ABallet_cover.indd 1 9/26/06 16:48:30

Supporting the arts. At TELUS, we believe in using our technology and expertise to make a positive difference in the communities where we live, work and play.

As such, were proud to sponsor the Alberta Ballet as part of our ongoing support of the arts in Canada.

000.Telus_FP_nBL.indd 1 9/13/06 9:46:53ABallet_P002-009.indd 2 9/20/06 17:03:44

3

4 ALBERTA BALLET BOARD, PATRONS, FOUNDATION AND STAFF

5 MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

7 PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST IN THE BOARDROOM

Since taking the administrative helm less than a year ago, Michle Stanners has begun leaving her mark

8 DANCING INTO THE FUTUREAlberta Ballet Artistic Director Jean

Grand-Matre shares his vision in a Q&A

10 A TREE THATS ALWAYS GROWING

From a makeshift basement studio to world-class dance company, Alberta Ballets journey continues

17 TOP OF THE CLASSNancy and Murray Kilgour keep

students on their toes at the School of Alberta Ballet

20 MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR A trip behind the scenes of Alice in Wonderland 26 PORTFOLIO

The patrons, the champions, the arts funders

34 A PERPETUAL, EVOLVING CYCLE OF RENEWAL Critic Michael Crabbs personal journey alongside Alberta Ballet

36 A TALE OF TWO CITIES Calling both Calgary and Edmonton home is equal parts blessing and challenge for Alberta Ballet

38 A CHORUS OF MANY VOICES Alberta Ballet understands the advantages of working with an array of dance partners

41 WORLD TOUR Alberta Ballet gets stronger at home by taking to the road

43 THE RUBY SEASON Innovative Dancing Joni headlines Alberta Ballets 40th anniversary lineup with Attitude

ARTIST PROFILES

46 LATITIA CLMENT

47 IGOR CHORNOVOL

48 SABRINA MATTHEWS 49 AMANDA AND PATRICK CANNY

50 DEDICATION

ON THE COVER:Hamilton Nieh, a talented new addition to Alberta Ballets roster of artists, helps the company celebrate its ruby anniversary

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLES HOPE

Supporting the arts. At TELUS, we believe in using our technology and expertise to make a positive difference in the communities where we live, work and play.

As such, were proud to sponsor the Alberta Ballet as part of our ongoing support of the arts in Canada.

000.Telus_FP_nBL.indd 1 9/13/06 9:46:53 ABallet_P002-009.indd 3 9/20/06 17:04:54

4

D I S T I N G U I S H E D P A T R O N SThe Honourable Norman L. Kwong, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta; The Honourable Ralph Klein, Premier of Alberta

H O N O U R A R Y P A T R O N SPeter and Jeanne Lougheed, John and Barbara Poole

A L B E R T A B A L L E T B O A R DChair: DArcy Levesque, Enbridge Inc.; Vice Chair Edmonton: Barry Schloss, Schloss & Company; Vice Chair Calgary: Laura Haynes, Appetite Consulting;

Vice President Finance: Babette Blindert, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Vice President Legal Affairs & Corporate Secretary: Frank Molnar, Field Law

D I R E C T O R S A T L A R G EKristine Eidsvik, Q.C., Bennett Jones LLP; Bruce Graham, Calgary Economic Development; Ross Hahn, Swizzlesticks Salon & Spa; Gail Harding, Canadian Western Bank; Jose Herrero, Fluor Canada Ltd.; Michael Kerr, Davies Park Executive Search; Kim MacKenzie, MacKenzie & Associates Consulting Group;

Jill Matthew, EPCOR; Walker McKinley, McKinleyDangBurkart Design Group; Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, Innovation Expedition; Karen Schonfelder, Nexen Inc.; Kelly Streit, Mode Models; Julia Turnbull, Q.C.; David J. Wachowich, Fraser Milner Casgrain; Colleen Wilson, ATCO Gas

A L B E R T A B A L L E T F O U N D A T I O N B O A R DPresident & Chair: John C. Bonnycastle; Vice President: Barbara D. Linney, Blank Rome LLP; Secretary-Treasurer: Peter A. Johnson,

Shaw Communications Inc.; Larry E. Clausen, Communication Incorporated; Margaret Coleman, CIBC Wood Gundy; Norma Gibson

A L B E R T A B A L L E T S T A F FJean Grand-Matre, Artistic Director; Michle Stanners, General Director

C A L G A R Y O F F I C EAlex Bonyun, Marketing & Media Liason; Audrey Burke, Manager Customer Service; Kat Carson, Development & Special Events Associate; Paul Chambers, Company Manager;

Cathy Davis, Box Ofce Assistant; Christine Dechaine, Accounting Assistant; Jackie Sonntag, Ofce Assistant; Mike Hessler, Technical Director; Deb Howard, Stage Manager; Pamela Kaye, Wardrobe Manager; Carolyn Oakley, Manager of HR & Administration; Harry Paterson, Director of Production; Donna Renna, Assistant to Artistic Director;

Melody Song, Manager of Development; Cat Soucie, Manager of Special Events; Edmund Stripe, Ballet Master; Flavia Vallone, Ballet Mistress; Karen Zerr, Controller

E D M O N T O N O F F I C EJennifer Faulkner, Director of Edmonton Operations; Diane Holmes, Customer Service Manager, Edmonton; Mickey Melnyk, Manager of Special Events & Volunteers

C O M P A N Y O F A R T I S T SLeigh Allardyce, Reid Bartelme, Nicole Caron, Sandrine Cassini, Liyin Chen, Igor Chornovol, Latitia Clment, Tanya Dobler, Stephanie Fucile, Christopher

Gray, Yukichi Hattori, Nadia Iozzo, Davidson Jaconello, Galien Johnston, Matthew Lehmann, Alexis Maragozis, Daniel Marshalsay, Maki Matsuoka, Kelley McKinlay, Hamilton Nieh, Rie Ogura, Anthony Pina, Racheal Prince, Blair Puente, Jonathan Renna, Erica Turner, Tara Williamson

S C H O O L O F A L B E R T A B A L L E TMurray Kilgour, School Principal; Nancy Kilgour, Senior Pedagogue; Mark Mosher, School Financial Manager; Jennifer Bednar, School

Manager of Marketing & Development; Shirley Agate-Proust, Head of Regular Division; Joyce Shietze, Full-Time Teacher

www.albertaballet.com

Publisher: Ruth Kelly; Associate Publisher: Joyce Byrne; Editor: Dan Rubinstein; Associate Editor: Mi Purvis; Consulting Art Director: Jennifer Windsor; Assistant Art Director/Design & Layout: Paige Weir; Production Manager: Teresa Secret; Production Technician: Gunnar Blodgett

C O N T R I B U T O R SRoss Bradley, William Claxton, Michael Crabb, Patricio del Rio, John Gaucher, Charles Hope, Trudie Lee,

Nomi LoPinto, Scott Messenger, Chris Nicholls, Amy Steele, Curtis Trent, Gerard Yunker

Contents 2006 by Alberta BalletNo part of this publication should be reproduced without written permission

Printed in Canada

Venture Publishing Inc.#201 Solar Court10350 124 Street

Edmonton AB, T5N 3V9Toll-free 1-866-227-4276Phone (780) 990-0839

Fax (780) 425-4921

Calgary OfceNat Christie Centre

141 18 Avenue SWCalgary AB, T2S 0B8

Phone: (403) 245-4222Fax: (403) 245-6573

Edmonton OfceSun Life Place

Suite 470, 10123 99 StreetEdmonton AB, T5J 3H1Phone: (780) 428-6839

Fax: (780) 428-4589

ABallet_P002-009.indd 4 9/22/06 13:38:31

5

rom Ruth Carses 20th-century vision a remarkable Canadian ballet company has grown. Our history is rich with pioneering spirit, talented artists, inspiring

performances, a respected school, and the support of many who committed their love of art and dance to ensure our arrival at this important milestone.

Each transition has brought Alberta Ballet closer to its 21st-century identity a new and refreshing voice in classi-cal ballet offering a unique and theatrical repertoire which is both relevant and responsive to our growing audiences at home and abroad. Our objective has always been to challenge our artists and our audiences with new experi-ences in dance and to educate our communities about this amazing art form. Our province-wide mandate and dual residency in Edmonton and Calgary is unique in the world and we cherish the opportunity to develop ballet here in Alberta and across Canada. We are very proud to serve as ambassadors of our art and our country.

It is with a tremendous amount of gratitude that we embark on the next exciting chapter of our journey and we appreciate this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to all of our patrons, sponsors and supporters who have helped grow Alberta Ballet dur-ing the rst 40 years into a truly remarkable company. To Telus, Enbridge, Nexen and Epcor, thank you for helping make this publication possible. To our dedicated board, staff and volunteers, both past and present, thank you for your faith and belief in our vision and for ensuring our suc-cess as we pursue Ruth Carses dream. And nally, to our subscribers and audiences, we sincerely hope you enjoy our 40th anniversary season.

We share this celebration with all of you.

DArcy LevesqueChair, Board of Directors

The Chair

S P O N S O R S

f

From

OUR OBJECTIVE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO CHALLENGE OUR ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES WITH NEW EXPERIENCES IN DANCE.

