The National Ballet of Canada 2022-2023 season is Artistic Director Hope Muir’s first curated year for the Toronto-based company.
Along with the delayed premiere of Wayne McGregor’s MADDADDAM, are others by Rena Butler, Holla Jazz, Rock Bottom Movement, Tanveer Alam and Samantha Sutherland.
Classical ballet lovers will enjoy three full-lengths – The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Romeo and Juliet – and those looking forward to more contemporary works have Alonzo King, Vanesa G. R. Montoya, Guillaume Côté, and David Dawson works to look forward to.
The National Ballet of Canada 2022-2023 Season Schedule
Sharing the Stage | August 16-20, 2022
Concert Stage, Harbourfront Centre
- Swan Lake pas de deux by Karen Kain
- Chroma by Wayne McGregor
- After the Rain by Christopher Wheeldon
- World Premiere by Holla Jazz
- World Premiere by Rock Bottom Movement
- World Premiere by Tanveer Alam
- World Premiere by Samantha Sutherland
The National Ballet and invited guest artists will perform two exciting mixed programmes that will feature a pas de deux from Swan Lake, directed and staged by Karen Kain, excerpts from the sensational Chroma by Wayne McGregor, Christopher Wheeldon’s gorgeous After the Rain as well as new works from our four guest artists, Holla Jazz, Rock Bottom Movement, Tanveer Alam and Samantha Sutherland.
The Collective Agreement | November 9-13, 2022
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
- The Collective Agreement by Alonzo King
- Crepuscular by Vanesa G. R. Montoya
- Concerto by Kenneth MacMillan
The National Ballet returns to the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts with the Canadian premiere of The Collective Agreement, marking the company’s first acquisition from the visionary American choreographer Alonzo King, giving Canadian audiences a taste of his distinctive aesthetic. The Collective Agreement was created for San Francisco Ballet in 2018 to a commissioned score by jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran and features image technology from Jim Campbell, a renowned creator of cinematic LED installations.
The Collective Agreement will be presented with Crepuscular by Vanesa G. R. Montoya and Kenneth MacMillan’s Concerto.
MADDADDAM | November 23-30, 2022
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
- MADDADDAM by Wayne McGregor
MADDADDAM by Wayne McGregor, the multi-award-winning choreographer of Chroma and Genus, makes its highly anticipated world premiere. McGregor has joined forces with Margaret Atwood, one of the world’s greatest living writers, to create a new ballet triptych.
A co-production with the Royal Ballet, MADDADDAM is based on Atwood’s acclaimed novel trilogy, Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, and MaddAddam. Themes of extinction and invention, hubris and humanity are spliced together with aspects of Atwood’s activism and her deep connection to the Canadian landscape, past and present.
MADDADDAM features an original score by Max Richter with set design by We Not I, costumes by Gareth Pugh, lighting by Lucy Carter and film design by Ravi Deepres with dramaturgy by Uzma Hameed.
The Nutcracker | December 10-31, 2022
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
- The Nutcracker by James Kudelka
Anima Animus | March 3-23, 2023
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
- Anima Animus by David Dawson
- World Premiere by Rena Butler
- Symphony in C by George Balanchine
The National Ballet presents the Canadian premiere of Anima Animus by David Dawson, marking the acclaimed choreographer’s debut with the National Ballet.
Created in 2018 for the Unbound Festival, the ballet was an immediate success and has since toured throughout the UK and US. A high octane work favoring speed and precision, Anima Animus is set to music of Ezio Bosso’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and features set design by John Otto, striking black and white costumes by Yumiko Takshima and lighting by James F. Ingalls.
Anima Animus will be presented with a new work from exciting choreographer on the rise, Rena Butler, a dynamic contemporary piece to celebrate the music of Grammy Award-winning composer John Adams for his 75th birthday. In demand for her insightful contemporary language, Butler’s work is aesthetically and ideologically powerful, modeling artistry as a form of activism.
The program also features George Balanchine’s Symphony in C.
Cinderella | March 10-19, 2023
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
- Cinderella by James Kudelka
A unique and modern rendering of the classic tale, Cinderella discards the rags-to-riches scenario and puts the heroine on equal footing with Prince Charming, with Art Deco-inspired designs by David Boechler, a lively score by Sergei Prokofiev and lighting by Christopher Dennis.
Frame by Frame | June 2-10, 2023
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
- Frame by Frame by Guillaume Côté
Frame by Frame is directed by the legendary Québécois playwright, actor, film and stage director, Robert Lepage, and choreographed by Principal Dancer and Choreographic Associate Guillaume Côté. Frame by Frame pays homage to Canadian filmmaker Norman McLaren, whose pioneering advancements in animation led to a prolific career with the National Film Board of Canada and influenced filmmakers the world over.
Romeo and Juliet | June 15-25, 2023
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
- Romeo and Juliet by Alexei Ratmansky
Alexei Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet was created in 2011 to celebrate the National Ballet’s 60th anniversary season. It is pure Ratmansky, a thoughtful and visually striking revival of one of ballet’s great narrative works that overflows with dancing, set to Sergei Prokofiev’s enduring score with designs by Tony Award-winning designer Richard Hudson and lighting by Jennifer Tipton.
Featured Photo for The National Ballet of Canada 2022-2023 Season of Harrison James and Tina Pereira. Photo by Karolina Kuras.
