docRWB Touring Book - Royal Winnipeg Ballet
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RWB Touring Book - Royal Winnipeg Ballet
“Canada’s oldest ballet company looks new all over again” -Dance International “Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s dancers know how to soar beyond the footlights.” -Toronto Star “The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is one of the most accomplished and appealing ballet companies in the world.” -Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival “It’s hard to beat this kind of pedigree, and the Royal Winnipeg (Ballet) never fails to deliver a balance of technical virtuosity, lyricism, and artistry.” -The Advocate Weekly CANADA’S ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET A leading cultural institution, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet has earned a national and international reputation for its impassioned artistry and technical virtuosity, and has received widespread critical acclaim for extraordinary performances of diverse classical and contemporary repertoires. Founded in 1939, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet holds the distinction of being the first and only ballet company in North America to hold the “Royal” designation and is also one of the oldest ballet companies on the continent. In 1953, RWB received its royal title, the first granted under the reign of Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet first began to tour Canada in 1945; it completed its first American tour in 1954. In 1975, the RWB toured Israel and was the first Canadian ballet to visit the country. For its 70th anniversary, the RWB returned to Israel and was greeted by audiences in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa with resounding accolades. In 2014, RWB toured China as part of its 75th Anniversary Season. The RWB spends anywhere from five to 20 weeks a year on the road, performing in centres large and small. The RWB has performed in the United States, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and in every Canadian province. Over time, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet has expanded its repertoire to include bold, innovative new works that embody creative excellence and engage audiences in an ongoing commitment to the vitality of this unique art form. Ballets such as The Handmaid’s Tale based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, Dracula, Nutcracker, Moulin Rouge® –The Ballet and Going Home Star – A Story of Truth and Reconciliation are great examples of the fine balance between the classical traditions and the boldness of contemporary ballet, which in turn has given this ensemble of artists a unique style. Now celebrating 75 years, the energy and exuberance of its versatile dancers are Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s enduring signature. ANDRÉ LEWIS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Approaching nearly 38 years with Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, 17 of them as Artistic Director, André Lewis has spent the majority of his career with Canada’s first professional dance company. A native of Gatineau, Québec, Lewis began his dance training in Ottawa before being accepted into the Professional Division of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in 1975. He joined the RWB Company in 1979 where he enjoyed an accomplished career as a dancer for over ten years. In 1996, Lewis was appointed Artistic Director of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Since then he has been the driving force behind the new and innovative works that have dramatically rejuvenated the Company’s repertoire. Lewis has commissioned numerous blockbuster ballets such as Mark Godden’s Dracula in 1998 and Moulin Rouge ® - The Ballet in 2009. He was instrumental in the 1999 creation of a new Nutcracker for the Company and in 2002, Lewis brought to Winnipeg the thrilling and passionate Carmina Burana by Argentinean choreographer Mauricio Wainrot. In 2012, Lewis and Atlanta Ballet artistic director John McFall co-commissioned a new creation by celebrated choreographer Twyla Tharp titled Twyla Tharp’s The Princess & The Goblin. In 2013, Lewis commissioned another outstanding new creation in conjunction with New York choreographer Lila York. The full-length ballet The Handmaid’s Tale is a bold adaptation of the novel of the same name by Governor General Award-winning Canadian author, Margaret Atwood. In 2014, Lewis and RWB executive director Jeff Herd commissioned the ballet, Going Home Star – Truth and Reconciliation with the support of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. In addition to his position as artistic director, Lewis is a sought-after ballet instructor and has guest taught throughout Europe and Japan. PHOTO: REJÉAN BRANDT PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO: REJÉAN BRANDT PHOTOGRAPHY JEFF HERD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Jeff Herd has over 40 years of experience producing, managing and touring stage productions and companies across Canada, the United States and in Europe. He began his ambitious career at the age of 15 as an apprentice at Rainbow Stage in Winnipeg. In 1973 Herd joined Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet as production stage manager, a position he held until 1980. In the 1980’s Herd travelled throughout Canada working in the field of design and production at a variety of organizations including the Globe Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, Theatre Calgary, Alberta Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal, the Expo 1986 World Festival, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. From 1987 to 1989, he was production manager at The National Ballet of Canada, where he worked closely with the artistic and