November 11, 2023 – June 22, 2024
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Artistic Director Hope Muir unveils the 2023/24 season, a brilliant selection of the very best in classical and contemporary ballet. “I am thrilled to introduce five new choreographic voices to the company, two of them Canadian, as well two new creations and four acquisitions. It’s an honour to offer this rich artistic experience to you, our audience, and to our dancers, advancing the company’s creative growth and building relationships for the future.”
2023 – 2024 Season
November 11 – 18, 2023
Emma Bovary & Passion
The world premiere of Emma Bovary marks an exciting first partnership between The National Ballet of Canada and award-winning choreographer, director and dancer, Helen Pickett. Pickett combines a striking physical vocabulary with sensitivity to the human condition, and she is breaking new ground in narrative ballet. Emma Bovary is a psychological exploration of the lead character from Gustave Flaubert’s 19th-century novel, Madame Bovary, his influential depiction of a young woman disillusioned by life.
November 22 – 26, 2023
Onegin
John Cranko’s extraordinary Onegin is a ballet which the very best artists of our age aspire to perform. A dance drama beloved for its rich characterization, musicality and passionate vocabulary, Onegin is based on Alexander Pushkin’s 19th-century verse novel Eugene Onegin and tells a nuanced story of unrequited love. Onegin is set to a gorgeous selection of music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and was redesigned in 2010 with period sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by James F. Ingalls.
December 8 – 30, 2023
The Nutcracker
Ballet companies all over the world perform The Nutcracker during the holiday season, each with a special take on Marius Petipa’s beloved classic. The National Ballet of Canada has one of the finest versions in James Kudelka’s staging from 1995, which opens at a Christmas Eve party in rural 19th-century Russia. With non-stop dancing and magnificent sets and costumes from Santo Loquasto, with lighting by Jennifer Tipton, The Nutcracker is an unforgettable tribute to the imagination.
February 1 – 3, 2024
On Tour: Ottawa
National Arts Centre – Angels’ Atlas & Emma Bovary
Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite created Angels’ Atlas for The National Ballet of Canada in February 2020 to rapturous reviews. The ballet unfolds against a morphing wall of light that carries the illusion of depth and a sense of the natural world. Here, the dancing body becomes a sign of humanity’s impermanence and – equally – its vitality within a vast, unknowable world.
March 6 – 17, 2024
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has charm and spectacle in abundance and is beautifully choreographed by a leading innovator in the story ballet, Christopher Wheeldon. A tap-dancing Mad Hatter, hurried White Rabbit and comical Queen of Hearts join the fanciful cast of characters who bring Lewis Carroll’s story to life, with the addition of a love interest for Alice. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland features puppetry and video projections in a brilliant design by Bob Crowley, an original score by Joby Talbot and lighting by Natasha Katz.
March 20 – 24, 2024
UtopiVerse & islands & Suite en Blanc
Toronto-based choreographer William Yong creates his first commission for The National Ballet of Canada. Yong’s voice integrates his muti-disciplinary experience and will showcase the versatility of our artists. Founder of two companies that serve as incubators for his work, Zata Omm Dance Projects and W Zento Production, Yong has an international presence as a respected dancer, choreographer and director.
June 1 – 9, 2024
Don Quixote
Follow the eccentric Don Quixote and his sidekick Sancho Panza on a quest for love in the North American premiere of Carlos Acosta’s Don Quixote, created for The Royal Ballet and remounted for Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2022. Cuban-born Carlos Acosta was one of the great male dancers of his era and Basilio, the young lover from Don Quixote, was a signature role. Don Quixote is a comic romance in the sunny landscape of Spain, set to a musical arrangement of Ludwig Minkus’ score by Hans Vercauteren, featuring original music for guitar.
June 15 – 22, 2024
Jewels
“I like the colour of gems, the beauty of stones.” So said George Balanchine of the inspiration for his 1967 ballet triptych Jewels, a plotless work evoking the radiance and architecture of precious stones. The ballet’s three acts – Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds – are each set to the music of a different composer and often appear as standalone pieces. This season, The National Ballet of Canada will present Jewels in its entirety, giving full expression to this celebrated work.
About The National Ballet of Canada
Celia Franca founded The National Ballet of Canada in 1951 with the goal of presenting the best of classical and contemporary ballet. Today the company is among the world’s finest, with 70 dancers, an inhouse orchestra and a permanent home at The Walter Carsen Centre in Toronto. The National Ballet has a history of pre-eminent Artistic Directors and, starting January 2022, welcomed new leader Hope Muir.
Renowned for its diverse repertoire, the company performs traditional full-length classics, embraces contemporary work and encourages the creation of new ballets as well as the development of Canadian choreographers. In recent years, the National Ballet has become a top destination for creative partnerships and the building and staging of new work. Since 2011, the company’s highly skilled production team has worked from a state-of-the-art facility, The Gretchen Ross Production Centre, to build and store its glorious sets and costumes.