ABallet_P002-009.indd 5 9/20/06 17:05:14

000.Nexen_FP_wBL.indd 1 9/18/06 13:23:27

PHO

TOG

RAPH

BY

CH

ARL

ES H

OPE

ABallet_P002-009.indd 6 9/20/06 17:05:22

7

he new General Director of Alberta Ballet believes the province is at a tipping point. Art and culture,

argues Michle Stanners, are our new energy and part of the new language of Alberta. They are a key resource for this province and are part of what sets us apart and make us more than just a business centre. And, like all resources, they have to be mined, developed, pro-moted and exported.

People are coming together to col-laborate, she continues. Each day we see the worlds of art, commerce and community joining forces to build Albertas creative potential and enhance our innovative culture.

Stanners was raised in a Franco-Manitoban home, immersed in languages and music. She has three University of Alberta degrees: an undergraduate liberal arts degree, and a combined masters in law and busi-ness administration. Getting involved in her community has been a constant in her life. Whether sitting on the board of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra or the Honens Inter-national Piano Competition, she applies her problem-solving talents, xing the foundations of the not-for-pro t organizations she works for.

Managing a not-for-pro t is differ-ent than managing other businesses, and managing a creative organization is a unique challenge. In our organi-zation, we have a product that we are passionate about. Everyone who works here does so because they believe in the power and potential of ballet and

the effect it can have on society.Alberta Ballet is a positive envi-

ronment to manage, yet it has its own challenges. As Stanners sees it, Everyone in our organization is crea-tive. Everyone. And that is as it should be. We are at great pains to make sure that the creativity is nurtured and develops. But it is not always easy when you are working with people who need to invent and break new ground, who often insist that getting it right is the most important thing despite deadlines, budgets and it is my job to ensure that we continue to push the boundaries while still meet-ing our deadlines and controlling our budgets and engaging our audiences. And that is something we do very well at Alberta Ballet.

Stanners believes that the secret is in collaboration and respect. Our values are very clear at Alberta Ballet. This company has always stood for creativity, relevance, collaboration and trust and since I joined last year, Artistic Director Grand-Matre, the Board and all the team have worked to ensure that these values extend through everything we do.

One of Alberta Ballets biggest chal-lenges is to maintain systematic and sustainable growth. Audience num-bers are growing and the number and standard of productions are increas-ing, but the company is committed to making ballet accessible, and so it is determined to keep ticket prices affordable, and broaden the audience base. There is some government sup-

port, but public funding is less than one would expect for such an impor-tant part of the community, so Alberta Ballet has established strong partner-ships with companies which believe that the community needs access to the arts and art education. Despite the challenges, Alberta Ballet is currently enjoying a scal surplus, its rst in years, and is investing that surplus into improved productions, reduced ticket prices for younger audiences, educa-tion, facilities and new works.

As for the future, Stanners see the expansion of the School of Alberta Ballet, greater collaboration with other artistic partners, increased pres-ence across the province and the West, and endowments through the Alberta Ballet Foundation. Our vision is clear: its our responsibility to develop ballet in Canada, engage and educate our community, train dancers of the future and act as an ambassador of our art and our country. AB

t

BoardroomSince taking the administrative helm less than a year ago, Michle Stanners has begun leaving her markBY NOMI LOPINTO

Portrait of the Artist IN THE

Art and culture are our new energyand part of the new

language of Alberta

000.Nexen_FP_wBL.indd 1 9/18/06 13:23:27

PHO

TOG

RAPH

BY

CH

ARL

ES H

OPE

ABallet_P002-009.indd 7 9/22/06 13:39:03

8

FutureAlberta Ballet Artistic Director Jean Grand-Matre shares his visionBY NOMI LOPINTO

combining emotions with

A powerful artistic visionmust go deep into the human soul,

contemporary realities

Dancinginto the

ABallet_P002-009.indd 8 9/22/06 13:40:03

9

FutureAlberta Ballet Artistic Director Jean Grand-Matre shares his vision

HAT IS ALBERTA BALLETS CURRENT VISION AND HOW DO YOU EXPECT

THAT TO CHANGE?JGM: We are a contemporary theatri-cal ballet company. We perform new and established ballets, all with mod-ern energy and in a way that is relevant and engaging to our audiences. It is important for us to stay in today; after all, the performing arts are all about touching the audience. We can only do that if we reect the anxieties and joys of the modern world and express the modern ethos. A powerful artistic vision must go deep into the human soul, combining emotions with con-temporary realities. When people experience a performance, we want them to feel that it addresses their issues of today.

HAS THE COMPANY EVOLVED ARTISTI-CALLY SINCE ITS BEGINNINGS ?JGM: Absolutely. Our identity is inu-enced by the community in which we exist, its history and future, as well as the development of the art form around the world. We must continu-ally ask ourselves probing questions in order to grow. How do we relate to our modern society? Are we on the cutting edge? How can we remain innovative? How can we be part of the new Alberta?

It is interesting to note that most ballet companies in Canada were started by women in ballet schools. Dancers put on little shows and then suddenly they developed into compa-nies with boards of directors (usually

around kitchen tables). In our case, Ruth Carse built a very strong founda-tion, and the company has always seen growth, despite very limited funding. The calibre of our dancers and our productions has improved year on year as each new artistic director chal -lenged the company with new ballets. My focus is to give it a unique soul through a rich repertoire and indi-vidual identity.

WHAT DOES AB ENDEAVOUR TO BRING TO THE WORLD OF DANCE THAT NO OTHER COMPANY CAN?JGM: My aim is to inspire our audi-ences to see that life is a great odyssey. We will use our live performances to reconcile todays world with the beauty of life. We will bring new and acclaimed choreographers to the stage in Alberta and collaborate with stag-ing, set, lighting and musical artists to create an even greater experience for our audiences. Our dancers are exceptional and I want them to be like spiritual Olympians so that our performances are not only physical, but also spiritual and emotional. A live performance can reconcile us to the beauty of life.

WHAT IS EXCEPTIONAL ABOUT ABAS A COMPANY ?JGM: Its a company that is coming of age. We have found our identity and are placed like no other company with new patrons, growing audiences and within a province that is awaken-ing culturally, falling in love with arts and culture. Every member of the

company is driven to achieve the best, most creative, most exceptional results in order to touch our growing and supportive audiences.

Like other ballet companies, we are seeing reduced government funding, but the support from our community, the commitment of our dancers, the collaboration with other great artists and our passion for success means that we continue to be able to create groundbreaking work.

WHAT DO YOU ENVISION FOR FUTURE AB ENDEAVOURS? HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT TO GROW?JGM: It is my aim to use ballet to entertain, but also to provoke thought and spark emotion. Ballet is a relatively established art form, and in each production, we will take that old European form and shape it to the sensibilities of Western Canada. I would like this company to grow both artistically and physically. We can achieve this by having a longer season with a greater range of works, to offer our community the experience of a new repertoire, while improving opportunities for our dancers. At the same time, growth will come by tak-ing the opportunity to tour nationally and internationally, so that we can act as ambassadors for our province and bring back all that we learn from other companies. I hope to establish a balance in our seasons of young chore-ographers who bring their youth and energy to the performance with qual-ity classics that continue to touch our audiences. AB

w

PHO

TOG

RAPH

BY

CH

ARL

ES H

OPE

Jean Grand-Matre is the Artistic Director of Alberta Ballet, taking it into its 40th anniversary season. He follows a long line

of creative artists, all of whom have helped to shape the company, making it one of Canadas leading voices in classical dance. Over

the last four decades, the company has evolved its own style and unique repertoire. There continues to be a stress put on the highest level of classical training, combined with productions that reach out and touch the audience. The result is always a season that includes full-cast famous story ballets and contemporary

choreographers presented like youve never seen them before.

{ {ABallet_P002-009.indd 9 9/20/06 17:09:49

10

From a makeshift basement studio

to world-class dance company, Alberta Ballets

journey continues

BY SCOTT MESSENGER

n the early 1930s, dance in Edmonton was a largely vacant cultural niche. The same was true about the arts in general: after the promise and momentum of

the 1920s, the city of 80,000 was mired in the Great Depression. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra folded in 1932 for lack of funding, a signi cant theatre community was still decades from the stage, and one of Edmontons earliest cracks at opera wouldnt happen until 1935. There was the library, of course, and radio dramas, but not much else including work. Only the Second World War, bring-ing prosperity in the form of military air traf c, would bring that dif cult decade to a close.

A woman named Ruth Carse, however, born in 1916 and entering the 1930s on the cusp of adulthood, was managing to run an informal dance studio out of her par-ents home in south Edmonton. The second of ve chil-

i dren, Carse had already been dancing for a decade, both formally as well as with her brothers, sister and her Scottish father, gathered around their mother at the piano.Determined and uncommonly independent, Carse

looked beyond local business ventures. Her sights were set on the ballets of Toronto and New York dreams requiring not just skill but cash, and therefore enough peace, quiet and basement oor-space for her students and, occasion-ally, curious tag-alongs. She could hardly have imagined the effect her tiny studio would have on the future of Alberta ballet.

Twelve-year-old Muriel Taylor was one such tag-along. When I saw it, I knew from that minute it was for me, she once said. I was crazy about it. Within a few years, Carse was choreographing solos for Taylor to perform. They became a team. Trips across the back lane to the

GrowingGrowingA TREE THATS ALWAYS

ABallet_P010-P016.indd 10 9/20/06 17:02:10

11

Carses became routine, strengthening not only Taylors ballet skills but also the girls friendship, which would remain strong after Taylors eventual departure for studies in Vancouver and Los Angeles, and her teachers exit for Toronto upon turning 21.