technical teams to produce local performances as well as tours throughout Canada and North America. From 1991 to 1997 Herd’s career led him back to the RWB where he fulfilled the role of Production Director. During that time he directed the production of many new works including Antony Tudor’s Lilac Garden and Mark Godden’s Angels in the Architecture, and created the lighting design for many of the RWB’s productions. In 1997 Herd accepted the position of Company Manager for Cirque du Soleil’s largest and most well-known production “O “ based at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. In his capacity as company manager, Herd successfully transitioned “O” from its initial creation phase into a fully operational and sustainable production. After “O”, Jeff created the “technical and show support department” for Cirque Las Vegas including the areas of technical strategy, human resources recruitment and training, global purchasing and procurement and consistent maintenance of the shows. Herd had an active role in the creation of the Resident Shows Division at Cirque du Soleil which centralized the support departments in order to accommodate the expansion of Las Vegas productions. Herd’s work at Cirque du Soleil led to an opportunity in Belgium and in 2007 he left Cirque to accept the position of General Director at Dragone, a creations and productions company. Founder Franco Dragone, who created many of the original Cirque shows, recruited Herd based on his extensive knowledge in the field of production. Now back in Winnipeg with his wife and two young children, Jeff Herd is bringing his diverse experience and training to the position of Executive Director at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. SOARING WORLD–WIDE ARGENTINA Buenos Aires Rosario ARUBA Ornajestad AUSTRALIA Adelaide Brisbane Canberra Melbourne Sydney BERMUDA Hamilton BRAZIL Brazilia Rio de Janeiro São Paulo CANADA ALBERTA Banff Barrhead Calgary Edmonton Fort McMurray Grande Prairie High River Lacombe Lethbridge Lloydminster Medicine Hat Red Deer BRITISH COLUMBIA Campbell River Chilliwack Courtney Cranbrook Dawson Creek Duncan Kamloops Kelowna Kimberly Kitimat Nanaimo Nelson New Westminster Penticton Port Alberni Prince George Prince Rupert Revelstoke Terrace Trail Vancouver Vernon Victoria MANITOBA Brandon Dauphin Flin Flon Manitou The Pas Thompson Virden Winnipeg NEW BRUNSWICK Bathurst Campbellton Edmundston Fredericton Moncton Sackville Saint John Woodstock NEWFOUNDLAND Corner Brook Gander Grand Falls St. John’s Stephenville NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Yellowknife NOVA SCOTIA Antigonish Glace Bay Halifax New Glasgow Port Hawkesbury Sydney Truro Wolfville Yarmouth ONTARIO Barrie Belleville Brantford Brockville Chatham Cobourg Cornwall Deep River Dryden Etobicoke Fort William Guelph Hamilton Kenora Kingston Kitchener Lindsay London Markham Mississauga Nepean Niagara Falls Niagara-On-The-Lake North Bay Oakville Orillia Oshawa Ottawa Owen Sound Peterborough Port Arthur St. Catharines Sarnia Sault Ste. Marie Stratford Sudbury Terrace Bay Thunder Bay Timmins Toronto Welland Windsor PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Charlottetown QUEBEC Arvida Chicoutimi Joliette Montréal Québec City Rimouski Riviere du Loup St. Sauveur Shawnigan Falls Sherbrooke SASKATCHEWAN Esterhazy Estevan Moose Jaw North Battleford Prince Albert Regina Saskatoon Swift Current Weyburn Yorkton COLUMBIA Bogota Cali COSTA RICA San Jose CUBA Havana CURACAO Williamstad CYPRUS Nicosia CZECHOSLOVAKIA Bratislava Brno Kosice Prague EGYPT Alexandria Cairo ENGLAND Liverpool London FRANCE Paris GERMANY Berlin Frankfurt Friedrichshafen Karlsuhe Leverkusen Ludwigshafen Neuss Stuttgart GREECE Athens Corfu Thessaloniki HONG KONG HUNGARY Budapest ISRAEL Caesarea Haifa Jerusalem Tel Aviv ITALY Genoa Monza (Milan) Torino (Turin) Trieste Verona JAPAN Fukuoka Hamamatsu Hiroshima Kawaguchi Kumamoto Kyoto Matsudo Nagoya Osaka Sapporo Tokyo Yokohama JAMAICA Kingston LIECHTENSTEIN Schaan MALAYSIA Kuala Lumpur MEXICO Guadalajara Guanajuato Jalapa Mexico City Perublo THE NETHERLANDS Arnhem Den Haag NICARAGUA Managua NORTH IRELAND Belfast PANAMA Panama PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Beijing Chongqing Guangzhou Hanqzhou Ji`nan Macau Nanjing Qingdao Shanghai Shenzhen YueYang Wuhan PERU Lima PHILIPPINES Manila PUERTO RICO San Juan REPUBLIC OF CHINA Kaohsiung Taichung Taipei REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE Singapore RUSSIA Moscow St. Petersburg SCOTLAND Glasgow Edinburgh SWITZERLAND Lausanne Zug THAILAND Bangkok UKRAINE Kiev Odessa UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ALABAMA Anniston Auburn Birmingham Decatur Florence Huntsville Montgomery Monroe Opelika Tuscaloosa ALASKA Anchorage ARIZONA Phoenix Tempe Tucson ARKANSAS Little Rock CALIFORNIA Bakersfield Berkeley China Lake Claremont Cupertino Escondido Fresno Fullerton Lancaster Long Beach Los Angeles Marjorie Northridge Oakland Oceanside Palm Desert Palm Springs Pasadena Sacramento San Gabriel San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Santa Cruz Torrence COLORADO Avon Boulder Denver Fort Collins Pueblo CONNECTICUT Bridgeport Hartford Kent Storrs DELAWARE Wilmington DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington FLORIDA Boca Raton Clearwater Daytona Beach Fort Lauderdale Fort Myers Gainsville Jacksonville Lakeland Melbourne Miami Miami Beach Naples Ocala Orlando SOARING WORLD–WIDE 581 cities & 44 countries in which the RWB has danced continued... Panama City Pensacola St. Petersburg Sarasota Tallahassee Tampa West Palm Beach GEORGIA Atlanta Savannah Thomasville ILLINOIS Alton Aurora Carbondale Champaign-Urbana Chicago Decatur DeKalb Evanston Galesburg Glen Ellyn Maywood Normal Oakwood Paris Peoria Quincy Rockford Skokie Springfield St. Charles University Park Urbana