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The National Ballet of Canada Spotlight Series Reviews

byCherilyn J. Lee
February 25, 2021
in Ballet Performance Reviews, The Latest Ballet News
Reading Time: 8 mins read
The National Ballet of Canada Spotlight Series

The National Ballet of Canada Spotlight Series

As part of their 2020-2021 Virtual Season, The National Ballet of Canada Spotlight Series will feature existing works as well as new ones created just for this program.

The company is recognized for their range of repertory from classical to neoclassical to contemporary, and this curated set of programming captures the diversity perfectly.

From Artistic Director Karen Kain:

“I hope you find much to uplift and inspire you in our beautiful Spotlight Series as you connect with us from home.”

The National Ballet of Canada is offering these performances to stream free of charge for thirty days from each program’s respective release date.

We will update this page with reviews and the videos as they become available, so check back regularly for the most up-to-date information.

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The National Ballet of Canada Spotlight Series

PROGRAM

  • Modern Masterpieces
  • Power and Passion: Great Drama
  • Classical Gems
  • The Dreamers Ever Leave You
  • Ballet's Storyteller: John Neumeier
  • The Joy of Dance
  • Trailblazers
  • New Voices
  • Balanchine Programme
  • The Sleeping Beauty Variations
The National Ballet of Canada Modern Masterpieces
Tanya Howard and Christopher Gerty in Chroma. Photo by Johan Persson. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.

MODERN MASTERPIECES

Release Date: January 7, 2021

REVIEW

I was fortunate to have seen two of the three works on this program live at The Kennedy Center just about one year ago. Although many aspects of our lives have changed, my level of enjoyment in watching The National Ballet of Canada has not.

Piano Concerto #1 is the finale of Alexei Ratmansky’s Shostakovich Trilogy, a ballet at once athletic and playful, contemporary and classical. The dual colored unitards worn by the corps – steel blue on the front and crimson red on the back – create patterns that compliment the abstract floating scenery. 

Petit Mort by Jiří Kylián is highly entertaining. Mozart’s adagio score plus the black dress props and costuming of beige corsets nod the classical period of cultural history while exploring the “little death” that occurs as a result of sexual experiences.

The discordant mix of Joby Talbot’s composition with samples from The White Stripes is so fitting for Wayne McGregor’s Chroma which seems full of dichotomy. All of the dancers are wearing the same short, shaped-but-loose sheaths in grays that span the cool-to-warm color spectrum. The physicality of the choreography is somehow human and animalistic, earthly and other worldly. 

WATCH MODERN MASTERPIECES

Modern Masterpieces Info
  • Return to Full Program
The National Ballet of Canada - Power and Passion
Evan McKie and Svetlana Lunkina in Onegin. Photo by Aleksandar Antonijevic. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.

POWER AND PASSION: GREAT DRAMA

Release Date: January 14, 2021

REVIEW

Based on the title, the three ballets featured on this program are not surprisingly inspired by literary classics – Onegin by Alexander Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin, The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare’s play of the same name, and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy’s novel.

Yet they are distinct in how each choreographer has decided to tell their stories.

Period costuming and expressive non-verbal conversation are key to portraying the relationship between Eugene Onegin and Tatiana in John Cranko’s Onegin. Onegin’s aristocratic dismissiveness contrasts that of Tatiana’s innocent romanticism by use of well-timed choreography and articulate body language.

For The Winter’s Tale, it is the pure joy of dance that conveys the young love between Perdita and Florizel. As the name of the location (Bohemia) of the scene suggests, Christopher Wheeldon’s choreography for the couple and their friends has a free spirited and ceremonial energy with vibrant costumes to match.

Closing is John Neumeier’s Anna Karenina adapted for the 21st century. Pedestrian mannerisms and household elements are integrated with the balletic choreography to narrate the internal conflict Anna Karenina has between the passion she feels for Count Alexei Vronsky and the love she has for her son, Seryozha.