Out east, Carse studied and performed with the Volkoff Canadian Ballet. She became accustomed to the dancers life, virtually unpaid, scraping by on odd jobs, until nally leaving for New York in 1949. Despite studying with famed choreographer George Balanchine, life in America wasnt any easier. According to letters to her younger sister, Marnie Wilkins, performing with the Radio City Music Hall Ballet allowed Carse little more than shred-ded wheat and cheese during performance breaks. After brie y returning to Toronto to dance with the National Ballet, Carse left to train as a teacher at the Royal Academy of Dance in London, England. In 1954, at age 38, a torn Achilles tendon only strengthened her ambition.

Back in Edmonton, Taylor learned of the injury from Carses parents. Shed returned to study business at the University of Alberta with plans to open her own kin-dergarten-cum-dance school downtown. Revered by parents for its caring, quality teaching and by students for the 5,000 square feet of sprung hardwood oors (almost unheard of in western Canada), enrollment at the Muriel

RUTH CARSE COULD HARDLY HAVE IMAGINED THE EFFECT HER TINY STUDIO WOULD HAVE ON THE FUTURE OF ALBERTA BALLET.

Ballet, from A to AB1400sAristocrats in Italy sponsor elaborate costumed dance performances, with each aristocrat trying to outdo the other with progressively more lavish productions. These performances are the predecessor of modern ballet. 1581

Catherine de Medici, the Queen of France, brings Italian dance to the French court. In a role that will come to be called artistic director, Balthazar Beaujoyeulx creates the rst ballet, incorporating dance, song, verse and music.

1661 A dancer in his younger days, King Louis XIV of France establishes the lAcademie Royale de Danse, the worlds rst ballet school. Ballets ve classic positions are formalized here.

1700-1750French dancers mount public perform-ances and other troupes spring up across Europe. The Russian Imperial Ballet is founded in 1738. Dancers start to shed cumbersome costumes as moves become more technical. 1816

The rst touring ballet performances are welcomed in Canada.

ABallet_P010-P016.indd 11 9/20/06 17:02:28

12

Taylor School of Dance (established 1948) had reached 400. Taylor and Carse remained friends and, in 1950, Taylor asked Carse, never married after losing her ance to WWII, to be godmother to her daughter Candice (today a great supporter of the Alberta Ballet). Needing help, when pregnant with her third child in 1954, Taylor coaxed her friend home, promising a job. Soon enough, Carse was teaching senior classes at the school, ponder-ing the possibilities of ballet in the city shed always loved. They really wanted to see dance in western Canada, says Wilkins. They wanted to see young people have the opportunity in Alberta.

The transition from Taylor to Carse was fairly smooth, remembers Shirley New-Foose, who danced with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet from 1964 to 1971. Starting at the school at age ve, shed come to know Taylor as a sur-rogate mother, patient and caring. Carse wasnt much different, despite a measured assertiveness this was, after all, Royal Academy-certi ed training. You had your black leotards, pink tights, soft shoes and your pointe shoes, says New-Foose, recalling the strictly enforced dress code. Hair was to be perfectly set, ribbons prop-erly knotted. We

were always called bun-heads, jokes New-Foose, well acquainted with the art of applying hairpins.

In retrospect, she says, Carses les-sons also taught life skills. When you learn discipline in the early ages of life it carries through. I have fond memo-ries of both of those ladies. They gave me whats necessary to have a profes-sional career. The discipline, the tech-nique, came from both of them.

While Carse taught, Taylor travelled

1820-1877Ballet star Marie Taglioni appears in a short skirt and a top that exposes her shoulders and arms, changing forever the way dancers dress to perform. New cos-tumes showcase new techniques and in tutus and pointe shoes female dancers take centre stage.

1900s Ballet nds its rst North American home when the predecessor to the New York City Ballet is formed. Midway through the century, leads such as Rudolph Nureyev bring new artistry to male roles, and these dancers nd rich and dynamic parts. 1930s

Ballet dancers study their craft in Canada for the rst time in studios such as that of Russian migr Boris Volkoff. A slew of talented Canadian dancers are trained at home, only to dance for companies outside the coun-try because there are none in Canada.

1938The predecessor to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet forms; it will become Canadas rst profes-sional company.

MURIEL TAYLOR AND RUTH CARSE OFFERED DANCERS INITIATION INTO

A VERY GROWN-UP WORLD OF NOT JUST FANCY FOOTWEAR, BUT

OF UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO LEARNING STEPS AND CUES,

AND OF THE REWARD OF THE EXHILARATION OF THE STAGE (NOT

TO MENTION CAST PARTIES).

Ruth Carse (left) in her dancing days

Muriel Taylor and student

ABallet_P010-P016.indd 12 9/20/06 17:06:56

13

to small-town Alberta, seeking out opportunities to per-form beyond Edmontons YMCA and Victoria Composite High School to give her students a taste of touring, and Alberta a taste of the arts. (For a lady that has done so much in her life, Ruth never drove, Wilkins con des with a laugh. She said she tried and it wasnt for her.) Regardless of the demands Taylors scouting placed on her own time and energy, her daughter, Candice Harris, says, I always remember mom as so positive. She loved what she was doing; it was never considered work.

Taylor also found local sponsors. The school was suc-cessful, but excursions exceeded the annual budget. With no government funding, there was only so much money, says Wilkins. Like Taylor, Carse too had a head for business. She came from a Scottish background, Wilkins jokes, so she kept a pretty tight rein on nances. I think we all learned quite well from my father. Wilkins remembers her sister multi-tasking as artistic director, choreographer, and in any other way to cut costs work-

In staging its rst George Balanchine production in 1998, Alberta Ballet came full circle, returning to work Carse may have danced while studying under Balanchine himself. Born in St. Petersburg, the dancer and choreographer immi-grated to America in 1933 where he would come to be recognized as one of the greatest choreographers of the 20th century. Upon his death in 1983, his more than 400 works were gathered into the George Balanchine Trust for the preserva-tion of their artistic integrity. Today, only companies of proven talent and quality are permitted to perform them.

1940Walt Disney releases Fantasia, its classic animation, and uses some of Tchaikovskys score from the Nutcracker ballet.

A Balanchine Act ing all night at home on costumes, often helped by their mother, who also kept the students in fresh baking.

The exposure caught the attention of the citys burgeon-ing artistic community. In the mid 1950s, Edmonton Light Opera enlisted dancers for several productions. Then in her early teens, New-Foose recalls dancing in South Paci c , for which her mother bought New-Fooses rst pair of high-heeled shoes but only, she impressed upon her young daughter, for the show. With performances, say New-Foose appreciatively, Taylor and Carse offered

dancers initiation into a very grown-up world of not just fancy footwear, but of unwavering commitment to learn-ing steps and cues, and of the reward of the exhilaration of the stage (not to mention cast parties).

Perhaps encouraged by the collaboration, Taylor and Carse introduced the schools rst formal dance group, Ballet Interlude. Fantasyland, choreographed by both women and accompanied by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, debuted at the Jubilee Auditorium in 1958. Finally, Taylor and Carse felt ballet was garnering the

June 17, 1961Famed Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev defects at the Paris Airport. A week later hes signed with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas and becomes a star beyond the world of ballet.

1966Continued growth sees the Alberta government request a name change to re ect the scope of Edmonton Ballet. On May 16, the company becomes the Alberta Ballet Company.

1971Ruth Carse founds the Alberta Ballet School at Edmontons Victoria Composite High to train professional-quality dancers.

Brydon Paige (centre) works with his dancers

ABallet_P010-P016.indd 13 9/20/06 17:03:01

14

recognition it deserved in Alberta.With Carse regularly returning, at her own expense, to

the Royal Academy of Dance in London for instructional upgrading, the company continued to strive toward excel-lence. In 1960, it incorporated as the Edmonton Ballet Company, coming one step closer, says Wilkins, to Carse and Taylors dream of an Albertan ballet. In the role of company business manager, Taylor provided free rehearsal space as well as all of the teachers and the core of the danc-ers. As Harris remembers, She was excited to nally see all this coming together.

To both women, Edmonton Ballet was something to which every young dancer in Alberta could reasonably aspire, and in which every Albertan could take pride. But it had to continue reaching beyond Edmonton. For this it needed funding. Encouraged by the possibility of govern-ment support, the group reincorporated in 1966 as the Alberta Ballet Company. Regardless of its elevated artistic status, however, it would remain true to the philosophies

of the school. Instead of adopting the ranked structure common to major groups, for example, Taylor and Carse favoured the development of individual dancers. And, of course, the company would continue to deliver ballet to Albertans, now also by hosting touring companies such as the National Ballet.

Perhaps ironically, the reincorporation signaled the beginning of the end of both Carses and Taylors involve-ment with the company. In 1971, Alberta Ballet declared itself professional the same year Carse started the Alberta Ballet School, independent of the Muriel Taylor School. The split was for the companys continued development, which Carse oversaw as artistic director until 1975, when she reluctantly stepped down, her health weakening slightly with age. Taylor taught until retiring a decade later at 65, closing the school soon after. She would, however, remain devoted to the company she helped found, attend-ing nearly every performance, sometimes watching her son Scott Harris perform as Alberta Ballets principal dancer.