Wheaton INDIANA Bloomington Cornersville East Chicago Elkhart Evansville Fort Wayne Franklin Indianapolis Muncie Richmond St. Mary of the Wood South Bend Wabash West Lafayette IOWA Ames Burlington Cedar Falls Cedar Rapids Clinton Davenport Des Moines Esterville Fort Madison Grinnell College Iowa City Muscatin Ottumwa Sioux City Storm Lake Waverly KANSAS Emporia Hays Iola Lawrence Levenworth Manhattan Salina Topeka Wichita KENTUCKY Danville Louisville Meridian Richmond LOUISIANA Baton Rouge Lafayette Lake Charles Munroe Natchitoches New Orleans Shreveport MAINE Orono Portland MARYLAND Baltimore Rockville MASSACHUSETTS Amherst Boston Franklin Jacob’s Pillow Lowell Worchester MICHIGAN Adrian Ann Arbor Battle Creek Bay City Coldwater Detroit East Lansing Flint Grand Rapids Kalamazoo Marquette Mount Clemens Muskegon Port Huron Rochester Saginaw Sandusky Traverse City MINNESOTA Alberta Lea Bemidji Duluth Fairboult Grand Rapids Hibbing Little Falls Mankato Minneapolis Moorhead Morris Northfield Owatonna Red Wing Rochester St. Cloud St. Joseph St. Paul MISSISSIPPI Columbus Jackson Oxford Tupelo MISSOURI Cape Girardeau Columbia Joplin Kansas City St. Louis MONTANA Billings Bozeman Missoula NEBRASKA Lincoln Omaha Wayne NEVADA Reno NEW HAMPSHIRE Durham Concord NEW JERSEY Montclair New Brunswick Newark Ponoma Princeton NEW MEXICO Los Cruces NEW YORK Albany Binghampton Bronx Brooklyn Buffalo Corning Greenvale, Long Island Huntington, Long Island Jamestown Middletown New York Northport, Long Island Oneonta Purchase Schenectady Southampton, Long Island Stony Brook Syracuse Utica West Point White Plains NORTH CAROLINA Asheville Boone Chapel Hill Charlotte Durham Greensboro Greenville High Point Pembroke Raleigh Rock Hill Wilmington NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck Fargo Grand Forks Minot OHIO Akron Ashtabula Athens Columbus Cuyahonga Falls Dayton Marion Oxford Toledo Warren OREGON Carvallis Eugene Medford Portland PENNSYLVANIA Altoona Bethel Park Erie Grove City Indiana Philadelphia Pittsburgh Reading Selinsgrove University Park Westchester Williamsport York RHODE ISLAND Providence SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston Columbia Durham Greenville Greenwood Rock Hill Spartanburg SOUTH DAKOTA Aberdeen Rapid City Sioux Falls TENNESSEE Knoxville Memphis TEXAS Amarillo Austin Beaumont College Station Dallas Denton Fort Worth Galveston Houston Kerrville Laredo Lubbock Nacogdoches Orange Richardson San Antonio Temple Tyler Victoria Wichita Falls UTAH Logan Salt Lake City VERMONT Burlington VIRGINIA Charlottesville Fairfax Hampton Newport News Norfolk Petersburg Williamsburg WASHINGTON Bellingham Cheney Everett Olympia Pullman Richard Seattle Spokane Tacoma Wausau Yakima WEST VIRGINIA Huntington Morgantown WISCONSIN Fond du Lac Green Bay Janesville Kenosha Kohler La Crosse Madison Manitowac Milwaukee Racine Wasau Wawatoga WYOMING Cheyenne VENEZUELA Caracas WALES Cardiff TOURING INFORMATION Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet first began to tour Canada in 1945; then completed its first American tour in 1954. Today, the Company spends between five to 20 weeks a year on the road, performing in centres both large and small. The average touring Company is approximately 40 people, including 26 dancers, 7 to 8 technical crew, and 4 to 6 staff and management. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet has developed touring infrastructure, of its over 50 year history of touring, which allows most of our productions to be setup and performed on the same day. GENERAL TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS • Optimal performing area is 48 feet (14.5 m) wide, by 50 feet (15 m) deep. However, smaller spaces can be accommodated with prior consultation with the RWB’s production department. • The stage should have a minimum of 28 working line sets available, relatively evenly distributed from the smoke pocket to a minimum distance of 40 feet (12 m) upstage of the smoke pocket. • The battens should be a minimum width of 55 feet (16.75 m), made of 1- ½ inch I.D. Schedule 40 steel pipe (or equivalent). • Each line set must be capable of safely carrying 1000 lbs above pipe weight,and must travel to a minimum height of 55 feet (16.75 m) above the stage floor. • Free wing space of 15 feet (4.5 m) each side, offstage of the legs with 22 feet (6.5 m) of overhead clearance unobstructed as well as an unobstructed upstage cross over. Ideally there should also be a scenery dock for storage and preparation of props and scenery. DRESSING ROOMS We require, at minimum, one male and one female dressing room capable of accommodating 26 to 40 dancers in total. PHOTO: VINCE PAHKALA Val Caniparoli’s A CINDERELLA STORY Based on themes by Richard Rodgers CHOREOGRAPHY: Val Caniparoli MUSIC ARRANGEMENTS & ORCHESTRATIONS: Ron Paley SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGN: Sandra Woodall LIBRETTO: Sheryl Flatow & Val Caniparoli LIGHTING AND SOUND DESIGN: Alexander V. Nichols ASSISTANT TO THE SCENIC DESIGNER: Tom Richardson NUMBER OF DANCERS:26 LENGTH: 2 hours, 11 minutes “The world premiere of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s full-length Cinderella is a runaway hit. The delighted audience erupted in cheers after the first act with an ovation usually reserved for a curtain call.” Paula Citron, The Globe and Mail, October 23, 2004 Remember when families gathered around the television set on a Saturday night? That era, the 1950’s, is the setting for Val Caniparoli’s A Cinderella Story, a retro retelling of your favourite fairy tale. Experience a new way to tell a familiar story as electric choreography melds with Richard Rodgers’ music, all arranged for a live jazz orchestra by legendary Winnipeg bandleader Ron Paley. California-based choreographer Val Caniparoli’s work has been seen around the globe