distinctions as the German Dance Prize, the Nijinsky Award, the Brazilian government’s Ordem do Mérito Cultural, Germany’s Staufer Medal and Great Cross of Merit with Star, and the Prix de Lausanne Lifetime Achievement Award. She is additionally an honorary professor at the University of Stuttgart and the University of Mannheim.
Since 2004 Marcia Haydée has been back at the Santiago Ballet as director, besides delighting audiences with a return to the stage in 2007 and 2012. At present she devotes herself to her passion only behind the scenes, where she continues dazzling spectators and leaving an indelible impression on the world of dance.
Canadian conductor Jean-Claude Picard is widely regarded as a communicative and engaging musician by fellow artists, critics and audiences alike. 2021-22 marks his third season as chief conductor positions as Chief Conductor of the Scottish Ballet. He is also principal guest conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières in Québec, where he held the position of Artistic Director from 2019 to 2021.
Jean-Claude started his conducting career through his first position as Assistant Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, followed by a promotion to associate conductor. Recent and upcoming highlights include return visits to the Toronto Symphony, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Victoria Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, as well as debuts with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, City of Birmingham Symphony, Montréal Bach Festival Orchestra, the Luxemburg and Geneva Chamber Orchestras, I Musici, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and a highly acclaimed debut at the Edinburgh International Festival with Scottish Ballet.
FIRST VIOLINS
Yosuke Kawasaki (concertmaster)**
Jessica Linnebach (associate concertmaster)
Noémi Racine Gaudreault (assistant concertmaster)
Elaine Klimasko**
Marjolaine Lambert
Jeremy Mastrangelo
Manuela Milani
Frédéric Moisan
Andréa Armijo Fortin*
Martine Dubé*
Erica Miller*
Heather Schnarr*
SECOND VIOLINS
Mintje van Lier (principal)
Winston Webber (assistant principal)**
Mark Friedman
Carissa Klopoushak
Leah Roseman
Edvard Skerjanc**
Karoly Sziladi
Emily Westell
Renée London*
Sara Mastrangelo*
VIOLAS
Jethro Marks (principal)
David Marks (associate principal)
David Goldblatt (assistant principal)
Paul Casey
Ren Martin-Doike
David Thies-Thompson
CELLOS
Rachel Mercer (principal)
Julia MacLaine (assistant principal)
Timothy McCoy
Marc-André Riberdy
Leah Wyber
Thaddeus Morden*
DOUBLE BASSES
Michael Chiarello (guest principal)*
Hilda Cowie (acting assistant principal)
Marjolaine Fournier
Vincent Gendron
FLUTES
Joanna G’froerer (principal)
Stephanie Morin
Kaili Maimets*
OBOES
Charles Hamann (principal)
Anna Petersen
Melissa Scott*
ENGLISH HORN
Anna Petersen
CLARINETS
Kimball Sykes (principal)
Sean Rice
BASSOONS
Christopher Millard (principal)
Vincent Parizeau
HORNS
Lawrence Vine (principal)**
Julie Fauteux (associate principal)
Elizabeth Simpson
Lauren Anker
Louis-Pierre Bergeron
Olivier Brisson*
TRUMPETS
Karen Donnelly (principal)**
Curtis Dietz (guest principal)*
Benjamin Raymond (guest principal)*
Steven van Gulik
Andrea MacDougall*
TROMBONES
Donald Renshaw (principal)
Colin Traquair**
Matthew Rowsell*
BASS TROMBONE
Douglas Burden
TUBA
Chris Lee (principal)
TIMPANI
Feza Zweifel (principal)
PERCUSSION
Jonathan Wade
Tim Francom*
Andrew Johnson*
Matthew Moore*
HARP
Angela Schwarzkopf*
PIANO
Frédéric Lacroix*
PRINCIPAL LIBRARIAN
Nancy Elbeck
ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN
Corey Rempel
PERSONNEL MANAGER
Meiko Lydall
ASSISTANT PERSONNEL MANAGER
Laurie Shannon
*Additional musicians
**On leave
Non-titled members of the Orchestra are listed alphabetically
Cathy Levy, Executive Producer
Tina Legari, Associate Producer
Mireille Nicholas, Special Projects Coordinator and Assistant to the Executive Producer
Sophie Anka, Company Manager
Siôned Watkins, Education Associate and Teaching Artist
Brian Britton, Technical Director
Julie Gunville, Communications Strategist
Chatelaine Rindorindo, Marketing Strategist