The following years, though dif cult, nonetheless con-tributed to the companys growth, even though the unbri-dled ambition of Carses successor would lead it nearly to bankruptcy in the mid-1970s. As the artistic director who followed, Brydon Paige made balancing the books priority, a job helped somewhat by the Sir Frederick Haultain Prize of $25,000, awarded by the province in recognition of the companys artistic achievement. Regardless of precarious nances, Alberta Ballet progressed. The Commonwealth Games saw a command performance for Queen Elizabeth, and in 1979, the company participated in the International Festival of the Arts in Cyprus. Though he continued to struggle with money matters until departing in 1987, Paige left the company with 16 dancers and the integrity of a major ballet.

I inherited a very good company, says Ali Pourfarrokh, who followed Paige, and just continued, in evolutionary terms, what they had been doing. Relocating to New York after directing the Iranian National Ballet until the 1979 revolution, Pourfarrokh arrived with an

ALI POURFARROKH WAS REALLY TRYING TO STRETCH THE LIMITS OF THE DANCERS.

HE WASNT PLAYING TO THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR.

1975-1976Carse steps down as artis-tic director and is replaced by former student Jeremy Lesley-Spinks. Brydon Paige of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens takes over the following year. 1978

Alberta Ballet performs for Queen Elizabeth II at the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton. The company starts performing at the 2,700-seat Jubilee Auditoria in Calgary and Edmonton.

1987Former director of the Iranian National Ballet, Ali Pourfarrokh, leaves the company he founded, Dance Theatre of Long Island, to become Alberta Ballets new artistic director.

July 1, 1990The Alberta Ballet Company and the Calgary City Ballet of cially merge, under the operating name of Alberta Ballet. The new company sets up its headquarters at the old CN train station in Calgary (renamed the Nat Christie Centre) and buys the Lindsay Walsh School of Dance in Calgary as a second professional school for the company, the Alberta Ballet School of Dance.

Ali Pourfarrokh Mikko Nissinen

ABallet_P010-P016.indd 14 9/20/06 17:07:12

15

1993-1994 Last season the company eliminated its $68,267 de cit, start-ing this season debt-free; its the only major dance company in Canada without a de cit. The Alberta Ballet Foundation is formed to create an endowment fund for the company.

international audience in tow. An experienced choreogra-pher, he also brought new works. I tried to balance the classics and the contemporary, he says, hoping to bolster the groups versatility, which he also promoted by elimi-nating, as Carse too might have done, the ranked structure that arose under Paige.

Ali was really trying to stretch the limits of the danc-ers, remembers Paul Daigle, the current chair of the New Brunswick Arts Board, who, as a freelance costume

designer, has worked periodically with Alberta Ballet for 15 years. He wasnt playing to the lowest common denominator. With the company again on stable nancial ground, Pourfarrokh invited choreographers, many of them Canadian, to contribute new work that pushed danc-ers and audiences. Ali, though soft-spoken and respect-ful, recalls Daigle, was fearless. He was also undauntedly determined. Besides increasing the company to 22 dancers, Pourfarrokh pushed for a school in Calgary, precipitat-ing the opening of the downtown School of Alberta Ballet in 1991. Longing for his New York roots, however, Pourfarrokh left in 1998, ending the lengthiest stopover of his ballet career.

When Mikko Nissinen arrived after 10 years as prin-cipal dancer with San Francisco Ballet, he built upon Pourfarrokhs international audience with tours to China, his homeland of Finland, Atlantic Canada and Cairo. Eager also to increase technical pro ciency, Nissinen

Rewarded By Awards

YOU HAD YOUR BLACK LEOTARDS, PINK TIGHTS, SOFT SHOES AND YOUR POINTE SHOES. HAIR WAS TO BE PERFECTLY SET, RIBBONS PROPERLY KNOTTED. THIS WAS, AFTER ALL, ROYAL ACADEMY-CERTIFIED TRAINING.

In addition to the Order of Canada, The Sir Frederick Haultain Award, an Edmontonian of the Century award, to name but few, Ruth Carse received the Presidents Award from Londons Royal Academy of Dance in 2001, two years after her death, recognizing exceptional serv-ice as instructor and examiner. Amongst the most prestigious in dance, the award now resides at the School of Alberta Ballet, donated by her sister Marnie Wilkins to inspire young dancers.

1998Mikko Nissinen, former star dancer with the San Francisco Ballet and artistic director of the Marin Ballet in San Rafael, California, replaces Pourfarrokh.

March 13, 1993An inauspicious date for Alberta Ballets New York debut. The Great Blizzard of 93 slams New York City and environs, dumping 53 centimetres of snow on the city, nearly shutting it down. Among the ballets small audience that night is New York Times critic Jennifer Dunning, who writes a glowing review.

1991-92 The season begins with John Butlers Carmina Burana. Impressed, Butler invites AB dancers Barbara Moore and Jay Brooker to dance the principal roles at the 70th Arena di Verona festival.

George Balanchines Rubies

ABallet_P010-P016.indd 15 9/20/06 17:07:24

16

The dancers [of Alberta Ballet] are technically secure and capable of expressing many choreographic moods, and their varied repertory provides them with opportunities for both lyricism and drama.

New York Times , October 17, 1997 (referring to Ali Pourfarrokhs Butter y Dream and Mark Goddens Minor Threat, among other productions, at the Joyce Theatre)

Its a pleasure to see Carmen... simply get better. The opening night performance revealed... new strength and sizzle. And the dancers have jumped a notch in conditioning, poise and con dence.

Edmonton Journal, April 14, 2005

One of the most stunning gifts of the holiday was unwrapped just before Christmas at the [Spokane] Opera House, when Alberta Ballet opened the Nutcracker. Their carefully synchronized timing and beautiful lines bespoke hours of arduous rehearsal, yet supported the illusion of effortlessness.

Spokesman-Review, December 23, 2005

invited Elyse Borne of the George Balanchine Trust to evaluate the companys readiness for Balanchines demand-ing Rubies. After just two hours of teaching, she agreed that the company met the Trusts performance expecta-tions, and Rubies became the rst of several Balanchine works Nissinen would add to the repertoire, capturing the attention of the international dance community.

The only way to make them better was to challenge them, says Borne, and it came off quite well. Since then, she says, the company has grown by leaps and bounds. I love working there. The energy level is fantastic. Returning recently for a new staging of Rubies under Jean Grand-Matre, Artistic Director since 2002, she sees the company in good hands. Grand-Matre, she says, maintains

impeccable artistic integrity with dedication and elegance, and never, despite constraints of budget, at dancers expense.

We were all dancers once, says Borne. Its nice to know theres someone thinking about you in those terms.

As Daigle puts it, Grand-Matre is one branch of a tree thats always growing. Alberta Ballet is doing a fantastic job. Its that wonderful philosophy of reaching beyond what the company has been achieving. Its scary to always be growing, but thats what Alberta Ballet is doing.

Scary, perhaps, but necessary. Being an artist is a con-stant learning experience, says Pourfarrokh. You have to reach out to broaden the concept of the company.

To reach out, then, as Pourfarrokh, Paige and Nissinen did, and as Grand-Matre continues to do, is to aspire, and the boundaries are merely self-imposed. Ballet companies, says Daigle, are really only limited by imagination. Born decades ago of the dreams of two girls in a makeshift dance studio, Alberta Ballet has, in its 40 years, perhaps always existed within the limit-less realm of possibility. AB

What The Papers Say

2006-2007Alberta Ballet turns 40 this year, opening with Carmina Burana. Several former artistic directors are present to celebrate the milestone. The future looks bright.

2002-2003Jean Grand-Matre, who created pieces for companies such as the Stuttgart Ballet, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Paris Opera Ballet, and the National Ballet of Norway, is named new artistic director. His Carmen proves a great success.

November 14, 1999 Company founder Ruth Carse dies at the age of 88.

1998-1999Alberta Ballet has an 11-city tour of China, including Beijing and Shanghai, in August and September. AB is the second Canadian ballet company to tour there. The company donates proceeds from one of its shows to aid victims of ooding in China.

2004-2005Both of the Jubilee Auditoria are closed for renovation. The company plays 350-seat venues in both Edmonton and Calgary, and spends a lot of time on the road. On December 19, the company wraps up Nutcracker in Vancouver. Four days later they are performing in Beijing. In all, AB performs 83 times this season.

Jean Grand-Matre

ABallet_P010-P016.indd 16 9/20/06 17:07:44

ClClC alal ssassaToToTpTpTopoToTpToT

of thep

of thep

Nancy and Murray Kilgour keep students on their toes at

the School of Alberta BalletBY AMY STEELE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICIO DEL RIO

ABallet_P017-019.indd 17 9/20/06 17:11:23

18

nside the School of Alberta Ballet on the southern fringeof downtown Calgary, a group of young women clad in black bodysuits, tights and pink ballet slippers all of

them with hair swept up in buns are stretching their lithe legs and balancing along wooden bars. A tiny woman with a long, grey ponytail is leading the class. Nearly 70 years old, Nancy Kilgour is the head teacher at the school. As she talks, all of the students lean in and listen intently. They know that Kilgour has helped launch the careers of several internationally acclaimed dancers.

Next door, in a modern dance class, a group of male and female dancers are leaping across the oor as gracefully as white-tailed deer sailing over a barbed-wire fence. Their teacher, Barbara Lisek, is yelling out praise and is covered in a sheen of sweat from demonstrating the athletic moves that theyre practicing.

Located in a former health club, with six dance studios, the School of Alberta Ballet has been in existence since

1991. Its closely afliated with Alberta Ballet, sharing the same board of directors. It offers a wide variety of pro-gramming, ranging from classes for people who want to dance for fun to classes for aspiring professional dancers.