with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. Production Benefactors: The Asper Foundation, The Winnipeg Foundation, The Cipryk Family, Gerry Grey, James Morden, Martin Weinberg & Family World Premiere (Royal Winnipeg Ballet): October 20, 2004 TARA BIRTWHISTLE , GIUSEPPE DE RIGUERRO AND THE COMPANY PHOTO: BRUCE MONK CARMINA BURANA CHOREOGRAPHY: Mauricio Wainrot MUSIC: Carl Orff “Carmina Burana” SET & COSTUME DESIGN: Carlos Gallardo LIGHTING DESIGN: David Morrison NUMBER OF DANCERS:26 LENGTH: 1 hour 3 minutes “The unforgettable Carmina Burana was a boiling cauldron of choreography” Garth Buchholtz, The Winnipeg Free Press, May 3, 2002 “By turns capricious, romantic, lusty and often reminiscent of youthful folk dancing, it’s a cornucopia of movement and carefully staged tableaux” Pat St. Germain, Winnipeg Sun, May 3, 2002 It must have been spring when composer Carl Orff discovered the lusty manuscripts of defrocked monks who had traded in their vows for concerns of the flesh. Orff was so inspired that he created Carmina Burana – music that has become known as his masterpiece. Argentinean dancemaker Mauricio Wainrot has matched the exuberance of Carl Orff’s music with sensual and powerful choreography. A true feast for the senses! World Premiere (Royal Ballet of Flanders): 1998 Royal Winnipeg Ballet Premiere: May 1, 2002 TARA BIRTWHISTLE AND THE COMPANY PHOTO: BRUCE MONK DRACULA CHOREOGRAPHY: Mark Godden MUSIC: Gustav Mahler (excerpts from Symphonies #1, #2, #9) SET & COSTUME DESIGN: Paul Daigle LIGHTING DESIGN: David Morrison NUMBER OF DANCERS:26 LENGTH: 2 hours 11 minutes “… an original, made-in-Canada, full-length story ballet that combines wit, intelligence, theatricality and fine dancing in one very entertaining package.” Michael Crabb, Arts Today, October 26, 1998 “Mark Godden’s Dracula is a ballet that will live on. This is Gothic ballet at its most appealing. From opening prologue to final scene, there is rumour of longevity to the production, a hint of the magic that makes the myths of Dracula so immortal.” The Edmonton Journal, March 3, 1999 “I was utterly seduced… I’ve been bitten.” Robert Enright, CBC Radio, October 23, 1998 Burned into the public psyche over the past one hundred years, the name Dracula evokes dread and horror - but, most of all, fascination. A legend, a classic novel, the subject of countless movies since the earliest days of celluloid - Dracula is brought to life once again with Mark Godden’s inventive choreography. Dracula marked the first time that Godden created a full-length ballet. Complete with flying bats, dancing gargoyles and mysterious transformations, Mark Godden’s Dracula is contemporary ballet at its atmospheric finest. World Premiere (Royal Winnipeg Ballet): October 21, 1998 TARA BIRTWHISTLE AND JAIME VARGAS PHOTO: DAVID COOPER PETER PAN CHOREOGRAPHY: Jorden Morris MUSIC: Sir Benjamin Britten, Eric Coates, Sir Edward Elgar, Ron Goodwin, Montague Phillips SCENERY & COSTUME DESIGN: ANNE ARMIT LIGHTING DESIGN: Bill Williams ASSOCIATE LIGHTING DESIGN: Robert Mravnik FIGHT DIRECTOR: Daniel Ford Beavis FLYING SEQUENCES: Flying by Foy NUMBER OF DANCERS:26 LENGTH: 2 hours 17 minutes “If happy thoughts and a sprinkling of fairy dust really were all you needed to fly, audiences attending the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s performance of Peter Pan would be airborne about three minutes into Act I.” - Natasha Gautier, Ottawa Citizen, January 2009 Perfect for families and anyone who never wants to grow up, Peter Pan is a magical flight, filled with family entertainment, fantasy and marvelous thrills. Peter Pan tells the story of Peter, who invites Wendy to Neverland to be the mother of his gang of Lost Boys. Many adventures ensue, including the near-death of Tinker Bell and a climactic confrontation with Peter’s nemesis, the pirate Captain Hook. World Premiere (Royal Winnipeg Ballet): December 22, 2006 VANESSA LAWSON PHOTO: BRUCE MONK ROMEO & JULIET CHOREOGRAPHY: Rudi van Dantzig MUSIC: Serge Prokofiev SCENERY & COSTUME DESIGN: Toer van Schayk LIGHTING DESIGN: Nicholas Cernovitch NUMBER OF DANCERS:26 LENGTH: 2 hours 29 minutes “Rudi van Dantzig’s inventive choreography is as fresh and engaging as it was in its RWB première in 1981.” Holly Harris, Winnipeg Free Press, 2014 “The balcony scene delivers what we’ve come to expect from a traditional Romeo + Juliet, but still manages to feel fresh.” Salena Kitteringham, Edmonton Journal, 2014 What is more beautiful than falling in love for the first time...again. Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy is given a beautiful and thought-provoking telling in this masterpiece of dance and drama. The splendour of sixteenth-century Verona is recreated by the magnificent sets and costumes of Toer van Schayk in this full-length ballet that demands the most of a dancer’s personal capacity to create a role. World Premiere (Dutch National Ballet): 1965 Royal Winnipeg Ballet Premiere: September 30, 1981 RWB COMPANY IN ROMEO + JULIET PHOTO: DAVID COOPER MOULIN ROUGE® – THE BALLET CHOREOGRAPHER: Jorden Morris MUSIC: Various Composers COSTUME DESIGN: Anne Armit & Shannon Lovelace SET & PROPERTIES DESIGN: Andrew Beck LIGHTING DESIGN: Pierre Lavoie DRAMATURGE: Rick Skene MAKE-UP DESIGN: Melissa Gibson NUMBER OF DANCERS:26 LENGTH: 2 hours, 15 minutes “I am willing to bet that this show, which played to sold-out houses in Ottawa, will continue to wow audiences wherever it tours.” - Le Droit, 2010 “Moulin Rouge ®- The Ballet is a triumph ... stunningly beautiful ... it’s moments like this that make ballet fans out of people who think they don’t like ballet.” - Atlanta InTown, 2010 (Atlanta Ballet) Moulin Rouge® – The Ballet has been seen by over 100,000 people across North America and has elicited cheers and ovations wherever it tours. Along with a rousing French themed soundtrack, the