WATCH POWER AND PASSION

Power and Passion Info
  • Return to Full Program
Heather Ogden and Harrison James with Artists of the Ballet in Etudes. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.

CLASSICAL GEMS

Release Date: January 28, 2021

REVIEW

If you only have fifteen minutes to watch ballet today, you can see excerpts of National Ballet of Canada’s classical repertory.

The first is the pas de quatre from Sir Peter Wright’s Giselle. In place of what is often performed as a pas de deux, the peasant variations in Act I of this version are performed by two couples: it opens with the four dancing, followed by a pas deux, then a male solo, a duet for the ladies, another for the men, and a female solo that transitions into the finale.

Next is the pas de deux from Le Corsaire, a piece full of bravura that – in my opinion – is truly taken out of context from the full length ballet. But many are first introduced to this ballet by this excerpt that is probably more often performed than the complete story it was taken from. 

The finale of Etudes by Harald Lander closes the program. Choreographed by the one time director of The Royal Danish Ballet, it strives to preserve the tradition of August Bournonville’s style of ballet in the form of the progression of a classical ballet class. Being the end of the class, this excerpt is full of grand allegro, a dynamic ending to this short video.

WATCH CLASSICAL GEMS

Classical Gems Info
  • Return to Full Program
The National Ballet of Canada - The Dreamers
Selene Guerrero-Trujillo and Antonella Martinelli in The Dreamers Ever Leave You. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.

THE DREAMERS EVER LEAVE YOU

Release Date: February 11, 2021

WATCH THE DREAMERS NEVER LEAVE YOU

The Dreamers Info
  • Return to Full Program

BALLET’S STORYTELLER: JOHN NEUMEIER

Release Date: February 25, 2021

WATCH BALLET'S STORYTELLER: JOHN NEUMEIER

Ballet's Storyteller Info
  • Return to Full Program

THE JOY OF DANCE

Release Date: May 18, 2021

WATCH THE JOY OF DANCE

The Joy of Dance Info
  • Return to Full Program

TRAILBLAZERS

Release Date: April 1, 2021

Trailblazers Info
  • Return to Full Program

NEW VOICES

Release Date: TBD

New Voices Info
  • Return to Full Program
The National Ballet of Canada Balanchine Programme
Brendan Saye in Apollo. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.

BALANCHINE PROGRAMME

Release Date: TBD

Balanchine Program Info
  • Return to Full Program
The National Ballet of Canada - The Sleeping Beauty Variations
Sonia Rodriguez in The Sleeping Beauty. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY VARIATIONS

Release Date: TBD

The Sleeping Beauty Variations Info
  • Return to Full Program

Featured Photo for The National Ballet of Canada Spotlight Series  © The National Ballet of Canada

Tags: A Streetcar Named DesireAlexei RatmanskyAlysa PiresAnna KareninaApolloChristopher WheeldonChromaEtudesGeorge BalanchineGiselleHarald LanderJera WolfeJiří KyliánJohn CrankoJohn NeumeierKevin A. OrmsbyLe CorsaireMarius PetipaNijinskyOneginPetite MortPiano Concerto #1Robert BinetRudolf NureyevTarantellaThe Dreamers Ever Leave YouThe National Ballet of CanadaThe National Ballet of Canada 2020-2021 SeasonThe SeagullThe Sleeping BeautyThe Winter’s TaleVirtualWayne McGregor
Cherilyn J. Lee

Cherilyn J. Lee

Cherilyn's lifelong passion for ballet has opened the door to the next chapter of her journey. Her strong foundation includes training at the School of American Ballet, being a featured dancer with Hartford Ballet and Carolina Ballet, and being co-director/owner of City Ballet Raleigh. She was granted the Affiliate Teacher Award after successfully completing the ABT National Training Curriculum®. A professional career in the industry along with extensive global travel provide her with a unique set of experiences to draw upon as a journalist and audience member. Cherilyn is excited to be sharing her insight about ballet around the world.

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