Nancy Kilgour and her husband, Murray Kilgour, the principal, arrived ve years ago on the heels of illustrious international dance careers. Murray danced at the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto before going on to perform in London with the Royal Ballet and the Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet (now the Birmingham Royal Ballet). He then taught ballet at the Royal Ballet School and the Central School of Ballet, both in London.

Nancy danced with the National Ballet of Canada as well, then taught at the National Ballet School in Toronto and Londons Royal Ballet School and Central School of Ballet before coming to Calgary. Her ofce wall is plastered with posters of famous dancers she once taught, including Darcey Bussell, Leanne Benjamin and Viviana Durante.

i

Previous page: Nancy and Murray Kilgour work with a student. Teaching is their favourite part of the job

ABallet_P017-019.indd 18 9/22/06 13:41:54

19 19

Murray has also taught many famous students, including Philip Mosley, the dancer who was the inspiration for the Hollywood lm Billy Elliot, and Adam Cooper, who por-trayed the adult Billy Elliot in the movie.

Michle Stanners, Alberta Ballets General Director, says it was a coup to bring the Kilgours to Calgary because they have taken the school up to a new stand-ard of excellence. Up to a dozen or so dancers from the school perform with Alberta Ballet in most productions, and every Christmas the cast of the Nutcracker is full of students. Five former students are now members of the Alberta Ballet dance troupe.

The Kilgours have brought such a level of expertise to the school, says Stanners. You can tell the quality by the fact were able to use these dancers in our productions and the graduates are now joining our company.

When you have a conversation with the Kilgours, itsobvious they are very much in love with their art and want to convey that passion to their students. Murray has just changed into a fresh T-shirt; he was drenched in sweat from his last class. Teaching is still by far his favourite part of the job. Nancy, likewise, has to be pulled away from the class she is avidly watching in order to do an interview.

We want to try to train these dancers to a professional standard so they can have the opportunity, if they so desire, to go and nd work anywhere, says Murray. Im certainly trying to make sure that we raise the standard, that we make this as professional a school as we can, so we can give opportunities to students in Western Canada. At the same time, we want to be of a standard that people will want to come to us from far a eld as well because its important to have that mix of blood, enthusiasm and energy from all sorts of sources. Murray says students, whether they dance for fun or aspire to become professionals, learn a variety of skills, such as self-discipline, focus, teamwork and time management.

Nancy has always dreamed big, even when the odds were against her, and she brings that determination to her teach-ing. She didnt start ballet lessons until she was 16, and was told that she was too old to become a professional dancer. She was soon dancing at the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto, however, despite the fact that she was only ve

feet and half an inch tall which is much shorter than the average ballet dancer.

When a student gets something, its the next best thing to doing it yourself, says Nancy, adding that it gives her great pleasure to pass along the expertise she gained by working with dance luminaries around the world for several decades.

Weve been so lucky all over the world to meet the best teachers and learn from them, to sit at their feet.

To enter the schools professional program, students have to audition and must be at least 10 years old. The school also runs a pre-professional program for students who are at least 18; its goal is to develop dancers who become talented enough to dance with professional com-panies, such as Alberta Ballet. The school, in partnership with the University of Calgary, also offers a Bachelor of Arts in dance with a specialization in ballet. Students come from across Canada and the United States, and from as far away as Japan, to study at the school every year.

Daniel Marshalsay was a student at the school from age 12 to 18, when he became a dancer with Alberta Ballet. Its now his third season with the company, and he says that without the school he would

never have been able to achieve his dream. I wasnt really able to afford all the classes, so they offered me pretty much a full scholarship, he says. They did absolutely everything to launch my professional career. Theyre the reason Im here.

Marshalsay feels the Kilgours are not only fantastic teachers, theyre also wonderful mentors. I loved them right off the bat, he says. They love the art so much they want to make us love it as much as they do. And they do.

WE WANT TO TRY TO TRAIN THESE DANCERS TO A PROFESSIONAL STANDARD SO THEY CAN

HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, IF THEY SO DESIRE, TO GO AND FIND WORK ANYWHERE.

AB Murray Kilgour

ABallet_P017-019.indd 19 9/22/06 13:47:16

A trip behind the scenes of Alice in Wonderland

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GERARD YUNKER

REFLECTION. Dancer Rie Ogura, dressed for the ower dance, rests between scenes.

ABallet_P020-P024.indd 20 9/25/06 9:00:58

lice in Wonderland is the classic Lewis Carroll tale of a

girls negotiation through a mysterious and frighteningly

magical land. The tale is delightful in its simplicity, yet not without

the rich depth that characterized last seasons Alberta Ballet produc-

tion. Characters in the companys production seem to have walked

off the pages of a storybook. Choreographed by Edmund Stripe,

dancers such as Daniel Marshalsay and Latitia Clment showcased

their talent. But preparing for the production involved some

pretty fancy footwork, too. Mi Purvis

A

A trip behind the scenes of Alice in Wonderland

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GERARD YUNKER

Tour Tour

MagicalMagicalMysteryMysteryA trip behind the scenes MysteryA trip behind the scenes Alice in WonderlandMysteryAlice in WonderlandTour MysteryTour Tour MysteryTour

MagicalMystery

MagicalMagicalMystery

Magical

ABallet_P020-P024.indd 21 9/22/06 13:47:55

22

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE. Alice (Latitia Clment) fans herself during rehearsal as other dancers wait for their scene.

BALLET MASTER. Choreographer Edmund Stripe checks the clock to see how much time is left in rehearsal. His wife, Janet Tait, beside him, and Mercedes Bernardez, behind him, together lled the role of Ballet Mistresses for Alice.

ABallet_P020-P024.indd 22 9/20/06 17:13:57

23

SHINING SURFACE. Former Ballet Mistress Mercedes Bernardez and dancers rehearsing Alices butter y dance in Calgarys Jubilee Auditorium. They are dancing on a new sprung oor the company was able to purchase last season thanks to a $25,000 donation from patron Jim Palmer, a prominent Calgary lawyer, and a matching $25,000 pro-vincial Community Initiatives Program grant. Its made a huge difference to the dancers, Stripe says about the oor, which absorbs impact and helps give the dancers elevation in jumps. It reduces injury, time lost, workers compensa-tion claims and physiotherapy. The dancers are very happy.

SOUNDSCAPE. Musical Director Peter Dala leads the

Calgary Symphony Orchestra. Peter and I worked closely on

Alice in Wonderland, Stripe says. And we came up with

an eclectic score. Composers included Dmitri Shostakovich, Kurt Weill and William Walton,

among others. Stripe knew what music he wanted for Alice, and Dala edited the

score and put the music together in such a way that

it owed together and made musical sense, says Stripe.

BRAVE FACE. Dancer Daniel Marshalsay applies his makeup for his role as the Cheshire Cat. Matthew Lehmann looks on while Reid Bartelme, who played Lewis Carroll, does his own preparation. Costumes for the production line the rack behind Bartelme.

ABallet_P020-P024.indd 23 9/20/06 17:14:54

24

A CUT ABOVE. In costumes rented from the Houston Ballet,

dancers are dressed for the buttery dance during a studio costume run for Alice in Wonderland in Studio A

at Calgarys Nat Christie Centre. The costumes were tted by Head

of Wardrobe Pamela Kaye, who designed several other costumes

for the production, notably those of Alice, Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

WILD PARTY. Four main characters interact at the Hatters Tea Party. From left to right are: the March Hare (Igor Chornovol), Alice (Latitia Clment), the Dormouse (Nadia Iozzo) and the Hatter (Blair Puente).

000.ABC_FP_wBL.indd 1 9/14/06 11:29:46ABallet_P020-P024.indd 24 9/20/06 17:15:55

000.ABC_FP_wBL.indd 1 9/14/06 11:29:46ABallet_P020-P024.indd 25 9/20/06 17:16:15

26

Barbara and John P O O L EFounders of construction giant PCL

Alberta Ballet has grown dramatically over the years, says John Poole. Each new Artistic Director has helped the company grow and improve the artistic performance. Before Jean Grand-Matre, Finnish-born Mikko Nissinen established a solid artistic foundation. And Iranian Ali Pourfarrokh took the ballet in new direc-tions. Its been interesting to watch how Alberta Ballet continues to improve. It gets more enjoyable each time.

P A T R O N Sthe

Portfolio:Supporters behind the scenes

PHO

TO

GR

APH

BY

CU

RT

IS T

REN

T

DEdoohwbS3590S3661lqgg###59

27

Jeanne and Peter L O U G H E E DI think the dedication and discipline of the ballet is very special, says Jeanne Lougheed. I am full of admiration and feel uplifted; its almost spiritual watching the dancers. I think Alberta Ballet has found its voice. They are not trying to be a mini National Ballet they have their own unique personality.

PHO

TOG

RA

PH B

Y J

OH

N G

AU

CH

ER

ABallet_P026-P033.indd 27 9/20/06 17:18:16

28

C H A M P I O N Sthe

Bonnie D U P O N TGroup Vice-President, Corporate Resources, Enbridge

At Enbridge we believe that helping grow and sustain arts and culture matters greatly. The returns are far too important to overlook in a holistic model of community development. Alberta Ballet continues to provide an enriching cultural experience that is helping to grow and shape our ever-changing cultural identity as Albertans and Canadians.