ballet features high-kicking choreography and a passionate story of love, ambition and heartbreak. Turn of the century Paris … a city of exquisite contradiction. The heady elixir of personal freedom bred lifestyles both reckless and addictive. Drawn to Paris by the city’s passion, a flame fuelled by the hearts of lovers and the souls of poets, Matthew and Nathalie tempt fate as they seek love and destiny at the infamous cabaret – The Moulin Rouge®. World Premiere (Royal Winnipeg Ballet): October 17, 2009 In the spirit of the Moulin Rouge of Paris, Moulin Rouge® is a registered trademark of Moulin Rouge S.A. ELIZABETH LAMONT, AMAR DHALIWAL AND THE COMPANY PHOTO: VINCE PAHKALA THE HANDMAID’S TALE Based on the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood CHOREOGRAPHY:Lila York MUSIC:James McMillan, ArvoPärt, and others COSTUME DESIGN:Liz Vandal SCENIC DESIGN:Clifton Taylor ASSOCIATE SCENIC DESIGN:Anshuman Bhatia LIGHTING DESIGN: Clifton Taylor &Anshuman Bhatia PROJECTIONS DESIGN: Sean Nieuwenhuis NUMBER OF DANCERS:26 LENGTH: 1 Hour 55 minutes “York’s vision breathes new life into a venerable Canadian classic while literally embodying the story’s dark forces, with its sobering message as timely — and relevant — as ever” – Winnipeg Free Press Artistic Director André Lewis commissioned this bold adaptation of Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel of the same name. Acclaimed New York-based choreographer Lila York preserves the work’s prophetic spirit and human story, creating a powerful and poignant interpretation of the gripping tale. Deftly attuned to highlighting the narrative’s dark romanticism, forbidden desires and domineering regime, York’s dance drama transports audiences, with thrilling effect, to a society where human rights have been stripped away. Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2015, is brought to life by the extraordinary athleticism and theatricality of the RWB dancers, set to a pastiche score. World Premiere (Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet): October 16, 2013 AMANDA GREEN AND THE COMPANY PHOTO: VINCE PAHKALA SWAN LAKE CHOREOGRAPHY: Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov MUSIC: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky STAGED BY: Galina Yordanova SCENERY & COSTUME DESIGN: Peter Farmer LIGHTING DESIGN: Nicholas Cernovitch NUMBER OF DANCERS:40 LENGTH: 2 hours 19 minutes Swan Lake is perhaps the best-known classical ballet of all time. The work also enjoys the prestige of being one of Tchaikovsky’s three full-length ballets, with Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty completing the trio. Surprisingly, however, Swan Lake was not a success when it first appeared in Russia in 1877. This 1895 version with choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov fared better. Swan Lake is the story of Odette, a princess who has been turned into a swan by the wicked von Rothbart. Each night, Odette and her companions enjoy a few precious hours as human beings. On one such occasion she meets and falls in love with Prince Siegfried, who promises to rescue her. Their plans are foiled by von Rothbart who transforms his daughter Odile to resemble Odette in order to trick the Prince. However, not even evil von Rothbart can destroy their love, for Odette and Siegfried are reunited in the hereafter. World Premiere: Maryinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg - January, 1895 Royal Winnipeg Ballet Premiere: May, 1987 THE COMPANY PHOTO: BRUCE MONK NUTCRACKER CHOREOGRAPHY: Galina Yordanova and Nina Menon MUSIC: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky COSTUME DESIGN: Paul Daigle SCENIC DESIGN: Brian Perchaluk LIGHTING DESIGN: Michael J. Whitfield NUMBER OF DANCERS:26 LENGTH: 2 hours, 4 minutes “A captivating fantasy…rapturously romantic.” Winnipeg Free Press, 2011 “Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker is Picture Perfect.” - The Georgia Strait This sparkling holiday tradition is a festive feast for the senses with enchanting costumes, timeless choreography and a brilliant score by Tchaikovsky. Nutcracker features endearing Canadian scenes like a snowy pond hockey game and a battle on Parliament Hill. What could be more fun for the family than to join young Clara’s Christmas fantasy, where toys come to life, the Sugar Plum Fairy spreads her magic and a mischievous bear steals the Christmas pudding. A holiday classic for the whole family! World Premiere (Royal Winnipeg Ballet): Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, December 2, 1999 STUDENTS FROM THE RWB SCHOOL AND THE COMPANY PHOTO: BRUCE MONK LUMINOUS CHOREOGRAPHY: Peter Quanz MUSIC: Marjan Mozetich COSTUME DESIGN: Anne Armit LIGHTING DESIGN: Robert Mravnik NUMBER OF DANCERS:8 LENGTH: 23 minutes “Quanz holds nothing back in this ballet of enormous depth and beauty” - Holly Harris, Uptown Magazine, June 6, 2012 From the internationally-acclaimed choreographer and RWB alumnus Peter Quanz, whose In Tandem wowed New York audiences at the Guggenheim Museum in 2009 comes a gorgeous new work that explores romantic relationships at different stages of life. Playful, intimate and poignant, the moonlit ballet is “by far the finest new work commissioned by Hong Kong Ballet … [in] two decades…” (The Financial Times, 2010). The award-winning Quanz has created for the world’s leading ballet companies including Kirov Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Britain’s Royal Ballet. Luminous was first developed at the National Choreographers Initiative, Molly Lynch, Director, presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre, July 2010. World Premiere (Hong Kong Ballet): September 24, 2010 Royal Winnipeg Ballet Premiere: May 9, 2012 THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF EXACTITUDE CHOREOGRAPHY: William Forsythe MUSIC: Franz