Topics: ballet

Kimiko’s Pearl: A ballet forged across generations

A tribute to the strength and resilience of the Japanese Canadian community The internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II is the inspiration behind Kimiko’s Pearl, premiering at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines on June 22. Supported by the National…

A timeless love story on pointe!

Caroline Ohrt, Executive Producer of Dance at the NAC in a conversation with Western Australian Ballet choreographer Jayne Smeulders who created the enchanting Cinderella ballet performed by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and coming to the National Arts Centre this November. Originally…

When your dream tastes like coffee!

With its equally popular music and choreography, the holiday classic The Nutcracker transports us instantly to the kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Rat King, and enchanted figurines. A few notes from Tchaikovsky's magnificent score and a Pas de deux will make even the grumpiest in the…

From Pirouettes to Floor-flips, Dance Education Helps Aspiring Young Dancers Perfect their...

With the help of your generous donations, young dancers had incredible and diverse learning opportunities through NAC Dance Education & Outreach during the first months of 2020. When Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s (RWB) Wizard of OZ was in town, 17 intermediate and advanced dancers from…

Catching up with NAC donors: Denzil Feinberg and June Wells

Denzil Feinberg and his spouse June Wells are enthusiastic NAC donors and patrons. Their apartment into which they moved in 2005 after living in Winnipeg for about 30 years is within walking distance of the NAC. Denzil was President of Canada's first professional financial planning…

Karen Kain and Rex Harrington speak about their careers in ballet

In this NAC 50th Anniversary podcast, Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, and Rex Harrington, Artist-in-Residence, both acclaimed former principal dancers with the company speak with Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance. Although Karen's flight to Ottawa was…

ENCOUNT3RS: a collaborative project with choreographer Emily Molnar

Choreographer Emily Molnar's relationship with the National Arts Centre began when she first danced on stage with the National Ballet of Canada. She was seventeen years old.  Now Artistic Director of Ballet BC, Molnar is one of three Canadian choreographers who have been commissioned by…

A story of identity: Going Home Star - Truth and Reconcilation

The Truth and Reconciliation's outcome report summary states that "These residential schools were created for the purpose of separating Aboriginal children from their families, in order to minimize and weaken family ties and cultural linkages, and to indoctrinate children into a new…

Moments on stage: A mother’s story

The Nutcracker: The numbers behind the sparkle

Alberta Ballet is one of the many outstanding Canadian arts organizations that the National Arts Centre partners with every year. Under the leadership of its artistic director Jean Grand-Maître, the company has become known for high-quality dance and inventive repertoire, as evidenced by…

True love, and a miniature horse: Coppélia at the NAC

The National Arts Centre strives to be a catalyst for performance, creation and learning. Part of that last piece – learning – means we are passionate about helping build the audiences of the future by programming performances that the whole family can enjoy. That’s why we are delighted to…

Countdown to the Rite of Spring-Part 3 of 5

The Premiere The premiere performance of The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du printemps) took place on Thursday, May 29, 1913 at Paris’s newly-opened Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. The program that night also included Les Sylphides, Le Spectre de la Rose and Polovtsian Dances. A Modernist Affair…

Countdown to The Rite of Spring Part 2 of 5

The Igor Stravinsky Connection The virtually unknown Russian composer Igor Stravinsky was commissioned by Diaghilev to create the score for the full-length ballet The Firebird, choreographed by Fokine for the Ballets Russes’s 1910 Paris season. Stravinsky composed three further works for…

National Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet