After celebrating thirty years with The National Ballet of Canada just a few years ago, Principal Character Artist Rebekah Rimsay will take her final bow with the company at the end of the current season.
She will be recognized onstage by the entire company a couple of months earlier when she dances for the last time one of her signature roles – the Stepmother in James Kudelka’s Cinderella.
Rimsay trained at Canada’s National Ballet School. She joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1990 and was promoted to Second Soloist in 1995, First Soloist in 1998 and Principal Character Artist in 2012.
Over her tenure, she excelled in a wide range of repertoire, from the technical purity of the Russian Girl in George Balanchine’s Serenade to fearsome Carabosse in Rudolf Nureyev’s The Sleeping Beauty.
She has been a particular standout in ballets by James Kudelka, who created roles for her in Cinderella, The Contract (The Pied Piper), An Italian Straw Hat and The Four Seasons.
In 2014, Rimsay was awarded the Rolex Dancers First Award for her portrayal of the Stepmother and Stepsister in Cinderella. She was also the recipient of the William Marrié Award for Dramatic Achievement for Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty in 2010 and she won the same award for her role as Her Other Stepsister in Cinderella in 2004. Rimsay was honored with the David Tory Award in 2008.
Featured Photo of The National Ballet of Canada‘s Rebekah Rimsay by Karolina Kuras.