Schubert, Allegro Vivace from Symphony #9 in C Major COSTUME DESIGN: Stephen Galloway LIGHTING DESIGN: William Forsythe NUMBER OF DANCERS:5 LENGTH:11 minutes “The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude was speedy and full of adrenaline, showcasing the dancers’ ability and technical mastery” - 204 (blog), 2014 Set to the final movement of Schubert’s Symphony #9, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude displays all of the traditional components of classical dance: tutus, pointe shoes, virtuosity and lyricism. From the full-length Six Counter Points, this ballet for three women and two men provides a breathtaking display of classical technique that serves to illustrate the way in which Forsythe sees the ballet vocabulary as part of a range of choreographic possibilities. An affectionate homage to Petipa and Balanchine in its courtly partnering, structure and speedy, precise allegro work, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude nonetheless belongs to present time in its celebration of the dancers’ ability to make technical difficulty into a triumph of physical mastery and in its self-aware embodiment of a whole tradition of dance. World Premiere (Frankfurt Ballet): January 20, 1996 Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet Premiere: November 7, 2012 AMANDA GREEN AND TRISTAN DOBROWNEY IN LUMINUS PHOTO: BRUCE MONK HIKARIZATTO CHOREOGRAPHY: Itzik Galili MUSIC: Percossa “Hikarizatto” (Niels van Hoorn and Janwillem van der Poll) COSTUME & LIGHTING DESIGN: Itzik Galili NUMBER OF DANCERS:20 LENGTH: 20 minutes “Galili creates kaleidoscopic dazzle with varied lifts, sky-high kicks and male-female entanglements happening simultaneously on different depth planes.” -Winnipeg Free Press “The audience reaction – whistles, yells, standing ovation – was absolutely deserved.” -Winnipeg Free Press “I am interested in dance that does not merely refer to itself. Art is a way of gaining insight into human existence. We look at art and see our inner self, the possibilities we have never realized, the dark secrets we want to hide. Of all art forms, dance is the most true to life.” – Itzik Galili The North American Premiere of Hikarizatto was the first work by Tel Aviv born choreographer Itzik Galili, performed by the RWB. Rhythmic drumming accompanies Galili’s trademark off-balance, hyperkinetic movement. World Premiere: Stuttgart Ballet, Stuttgart, Germany: April 2004 Royal Winnipeg Ballet Premiere: May 9, 2007 JO-ANN SUNDERMEIER AND JAIME VARGAS PHOTO: BRUCE MONK SVENGALI Based on the novel Trilby by George du Maurier CREATED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY: Mark Godden MUSIC: Sergei Rachmaninov, Franz Liszt, Philip Glass, Richard Strauss, Amsterdam Klezmer Band, Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band COSTUME DESIGN: Paul Daigle SCENIC DESIGN: Andrew Beck LIGHTING DESIGN: Pierre Lavoie BASED ON A FILM TREATMENT BY: Guy Maddin NUMBER OF DANCERS:26 LENGTH: 2 hours 2 minutes “Svengali is beautiful, challenging and a visual turn-on. The ballet is, simply, a triumph, danced with explosive discipline by this talented company.” -Robert Enright, CBC “It’s the subtleties that make this work so interesting - unexpected darts, flops and twists that punctuate more classical technique.” - Jenna French, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, November 2011 Mark Godden’s choreographic genius brings us an explosive new look at the original master of mind control. This RWB creation takes its inspiration from a film treatment born of the fevered imagination of international film sensation Guy Maddin. Yearning for public recognition, Svengali escapes the repression of his mother’s ballet studio to a decadent world reminiscent of mid-century Weimar, where he finds the beautiful and malleable young dancer, Trilby. Under Svengali’s entrancing influence, Trilby is transformed into the darling of the ballet world, but her star ultimately rises beyond Svengali’s powerful emotional grasp. This complex psychological drama will unfold with riveting choreography by the creative powerhouse behind RWB’s Dracula, and shades of Maddinesque irreverence, as Svengali’s family secrets and sinister purposes are revealed. World Premiere (Royal Winnipeg Ballet): October 19, 2011 THE COMPANY PHOTO: BRUCE MONK THE ECSTASY OF RITA JOE From the Original Play by George Ryge CHOREOGRAPHY: Norbert Vesak MUSIC: Ann Mortifee LYRICS AND DIALOGUE: George Ryga STAGED BY: Arnold Spohr COSTUMES AND LIGHTING DESIGN: Norbert Vesak ORCHESTRATION: Earl Stafford AUDIO DIRECTION: Philip Keatly LENGTH: 40 minutes “It’s said that when you’re being swallowed by an ocean, your whole life, both the good and the bad, flashed before your eyes. And so it is with Rita Joe, an aboriginal girl about to be swallowed up in a sea of city faces – her dreams and memories jumbled together in an unreal reality.” The Ecstasy of Rita Joe is an adaptation of George Ryga’s play of the same name. It is a deeply moving ballet centering around a young Aboriginal woman who leaves the reservation in the hope of finding a better life in the city. With little schooling and a poor grasp of the English language, Rita Joe cannot support herself. She quickly becomes entrapped in a desolate world of prostitution and drug addiction. The Ecstasy of Rita Joe was originally commissioned in 1971 by the Manitoba Indian Brotherhood Association to mark the centenary of the signing of Indian Treaties Number 1 and 2. World Premiere (Royal Winnipeg Ballet): July 27, 1971 in Ottawa BELONG CONCEPTION & CHOREOGRAPHY: Norbert Vesak MUSIC: Syrinx ORIGINAL COSTUMES & LIGHTING: Norbert Vesak NUMBER OF DANCERS:2 LENGTH:8minutes Award-winning Belong is a sensual, dramatic and intriguing work characterized by fluid, expressive movement. This pas de deux, from the ballet What to do Till the Messiah