Topics: danse

Frédérick Gravel explains why ‘Usually Beauty Fails’

Frédérick Gravel is a philosopher searching for beauty using the language of dance. "My idea of beauty is constructed by the era, the society, the media." It is an ideal that Gravel finds himself constantly evaluating and re-imagining in his acclaimed work Usually Beauty Fails. Gravel…

Choreographer Mélanie Demers provides 3 words that describe her work

Choreographer Mélanie Demers provides the viewer with three words to describe her work: combat, débat and ébat (combat, debate and romp or lovemaking). "They have a lot of meaning for me, they’re a kind of summary of the way I interact with the world." Demers’ studies in literature, dance…

Moh Faris and Family Donate $1 Million to National Arts Centre in...

The National Arts Centre Foundation is honoured to announce a generous gift of $1 million from Mohammed (Moh) Faris and his family in honour of the late Yulanda Faris. Wife of Moh and mother of three daughters, Yulanda – who died at the age of 77 on April 23, 2015 – was a passionate…

Rendez-vous à l’hôtel: dance in intimate spaces

The Canada Dance Festival pushes the boundaries of dance as an art form and audiences can once again look forward to a unique and diverse program in 2016. Among the highlights is Montreal's La 2e Porte à Gauche, a creative collective that focuses on collaboration. Their works bring together…

Sharing the Love of Dance

“This was the most important, creative and bolstering outreach I have had the fortune to organize” These are the words of Sioned Watkins, NAC Dance Education Associate and Teaching Artist, following a week of dance workshops and outreach programs she organized in collaboration with the…

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…

Discovering ballet with the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre

Never stop learning. It’s a phrase that Royal Winnipeg Ballet Outreach Coordinator Jaime Vargas lives by. A former principal dancer with the company, Jaime now channels his passion for dance into teaching and inspiring others. His gentle nature and obvious love for dance immediately puts…

Young People and the Arts at the NAC

Meet the National Arts Centre’s artistic leaders: Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance; Jillian Keiley, Artistic Director NAC English Theatre; Brigitte Haentjens, Artistic Director NAC French Theatre; and Alexander Shelley, Music Director, NAC Orchestra. All of them care deeply about…

Moments on stage: A mother’s story

BETROFFENHEIT

A creative collaboration by two of Canada’s most adventurous artists NAC Dance continues to invest in the creation and development of new work, and to date we have supported dozens of co-productions that have gone on to tour worldwide, carrying our name alongside.  The NAC Associate Dance…

Donor pre-rehearsal chats: Alice in Wonderland

Attending pre-rehearsal chats and open rehearsals are one of the many benefits donors receive when they support performance, creation and learning through the National Arts Centre Foundation. In the spring, ballet master Lindsay Fisher gave an informative talk to NAC Foundation donors…

Red carpet highlights from the 2015 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards

The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement are Canada’s highest honour for the performing arts. This year's recipients are singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, filmmakers Atom Egoyan and Jean-Marc Vallée, actor-directors Diana Leblanc and R.H. Thomson,…

FACETS: A creative collaboration

The restless, inquiring mind of award-winning performer-creator Tedd Robinson—Artistic Director of 10 Gates Dancing, an NAC Associate Dance Artist, choreographer, educator and Ottawa favourite — has resulted in a catalogue of innovative work blazing with witty originality and extraordinary…

Experience Ontario’s best artists at the Scene

At the National Arts Centre, we like to say that “Canada is our stage,” a statement that underlines our commitment to work with artists and arts organizations across the country to build a national stage for the performing arts. The Scene festivals are a perfect illustration of that…

From the truck to the stage

The National Ballet of Canada's production of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a dazzling over-the-top extravaganza that truly delights audiences. The sets, costumes and equipment required for this magnificent ballet fill nine tractor trailers and it takes an expert team to assemble this…