The Les Grands Ballets 2023-2024 season begins where the current one leaves off, with additional performances of Cinderella at Place des Arts, the company’s 67th year at the performing arts center in Montreal.
The full-lengths La Dame aux camélias by Peter Quanz, Fernand Nault’s The Nutcracker, and Ivan Cavallari’s production of Giselle as well as two repertory programs round out the season which runs from September 2023 through June 2024.
Les Grands Ballets 2023-2024 Season Trailer
Les Grands Ballets 2023-2024 Season Schedule
Cinderella | September 8-9, 2023
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts
- Cinderella by Jayne Smeulders
Let the centuries-old magic of the Cinderella fairy tale transport you back to childhood. Between her cruel stepmother and vain, selfish stepsisters, Cinderella doesn’t have it easy. That is, until her magical fairy godmother appears and changes the course of her life forever.
This is Jayne Smeulders’ first full-length ballet, which she choreographed when she was still a principal dancer with the West Australian Ballet in 2011. She chose this classic piece from the repertory, taking inspiration from Brothers Grimm fairy tales, set to the famous 1944 score by Prokofiev. Smeulders places Cinderella in a timeless and fantastical world for Les Grands Ballets, made all the more captivating with new sets and sparkling costumes.
La Dame aux camélias | October 19-28, 2023
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts
- La Dame aux camélias by Peter Quanz
Les Grands Ballets is pleased to welcome back choreographer Peter Quanz to revisit the iconic La Dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas. This novel, which has inspired many an artist in all fields since it was penned in 1848, centers on the relationship between courtesan Marguerite Gauthier and the young bourgeois Armand Duval. Their story is told in love letters, passionate embraces, and ultimately, loss and scorn— ideal material for a romantic ballet!
Through this two-act neoclassical ballet, Quanz explores emotional vulnerability, inspired by the fragile and ephemeral beauty of camellias. The costumes and set design evoke the glamour and elegance of Parisian salons, while an exclusive orchestral score features compositions by female composers from different epochs.
The Nutcracker | December 7-10 & December 14-30, 2023
Grand Théâtre de Québec & Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts
- The Nutcracker by Fernand Nault
The holidays are here and the whole family has come together for Christmas Eve. As the children open their gifts, the mysterious Doctor Drosselmeyer gives his niece Clara a beautiful nutcracker. So begins a great adventure for Clara, who we are delighted to follow to the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets.
Created in 1964 by Québec choreographer Fernand Nault, this timeless classic has won the hearts of generations of audiences with its skillful blend of fantasy, magic and humor. With dazzling sets, sumptuous costumes and a dreamlike vision of childhood, this ballet features some 100 dancers. The Nutcracker is a fabulous adventure for the young and the not-so-young!
Cantata | March 14-16, 2024
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
- Cantata by Mauro Bigonzetti
- World Premiere by Jérémy Galdeano and Věra Kvarčáková
- World Premiere by Étienne Delorme
- In Honour Of by Bridget Breiner
With its visceral, passionate gestural language, Cantata evokes rugged Mediterranean beauty and embraces the colours of the South. Instinctive and vital, the dance explores the multiple facets of relationships between men and women, from seduction and passion to quarrels and jealousy. The voices and music of the four on-stage singers of Gruppo Musicale Assurd draw the ten pairs of dancers into the festive working-class atmosphere of Southern Italy, to the sounds of the tambourine and castanets.
This mixed program also features works by up-and-coming choreographers. Company dancer Étienne Delorme presents a dynamic contemporary ballet with tension and sensitivity.
Bridget Breiner will address the challenges of the creative process, between devotion and inspiration with In Honour Of, a dazzling dance.
Jérémy Galdeano and Věra Kvarčáková explore themes of impermanence and reverie in their piece Nebe (“sky” or “heaven” in Czech).
Carmina Burana | April 13-20, 2024
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts
- Carmina Burana by Edward Clug
Romania’s Edward Clug revisits Carmina Burana, the major 20th century work by German composer Carl Orff. Inspired by medieval verse, the piece opens with its famous theme O Fortuna.
Carmina Burana centers on human beings in their most visceral dimension: legacy and
longevity. Clug’s vivid staging brings to life a wheel of fortune that captivates the dancers. It evokes both the cyclical nature of life and the idea of pre-destiny. Alongside its implicit theme of torment, Carmina Burana also explores the themes of springtime, hope and love as told in medieval writing.
Giselle | May 30 – June 2, 2024
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts
- Giselle by Ivan Cavallari after Marius Petipa
Giselle, often described by critics as the ballet par excellence, has never ceased to inspire choreographers and dancers since its creation at the Paris Opera in 1841.
Giselle, an innocent peasant girl, is seduced by Duke Albrecht, who, unbeknownst to her, is betrothed to another. Albrecht’s deception creates a mental crack in Giselle, who gradually sinks into madness.
This gem of the classic repertory is faithful to the grand Romantic tradition with its gestural symbolism, pointes and white tutus. With its powerful theme of undying love that transcends madness and death, this ballet pits myth against reality with a result that is both captivating and powerful.
Featured Photo for the Les Grands Ballets 2023-2024 Season of Roddy Doble and Anna Ishii. Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko.