Comes, is considered by many critics to be the most powerful piece of choreography conceived by Norbert Vesak. Belong was awarded the Gold Medal for choreography at both the World Ballet Concours in Japan (1980) and the International Ballet Competition in Varna (1980). World Premiere (Royal Winnipeg Ballet): January 11, 1973 TARA BIRTWHISTLE, ERIC NIPP AND THE COMPANY IN THE ECSTASY OF RITA JOE PHOTO: BRUCE MONK TWYLA THARP’S THE PRINCESS & THE GOBLIN BASED ON A STORY BY: George MacDonald CONCEIVED, DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED: Twyla Tharp MUSIC: Franz Schubert ORIGINAL MUSIC, ARRANGED AND ORCHESTRATED: Richard Burke LIGHTING DESIGN: Donald Holder COSTUME DESIGN: Anne Armit SCENIC DESIGN : Caleb Levengood NUMBER OF DANCERS:26 LENGTH:1 hour 21 minutes INTERNATIONAL CO-PRODUCTION WITH ATLANTA BALLET. “Enchanting and funny…a powerful image of love. [Tharp] has succeeded here where so many have failed…a children’s ballet tightly woven with movement motifs and layered with symbolic meanings that adults can appreciate.” – New York Times, 2012 “Intriguing & moving” – Wall Street Journal, 2012 Over her long and illustrious career, Twyla Tharp has brought ballet into the popular imagination the world over and her work has irrevocably changed the face of modern dance. Tharp’s defining new ballet is an adaptation of a fairy tale by Victorian fantasy novelist George MacDonald, who is credited with inspiring authors W.H. Auden, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. The story follows young Princess Irene on a courageous quest to the underworld as she discovers the town’s children being kidnapped by the goblins. Guided by her Great-Grandmother, the heroine rescues the children against the odds in a transformative and inspiring story of humility and forgiveness. INTERNATIONAL CO-PRODUCTION WITH ATLANTA BALLET World Premiere: February 10, 2012 (Atlanta Ballet) Canadian Premiere: Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet Premiere: October 17, 2012 AMANDA GREEN AND ERIC NIPP PHOTO: BRUCE MONK IN TANDEM CHOREOGRAPHER: Peter Quanz MUSIC: Steve Reich COSTUME DESIGN: Anne Armit LIGHTING DESIGN: Marc Parent NUMBER OF DANCERS:6 LENGTH: 23 minutes “Quanz has created a suspenseful choreographic journey…” - Matthew Oshinsky, The Star-Ledger, September 2009 “Of all the pieces the Ontario-based choreographer has created in the past 10 years, In Tandem is easily the smartest.” – Gary Smith, Dance International, Winter 2009 In Tandem is a dynamic choreographic journey that stands apart due to its energetic and pulsing movements that have been characterized as “stretchy”, “edgy” and “angular”. Commissioned by the Works & Process Series of the Guggenheim Museum, In Tandem fuses classical ballet vocabulary with contemporary language. Choreographed by Peter Quanz, this neo-classical ballet is set to the 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning “Double Sextet” by American composer, Steve Reich. The music’s vibrant and swift rhythm carries the dancers from beginning to end through their suspenseful movements, unmistakably echoing both the darker and lighter moods of the performance. As Quanz’s breakthrough ballet, In Tandem overflows with social charm and fleeting suggestions of the fundamental confrontations any love-based relationship must face. Fast-paced and pointed, this ballet is a modern inspection of some of our deepest and most unbridled emotions. In Tandem was commissioned by Works & Process at the Guggenheim. World Premiere: September 11, 2009 Royal Winnipeg Ballet Premiere: July 29, 2010 THE COMPANY PHOTO: RICHARD TERMINE GOING HOME STAR - TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION CHOREOGRAPHY: Mark Godden STORY BY: Joseph Boyden MUSIC BY: Christos Hatzis COSTUME DESIGN BY: Paul Daigle SET DESIGN BY: KC Adams LIGHTING DESIGN BY: PIERRE LAVOIE PROJECTION DESIGN BY: Sean Nieuwenhuis ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Tina Keeper NUMBER OF DANCERS:26 LENGTH: 1 hour, 52 minutes “The trauma of residential schools is writ large as the company’s strong dancers eat up the stage. This is a ballet that looks very good.” - Paula Citron, The Globe and Mail, October 2014 “It has visibly catalyzed the entire company; I have never seen the RWB dance better” – Robert Enright, CBC, 2014 Commissioned by Artistic Director André Lewis, A Story of Truth and Reconciliation explores the world of Annie, a young, urban First Nations woman adrift in a contemporary life of youthful excess. But when she meets Gordon, a longhaired trickster disguised as a homeless man, she’s propelled into a world she’s always sensed but never seen. Not only do they travel the streets of this place but also the roads of their ancestors, learning to accept eh other’s burdens as the two walk through the past and toward the future. Together, both Annie and Gordon learn that without truth, there is no reconciliation. World Premiere (Royal Winnipeg Ballet): October 1, 2014 THE COMPANY PHOTO: SAMANTA KATZ THE FAERIE QUEEN A Ballet Based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream CHOREOGRAPHY: John Alleyne MUSIC: Henry Purcell, Owen Underhill and Michael Bushnell COSTUME DESIGN: Kim Nielsen SET DESIGN: Darren Waterston LIGHTING DESIGN: Jean Philippe Trépanier “The clasically based but decidedly contemporary choreography flows smoothly, creating clever transitions from scene to scene.” - Critical Dance Experience this enchanting story filled with love, magic, and deception. Fantasy meets visually exquisite dance as choreographer John Alleyne paints the stage in this full-length ballet based on Henry Purcell’s opera of the same name, and on Shakespeare’s magical comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Follow Puck, as the fairy with a penchant for causing chaos, ensnaring both humans and fairies alike in romance and