PHO

TOG

RA

PH B

Y J

OH

N G

AU

CH

ER

ABallet_P026-P033.indd 28 9/20/06 17:33:16

Simon V I N C E N TSenior Vice-President, Business Marketing, Telus

As we strive to be Canadas premier corporate citizen, we recognize the importance of being involved in our communities and making a positive difference. As Alberta Ballet celebrates 40 years of stage performance in this province and abroad, we applaud how these artists strive for excellence, tell their stories and connect people through their art.

PHO

TOG

RA

PH B

Y J

OH

N G

AU

CH

ER

ABallet_P026-P033.indd 29 9/20/06 17:20:03

30

John M C W I L L I A M S Senior Vice-President, General Counsel, Nexen

For me, ballet is visual. Its the movements, the translation of feeling and movement and back again at the audience. Thats what attracts me most. Its something to be encouraged in our society, a beautiful form of communication and joy. Those are important values for everyone. Alberta Ballet does it very well, has done extremely well over the years.

C H A M P I O N Sthe

PHO

TOG

RA

PH B

Y P

ATR

ICIO

DEL

RIO

ABallet_P026-P033.indd 30 9/20/06 17:20:34

DeniseC A R P E N T E R Senior Vice-President of Public and Government Affairs, EPCOR

Culture is there to expand our minds and facilitate discussion, to make society what it is. People from all walks of life watching a performance interpret it differently, but they experience it together. From an Albertan point of view, it becomes a shared experience with the world.

PHO

TO

GR

APH

BY

CU

RT

IS T

REN

T

ABallet_P026-P033.indd 31 9/22/06 13:48:34

A R T S F U N D E R Sthe

Karen K A I N Chair, Canada Council for the Arts, and Artistic Director, National Ballet of Canada

Dance can go beyond words to a place where there are none, and when that happens people are moved. Sometimes they dont even know why, and they may be touched in ways no one can explain. That is the art form at its most relevant and meaningful. Sometimes its just about beauty.

PHO

TOG

RA

PH B

Y C

HR

IS N

ICH

OLL

S

ABallet_P026-P033.indd 32 9/20/06 17:22:29

33

Audrey L U F TChair, Alberta Foundation for the Arts

Ballet is the perfect combination of physical ability and artistic expression. All dance forms have their own grace, but ballet is very structured and it has been there for eons. Youll see children who have never seen live ballet before thats almost as good as the show itself. You can see the magical transformation on their faces.

PHO

TO

GR

APH

BY

CU

RT

IS T

REN

T

ABallet_P026-P033.indd 33 9/20/06 17:23:04

One critics personal journey alongside Alberta Ballet

A Perpetual, Evolving Cycle of

Renewalo its Alberta Ballets 40th anni-versary. So what? Why should anyone beyond a dedicated

ca dre of a cionados admirers of ladies in tutus and gentlemen in tights care? Well, regardless of your atti-tude towards balletic attire Alberta Ballet, in any case, often dances cut-ting-edge choreography in sleek con-temporary duds theres good reason to celebrate.

You dont have to be a devotee of something to feel pride in its existence. As someone who lives in the popu-lous heartland of Southern Ontario, it seems to me that Albertans should feel heartily proud. Alberta Ballet has not merely engendered an expanding local appetite for dance, but also sig-ni cantly enriched the international image of a province better known for oil, cattle and ski slopes.

During its many foreign tours, Alberta Ballet has proudly carried the name of Canadas most dynamic prov-ince to Helsinki and Cairo, Nicosia and New York. It has travelled to China sometimes under appalling conditions three times. It has danced extensively in the United States and across Canada A Mari usque ad Mare. Alberta Ballet used to travel to Toronto to attract the attention begrudging at best of Canadas

sBY MICHAEL CRABB

Romeo and Juliet

ABallet_P034-P035.indd 34 9/22/06 13:49:59

35

national media. Now Toronto critics gladly journey west. The international dance media similarly take note.

Ballet companies dont suddenly spring up in response to public demand. They are the audacious products of human willpower, often exerted in the face of initial public skepticism. The beginnings are shaky, the infant mortality rate high.

Companies that survive do so by refusing to accept defeat. They may stumble occasionally, but they keep on going, fuelled by the faith that if they do what they believe in and do it to the very best of their ability, people will nally pay attention. Alberta Ballet ts the pattern perfectly.

Ruth Carse, Alberta Ballets founder, had a big dream and grit to spare. She could be prickly and defensive, particularly in the face of condescending criticism from beyond Albertas borders. Carse nevertheless genuinely believed that her edgling troupe could one day be something.

Alberta Ballet and Ive been fol-lowing its progress for more than 30 years has faced difcult challenges on several fronts. It has had to vault unthinking prejudice. For example, I remember one Toronto editor who, when I proposed a story about the company many years ago, com-mented, Alberta Ballet? Isnt that an oxymoron?

The company has faced more than its fair share of money problems, too. It struggled to establish a credible artistic identity while caught in an uncomfortable Catch-22 situation. To survive it had to rely more heavily than most on ticket sales. Under the 12-year directorship of Vancouver-born Brydon Paige, an experienced alumnus of Montreals Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the company leaned towards traditional classicism and storytelling. In part this reected Paiges own tastes, but also a prag-matic assessment of what audiences would buy. Meanwhile, critics and cultural mandarins, spared the task of balancing the books, questioned the

suitability of Paiges approach and called for more adventurous program-ming. Even so, under Paiges careful stewardship the company truly emerg-ed as a professional organization.

It was this foundation that allowed Paiges successor, the self-effacing, soft-spoken Ali Pourfarrokh, to choose a different course, shifting Alberta Ballet towards a new emphasis on ballet modernity and creativity. Even Pourfarrokh was pleasantly sur-prised by the generally positive audi-ence response, perhaps unaware that just as Alberta Ballet had been steadily evolving over the previous decade and more, so too had its audience.

Pourfarrokh himself choreo -graphed to his dancers strengths in a style that blended the elegance of bal -let with the visceral punch of modern dance. He also acquired work that suited his dancers impressive versatil-ity from Birgit Cullbergs celebrated Miss Julie and American modernist John Butlers Carmina Burana to Peter Puccis kd lang-driven Lifted by Love and commissioned works from then-emerging Canadian talents such as Crystal Pite and Mark Godden.

Pourfarrokh gave Alberta Ballet a distinct artistic image, critical cred -ibility who can foget those glowing New York reviews? and, nally, re-cognition at home. Even Ottawa took note, correcting an historic imbal-ance by giving Alberta Ballet a hefty funding increase in 1998 (simultane-ously administering a slap-in-the-face cut to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet).

Pourfarrokh left Finnish-born dancer Mikko Nissinen a solid base from which to take a signicant upward step. The ambitious Nissinen, a former star of San Francisco Ballet, was determined to strengthen the companys dancing. He introduced guest teachers and challenged the company with neo-classical choreog-raphy that called for speed, clarity and nesse. Nissinen, an uncompromis-ing taskmaster, worked his dancers as hard as he worked himself. The result was that Alberta Ballet nally shed its

lingering image as a provincial com-pany and established its place more rmly on the international map.

When Canadian choreographer Jean Grand-Matre succeeded the Boston-bound Nissinen in 2002, there was much nancial fence mend -ing to be done. Yet, while necessarily paying close attention to box-ofce appeal, Alberta Ballet has remained artistically adventurous. Popular new works from its artistic director and from ballet master Edmund Stripe among these, Grand-Matres Romeo and Juliet and Stripes Alice in Wonderland are milestone produc -tions have been balanced with valuable revivals. Exciting contribu-tions from, among others, Canadas iconic Margie Gillis, Emily Molnar and former company dancer Sabrina Matthews a choreographic talent nurtured within Alberta Ballet have honed the companys creative edge.

Although it is now marking its 40th anniversary, Alberta Ballet is in a way ageless. It exists in a perpetual, evolv-ing cycle of renewal. Art thrives on uncertainty and a measure of fertile instability. Complacency is never an option. That said, Alberta Ballet has earned the right to look back and feel deep satisfaction in what has been accomplished. Yet, given its momen-tum, I hope it will also be shouting, You aint seen nothing yet.

Michael Crabb is the National Posts dance critic.

A Perpetual, Evolving Cycle of

Renewal

THE COMPANY HAS HAD TO VAULT UNTHINKING PREJUDICE. I REMEMBER ONE TORONTO EDITOR WHO, WHEN I PROPOSED A STORY ABOUT THE COMPANY MANY YEARS AGO, COMMENTED, ALBERTA BALLET? ISNT THAT AN OXYMORON?

AB

ABallet_P034-P035.indd 35 9/20/06 17:24:09

36

lberta Ballet shoulders a responsibility uncommon to the vast majority of arts organizations: It claims both Calgary and Edmonton as home. Not only

is there the challenge and expense of scheduling a season with sprawling prairie geography in mind, theres also the necessity of building and maintaining relationships with neighbours in both cities. Michle Stanners, Alberta Ballets General Director, has no illusions about the demands of striving for provincial ubiquity. Nonetheless, despite driving Highway 2 with wearying frequency, she prefers to see the Calgary-Edmonton duality as a blessing that few organizations enjoy.

