Hope Muir: New Artistic Director Of The National Ballet Of Canada

Effective January 1, 2022, Toronto native Hope Muir will be the Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, taking over the reins held by Karen Kain for over fifteen years.

The board of the company made the announcement of Ms. Muir’s appointment after a two-year international search.

“I am so pleased to welcome Hope to The National Ballet of Canada and home to Toronto,” said Cornell Wright, Chair of the Board of Directors. “Her unwavering dedication to excellence and deep knowledge of both classical and contemporary repertoire, make her the perfect choice to lead The National Ballet of Canada into its next chapter.”

The current Artistic Director of Charlotte Ballet – a position she has held since 2017 – Ms. Muir’s 20-year career as a dancer includes performances with English National Ballet, Rambert Dance Company and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, dancing repertoire by Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Christopher Bruce, Merce Cunningham, John Cranko, Javier De Frutos, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Ronald Hynd, Jiří Kylián, Harald Lander, Natalia Makarova, Ohad Naharin, Peter Schaufuss, Mary Skeaping, Ben Stevenson, Glen Tetley and Twyla Tharp.

“I am thrilled to be the next Artistic Director of this wonderful company. I am humbled to be following in the footsteps of Karen Kain and so grateful to her for the support and kindness she has shown me as I move into this role. The National Ballet of Canada is one of the world’s leading companies with a roster of brilliant dancers and a rich and unique repertoire. I look forward to continuing the standard of excellence that has been built over many years and to cultivating an inclusive, supportive environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.”

Hope Muir

Appointed Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada

Meet Hope Muir

“I could not be handing the reins to a more talented and capable person. Hope is one of the most thoughtful and inspired leaders working in ballet today and I am so pleased she is coming home to Canada. It was a joy to have her in the studio with our dancers at the beginning of my tenure as Artistic Director and I have watched her career go from success to success since then. She will be a wonderful partner to Executive Director Barry Hughson and I am so excited for the future of this organization.