confusion with her magical flower blossom. The Faerie Queen is an exploration of the contrasting elements of fantasy and reality - dark and light, mortal and immortal, male and female - and what happens when these powerful elements collide with one another. Royal Winnipeg Ballet Premiere: April, 2015 ELIZABETH LAMONT PHOTO: REJEAN BRANDT PHOTOGRAPHY THE SLEEPING BEAUTY CHOREOGRAPHY: Marius Petipa MUSIC:Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky COSTUME DESIGN: Shannon Lovelace, Anne Armit SET AND PROPERTIES DESIGN: Michael Eagan LIGHTING DESIGN: Michael J. Whitfield Length: 145 minutes “Lavish, beautiful & very richly textured…you won’t see it done better anywhere else in the world.” - CBC Radio, 2002 “Sleeping Beauty is sheer romantic spectacle, with exquisite dancing and lovely costumes” - Halifax Daily News, October 30, 2002 Journey to an enchanted kingdom where good triumphs over evil through a single kiss. Relive the magic of your favourite childhood fairy tale with its cast of storybook characters including Princess Aurora, Prince Désiré, Little Red Riding Hood and Puss in Boots. The Sleeping Beauty marries the soaring music of Tchaikovsky with the stunning choreography of Marius Petipa, one of ballet’s most gifted creators. With lavish sets, stunning costumes and thrilling classical dance, this ballet will enchant audiences of all ages. World Premiere: January 16, 1890 Royal Winnipeg Ballet Premiere: March 13, 2002 THE COMPANY PHOTO: BRUCE MONK WONDERLAND CHOREOGRAPHY: Shawn Hounsell COMPOSERS: John Estacio, Brian Current, Josef Strauss COSTUME DESIGN: Anne Armit SET DESIGN: Guillaume Lord LIGHTING DESIGN: Hugh Conacher SOUNDSCAPE DESIGN: Nicolas Bernier VIDEO SCENEOGRAPHY: Jimmy Lakatos, TURBINE VIDEOGRAPHER: James Meagher MAKE-UP DESIGN: Jane McKay VOICE OF ALICE: Natalie Macaluso Length: 2 hours, 20 minutes “... unusual and beautiful interpretation ... one of the most unique shows in [RWB’s] repertoire.” - The StarPhoenix “One of Canada’s “MUST-SEE EVENTS” in dance” - The Globe and Mail This is Alice like you’ve never seen her before! Wonderland is a dynamic re-interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s beloved characters, events and themes that is sure to surprise and delight. The Queen of Hearts, The White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter are all on hand, displaying generous doses of wit, camp and humour. The surreal and dark elements that lurk at the original story’s fringes are bravely realized in explosive passages of breathtaking dance and innovative multimedia. Shawn Hounsell, acclaimed choreographer and RWB alumnus, has transformed Wonderland into a multi-sensory experience, with edgy and athletic movement, an inventive electro-acoustic soundscape and unexpected visual treats. Contemporary interpretation of story. Themes suitable for age 6 and older. World Premiere (Royal Winnipeg Ballet): March 9, 2011 TARA BIRTWHISTLE IN WONDERLAND PHOTO: BRUCE MONK GISELLE CHOREOGRAPHY: Peter Wright, after Jules Perrot, Jean Coralli and Marius Petipa STAGED BY: Catherine Taylor MUSIC: Adolphe Adam SCENARIO: Théophile Gautier and Henri Vernoy de Saint Georges PRODUCED BY: Peter Wright SCENERY & COSTUME DESIGN: Peter Farmer LIGHTING DESIGN: Nicholas Cernovitch Length: 115 minutes “Joy, innocence, betrayal, death and salvation are conveyed in floating or vital images which are always beautiful, and often tremulously fragile.” - The Edmonton Sun, 1995 Giselle has been hailed as one of the greatest of all ballets and a supreme achievement of the Romantic era. Based on the German legend of the Wilis, it tells the story of young women whose love was never fulfilled because of intervening powers. In the evening, the Wilis rise from their graves and dance in the moonlight. Their beauty attracts young men, but the Wilis are as dangerous as they are irresistible, compelling the men to dance until they die. World Premiere: June 28, 1841 Royal Winnipeg Ballet Premiere: December 26, 1982 JO-ANN SUNDERMEIER AND THE COMPANY PHOTO: BRUCE MONK THE MAGIC FLUTE CHOREOGRAPHY: Mark Godden MUSIC: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart SET & COSTUME DESIGN: Paul Daigle LIGHTING DESIGN: Pierre Lavoie SOUND DESIGN: Jean-Pierre Coté Length: 2 hours, 25 minutes “Bold, audacious, provocative, never boring...keeps you on the edge of your seat.” - CBC Radio 2003 “Luxuriate in the RWB’s vivid performance of a new ballet that is a boldly original departure” - National Post, 2003 From the creative team of Dracula comes a delightful concoction blending romance, enchantment, fantasy and an extraordinary journey from darkness into light. The Magic Flute features the sublime music of Mozart, the inventive choreography of Mark Godden and the exquisite dancers of the RWB. Dashing heroes, dastardly villains, damsels in distress, captivating comic sidekicks - and a flute with magical powers - abound in this opulent production designed by Paul Daigle. A dazzling showcase for the RWB’s seductive style! The ballet received its world premiere in Winnipeg before touring to Ontario, Quebec and Western Canada in 2003/04 season The Magic Flute was also part of the National Arts Centre’s Mozart Festival in Ottawa in January 2004. Co-produced by the National Arts Centre World Premiere (Royal Winnipeg Ballet): October 22, 2003 THE COMPANY PHOTO: BRUCE MONK CONTACT FOR TOURING OPPORTUNITIES CHRISTOPHER TURYK DIRECTOR OF COMPANY OPERATIONS 204.957.3440 cturyk@rwb.org 380 Graham Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3C 4K2 CANADA TODD JORDAN PAQUIN ENTERTAINMENT 1.204.988.1133 1.204.988.1135 contact.todd@paquinartistsagency.com 468 Stradbrook Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3L 0J9 CANADA AMANDA GREEN PHOTO: REJEAN BRANDT PHOTOGRAPHY RWB.ORG FRONT COVER JO-ANN SUNDERMEIER AND THE COMPANY PHOTO: BRUCE MONK DESIGN: ALELI ESTRADA