Its a challenge, but its also a unique opportunity, says Stanners, who has handled marketing, nance, and economic development since joining the company in Calgary in late 2005. How lucky we are that Calgary and Edmonton happen to be great cultural cities in a province in a situation of abundance. After years of experience with various non-prot groups, Stanners is particularly enthusiastic about Alberta Ballet. After all, it operates on a $7-million annual budget one of the largest of any arts organization in the province and has access to two markets of more than a million people each. This is, to me, the company with the most potential anywhere, says Stanners. Theres good cause for such optimism. Interest in the ballet is almost built into the psyche of each home city. Owing partly to the University of Alberta, Edmonton has a history of supporting the arts, points out Allan

Scott, President and CEO of the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation and the Alberta Art Gallerys Board Chair. Calgary, on the other hand, home to one of the highest concentrations of corporate head ofces in Canada, easily matches the capitals appetite for culture. Regardless of which side of the rivalry youre on, says Phil Ponting, a Calgary lawyer and Chair of The Banff Centres Board of Governors, We want to participate in a vibrant and culturally signicant city.

Capitalizing on this demand for signicance, however, isnt just a matter of performing. When you have head-quarters in one city, says Stanners, theres always a chal -lenge to make sure youre relevant in the other. Whichever city happens to be disappearing in the rearview mirror, then, must be left not only with good management to prepare for the next production, but with the sense that Alberta Ballet is a mainstay of its artistic and cultural com -munity. With the School of Alberta Ballet and virtually all of the companys administrative and artistic staff based in Calgary, Stanners has made elevating the companys capital city prole a priority. Without this, says Ponting, a veteran of various arts boards in his former home of Edmonton, success is tough to achieve.

Over the next few years, Alberta Ballet will strengthen present connections with the capital and build a few new ones as well. The companys Edmonton ofce will see steady, sustainable growth. Jennifer Faulkner has already come on board as the new Director of Edmonton

aA Tale of Two Cities

Calling both Calgary and Edmonton home is equal parts blessing and

challenge for Alberta Ballet

BY SCOTT MESSENGER

ABallet_P036-037.indd 36 9/20/06 17:25:02

37

HOW LUCKY WE ARE THAT CALGARY AND EDMONTON HAPPEN TO BE GREAT CULTURAL CITIES IN A PROVINCE IN A SITUATION OF ABUNDANCE.

Operations, bringing her experience with the world-class Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival to the table. Fundraising efforts might mean more frequent galas in the city, in light of the success of last falls Dance on Air. Stanners will also be looking at possible links between company dancers and Edmonton dance schools. And the Board of Directors, no doubt, will see the addition of a few more Edmonton names.

Edmonton is Alberta Ballets northern home city, says Faulkner, and Im really excited to be able to be a part of building our ballet by growing our presence, increas-ing our audiences and enhancing our performances. Edmonton is already a thriving city, and we want to build on our roots here and contribute to the new energy that is everywhere apparent. It all started here, and the next 40 years will be fantastic.

While Stanners primary motivation is drawing audi -ences, there is more at stake in maintaining presence. For instance, the nature of sponsorship, as Ponting points out, has long since changed from simple donations to exercises in corporate investment. Basically, if an organi -zation doesnt engage the community, neither does the sponsor. According to Alberta Ballet Director at Large Bruce Graham, President and CEO of Calgary Economic Development, meaningful interaction between the com -pany and both communities will help crystallize the economic concept of the Calgary-Edmonton corridor, fur-ther encouraging investment, perhaps even from outside

the province. In fact, for the latter to occur at all, cities the size of Edmonton and Calgary, when counted alone, often wont impress. Once you get outside the boundaries of Alberta, says Scott, youve got to talk about a population of millions before people take you seriously. Ultimately,

the way to achieve any of this, Graham advises, is to ensure both cities have pride in ownership of the Alberta Ballet.

Were up for the challenge, Stanners says condently. And with orchestras, Jubilee Auditoria and strong audi-ences available in both cities, the company is poised more than ever to truly be the provinces ballet.

I think Alberta Ballet is showing it can be done, says Ponting. Theyre working hard to make sure theyve got the right touch in terms of understanding the fabric of both cities. The proof, he believes, is in the integrity of their work. With last seasons production of Romeo and Juliet still lingering in his mind, praise comes easily. One has such great admiration for seeing works so successfully presented, says Ponting, that you just cant help but see Alberta Ballet as an organization our communities abso -lutely need. AB

A Tale of Two Cities

ABallet_P036-037.indd 37 9/20/06 17:25:15

38

he night that Asani performed with Alberta Ballet stands out clearly in singer Sarah Pocklingtons mem-ory. We started with just the hand drums, recalls

the member of the Aboriginal womens trio. There was a slight pause, and when we started to sing they danced, and it really was breathtaking. It was so beautiful that it was hard for us to sing. The inclination was to stop singing it was that stunning.

The Edmonton-based trio performed with the dance company at the Alberta culture exhibition at this past Julys Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C. Asani

t

Alberta Ballet understands the advantages of working with an array of dance partners

BY NOMI LOPINTO

A Chorusof Many VoicesAlberta Ballet performs with Asani at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C.

PHO

TOG

RAPH

BY

RO

SS B

RAD

LEY

sang their trademark a capella songs in Woodland Cree and English, accompanied only by a small set of traditional skin drums. But for Oti Nikan, their closing song, which is about preparing children for the future, four Alberta Ballet dancers joined them onstage. The men were bare-chested and the women were wearing purple leotards and owing sleeves, says Pocklington. The movements were a combi -nation of absolute grace with athletics that astounded me. The experience was absolutely unbelievable.

The dancing was choreographed by Alberta Ballet Artistic Director Jean Grand-Matre. He loves reaching

ABallet_P038-P045.indd 38 9/20/06 17:26:52

39

Alberta Ballet Music Director Peter Dala follows the tour from city to city every year. He conducted the past ve Nutcracker tours, with ve different orchestras and alter -nating dancers. Each orchestra is like an individual, says Dala. Theyre comprised of many people, but they all have their characteristics, which makes it all the more interest -ing. Its a bit like visiting family every year. The challenge is to adapt very quickly.

Other long-term musical collaborators are the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, with whom Alberta Ballet produces three bal-lets each year.

This fall, Alberta Ballet will perform Romeo and Julietwith the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, a production which came about through an 18-month collaboration between Alberta Ballet and the Banff Centre for the Arts. Nearly 100 students and staff from the Banff Centres theatre arts program put in thousands of hours building the sets, props and all of the costumes. The production is worth nearly $1 million, but together the two organiza-tions pulled it off for half that amount. The result is a beau-tiful show, says Banff Centre President and CEO Mary Hofstetter.

Alberta Ballet wouldnt have been able to do it on its

beyond his genre, beyond his organization, to share the stage. The results, he says, are often exceptional. In the end, we nourish each other, feed off each other, and if we are successful, we create great performance art, says Grand-Matre. The concept in Alberta is still develop -ing, but in Qubec, New York and Europe, its been going around for a while. They realized a long time ago the advantages of working together.

In a province where arts funding is limited, sharing resources makes sense. Some of Alberta Ballets shared projects are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities; others, such as the annual production of Tchaikovskys Nutcracker,

are programme staples involving an array of participants. To produce the Nutcracker, Alberta Ballet partners with Ballet British Columbia, whose dancers come to Calgary to train and then tour. Alberta Ballet also collaborates with dozens of ballet and elementary schools in each of the ve host cities Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Spokane, Washington to train young dancers for the roles of the soldiers, party children, a rabbit, mice, angels, and the crucial roles of Clara and her pesky younger brother, Fritz. In Edmonton alone, Alberta Ballet works with more than a dozen elementary and dance schools.

The Nutcracker also requires musical partnerships.

The concept in Alberta is still developing, but in Quebec, New York and Europe, its been going around for a while. They realized a long time ago the advantages

of working together.

A Chorusof Many Voices Tchaikovskys Nutcracker, Alberta Ballets annual co-production with Ballet British Columbia

PHO

TOG

RAPH

BY

RO

SS B

RAD

LEY

ABallet_P038-P045.indd 39 9/20/06 17:27:06

40

own, she says. We worked together and individually contacting potential donors so we could raise the money. It also gave us a splendid opportunity for our students to get rst-hand experience building a new ballet production. No one really has the funding to go it alone in the arts in Canada. Its a better use of resources to share and partner with someone else.

Creating Romeo and Juliet was a challenge for Grand-Matre, who likens the experience to having a baby. You give birth hoping it will grow up to be an architect, but accept it if it wants to drive a taxi, he says, laughing. Every ballet is different. Creating dance has to really come from the unconscious. If its too contrived you lose the emotions. The body cannot lie; we can lie from our mouths but the body has its own integrity how it reacts and breathes thats why ballet can take on a life of its own. I try to imagine a living organism that is fragile, vulnerable and transparent, like a pallet of moving colours. AB

More than seven centuries after confronting the King of England, the Burghers of Calais did more than walk again they got up and danced. The bronze sculpture of six tired, shufing gures was brought to life by Alberta Ballet dancer and budding choreographer Sabrina Mathews, in collaboration with Calgarys Glenbow Museum, in 2004.

The sculpture was part of Rodin: A Magnicent Obsession, an exhibition of nearly 70 sculptures, drawings and studies at the Glenbow in the winter of 2004-05. It is an ode to the people of a small city in France during the Hundred Years War. In 1347, the port city of Calais was under siege, its people pawns in the power strug -gle between Englands King Edward III and Philip VI of France.

The city was on the brink of starvation and surrender. King Edward offered to spare its inhabitants if any six of its top leaders would surrender themselves to him, presumably to be executed. They were ordered to walk to the city gates half naked, wearing nooses around their necks and carrying the keys to the city. They were apprehended and jailed, but spared execution. Rodins sculpture shows the six on their way to meet the king, stripped down to their breeches, walking together

Igor Chornoval, Alexis Maragozis (on the oor), Michael Vallencourt

(looking down) and Nadia Iozzo as Rodins Burghers of Calais

Bringing Rodin To Lifeemaciated and defeated.

Sabrina Mathews created a perform -ance piece in which four sinuous dancers with golden, copper skin seemed to slowly come to life in the museum.

It was very slow moving, from one pose to the next, says Alberta Ballet Artistic Director Jean Grand-Matre. Sabrina tried to understand the emo -tional context of the sculptures. It was contemplative, like watching tai chi, and the music was classical from the period when he was sculpting. It was the same kind of thing that might have inspired him in his studio.

The half-hour-long performance played three nights in a row to packed houses in the Glenbow Theatre. It was such a success that Mike Robinson, President and CEO of the museum, says the two organizations are on the verge of yet another collaboration.

We are as strong as our networks, Robinson says. But the joys transcend economics and quickly take you into the aesthetics. It shows the possible con -nections between museums, sculpture, dance companies and art galleries. Its good for attendance, for the companies, and for the audience. Nomi LoPinto

EACH ORCHESTRA IS LIKE AN INDIVIDUAL. THEYRE

COMPRISED OF MANY PEOPLE, BUT THEY ALL HAVE THEIR

CHARACTERISTICS, WHICH MAKES IT ALL THE MORE INTERESTING. ITS A BIT LIKE VISITING FAMILY EVERY YEAR. THE CHALLENGE

IS TO ADAPT VERY QUICKLY.

PHO

TOG

RAPH

BY

TRU

DIE

LEE

ABallet_P038-P045.indd 40 9/20/06 17:27:40

41

TourAlberta Ballet gets stronger at home by taking to the roadBY NOMI LOPINTO

TourWorld

erforming in China was an eye-opener for Alberta Ballet dancer Blair Puente. During George Bizets Carmen, for instance, the

25-year-old was surprised to see camera ashes and the bleeding lights of video.

We heard everything, Puente says. People taking, eating popcorn and smoking cigarettes. It was completely different. They also laughed at things that for us would be very moving and emotionally intense. In Carmen, when Don Jose is stripped of his military rank, beaten up and tossed out they shove him down, and he gets a hard kick the audience actually laughed.

Touring enriches dancers, tests their profes-sional mettle, and reveals the impact of their art form on a variety of audiences. For Alberta Ballet as a whole, its reputation grows with every stop. Ironically, the more it takes to the road, the more success the company stands to have at home. To date, Alberta Ballet has been to Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, New York, Washington, D.C.,

p

PHO

TOG

RAPH

BY

TRU

DIE

LEE

ABallet_P038-P045.indd 41 9/20/06 17:37:49

42

Helsinki, Beijing, Shanghai, Canton and Cairo.

Touring can pose a host of chal -lenges, says Director of Production Harry Paterson. This is part and parcel of touring. Success can be inu -enced by many things: A bomb scare can have a huge impact and competing entertainment offerings can hurt us. If the Harlem Globetrotters are in town, for example, it can inuence sales enormously.

In the upcoming season, Alberta Ballet will bring Romeo and Juliet to Vancouver, Medicine Hat, Regina and Saskatoon. In November, the company will begin its annual pro-duction of Tchaikovskys Nutcracker, which plays Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria, Vancouver and Spokane, Washington.

Most of these productions depend on box-ofce success to pay the salaries of the dancers, drivers, stage-hands, singers and musicians, as well as accommodation and per diem costs. No matter where the company goes, Paterson is there to oversee each pro-duction. Although Technical Director Mike Hessler supervises the arrival of trucks and crates lled with cos -tumes, lighting and set equipment, worry lines are still one of the perks of Patersons job.

Ohio-born ballerina Leigh Allardyce, 26, was part of the production of Carmen that travelled to China in December 2004. She described the experience as magical. Touring really broadens your horizons, says Allardyce. Its a clich, but you are not in your comfort zone anymore.

It really helps you to mature as a dancer. You have to be a professional, to say, What do I need to do to feel comfortable? You realize what you need to produce the best you can.

Allardyce also hit the road last year with Alberta Ballets Northern Tights Tour, a ve-year-old educa-

tional and interactive tour geared towards elementary students in rural Western Canada. Two dozen danc -ers, sponsored by the Royal Bank of Canada and Alliance Pipeline, board a Greyhound bus to reach out to more than 2,000 students in small communities. They teach kids vari-ous dance steps, talk about the daily life of a dancer, and perform excerpts from past productions. This past year, Allardyce was the tours emcee.

Its great they are so completely enthralled, she says about the kids dancers meet. We ask for volunteers, bring them up to learn the positions

with the hands and the feet. Its funny, because you go back to the basics: it gives you perspective about this career and why you do it. It really leaves us feeling like, This is why we do this. You do it to share, and maybe even spark a lifelong interest. All of us started dancing because of that one experience that lit a re.

The RBC Financial Group has been behind the Alberta Ballet for more than 15 years, providing more than $185,000 in funding for the com-pany since 1989 through the RBC Foundation. Regional President for Alberta and the Territories, Bruce MacKenzie, says the Northern Tights partnership has surpassed their expec -tations. One sees the delight in the faces of the kids when they see a beau -tiful performance or learn a dance step, he says. Our branch managers who go out and introduce the pro-gram in places like Grande Prairie, Edson and Bonnyville tell us how proud they are that were part of this unique experience.

The Alliance/Alberta Ballet relationship is an excellent exam-ple of matching the needs of the arts and those of business, adds Paul Anderson, Director External Relations and Sustainable Development with Alliance Pipeline Limited, a new sponsor of the Alberta Ballet Northern Tights Tour.

Alberta Ballet performances are world class and Alliance Pipeline is responsible for ensuring it invests wisely and adds value in its stakeholder communities. It is only through mutual understanding that these dif -ferent needs can be met. AB

TOURING REALLY BROADENS YOUR HORIZONS. ITS A CLICH, BUT YOU ARE NOT IN YOUR COMFORT ZONE ANYMORE. IT

REALLY HELPS YOU TO MATURE AS A DANCER.

ABallet_P038-P045.indd 42 9/20/06 17:29:57

43

Innovative Dancing Joni headlines Alberta Ballets 40th anniversary lineup

BY NOMI LOPINTO

w

SeasonRuby The

hen Kelley McKinlay rst heard singer Joni Mitchells music, he got shivers. When he learned that he would be dancing to her music,

he felt cold all over.I grew up listening to Joni Mitchell, says McKinlay,

a 23-year-old Alberta Ballet dancer. When I found out about this show, I was ecstatic. I still cant wait to do it. She is such an incredible woman, and for her to be coming to the studios here in Calgary, to have the chance to dance to her music and work with her on a production is amazing.

Dancing Joni: The Fiddle and the Drum is the result of a year-long collaboration between the Alberta-born singer/songwriter and Alberta Ballets Artistic Director Jean Grand-Matre. Inspired by her music, Grand-Matre sent Mitchell a two-page letter in January 2006, asking her to imagine her music put to movement. I would invite you, he wrote, to imagine our athletic and spiritual dancers moving their powerful bodies and ethereal souls within a protective world of colour and texture that you could cre-ate around them.

Grand-Matre initially envisioned a simple 40-minute homage to the poetry and humanism in Mitchells songs.

ABallet_P038-P045.indd 43 9/20/06 17:30:10

44

He met with her at her home in Los Angeles, returned to Alberta and immersed himself in plans for a retrospec-tive. While working on the project, he found that she still has things she wants to say, and so instead of a retrospec-tive of the past, they developed a new, more challenging approach looking forward.

Mitchells deeply personal and poetic songs, and her four-octave voice, have inspired millions. She was born Roberta Joan Anderson in Fort Macleod, Alberta in 1943. (She changed her last name after a brief marriage to folk singer Chuck Mitchell.) Joni Mitchell was part of the burgeoning, mid-1960s folk scene in New York City and achieved her greatest fame in the early 70s as a part of the southern California folk-rock scene. Over the next 30 years, she became a rock-and-roll icon. Mitchell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and was awarded ve Grammy Awards between1969 and 2000. A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award followed in 2002, along with a citation describing her as one of the most important female recording artists of the rock era. She is also an accomplished visual artist, often creating the artwork on her albums. She is a deeply private person who rarely exhibits her paintings, however, and shes very selec -tive when choosing collaborators.

Joni Mitchell refuses a lot of projects, says Grand-Matre. She has enormous integrity. But knowing how important all the arts are to her, we agreed that she would select the music from her repertoire and create a visual environment within which the dancers would evolve. The idea would exist in her world of music, colour and texture. This collaboration is one of the highlights of my career.

Dancing Joni: The Fiddle and the Drum will be a visual poem about love and revolution, war, environmental neglect and hope. Forty paintings will be projected behind the dancers in greens, reds and blues. The production is central to the Alberta Ballets 40th anniversary season. It plays in Calgary from February 8 to 10, and in Edmonton on February 16 and 17, and the evening will also feature Without Words by Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato and George Balanchines Serenade.

One of the Calgary performances of Dancing Joni: The Fiddle and the Drum will be recorded by local company joeMedia for broadcast on CHUM television. This will be Alberta Ballets rst taped television special, a thrilling prospect for General Director Michle Stanners. This is very important and will have an impact beyond a simple broadcast, she says. Because of love for Joni Mitchell, people who may have a rigid impression of ballet will want to see the production. They are going to see something new and exciting which will help us demystify ballet and reach a larger audience, which is a big part of our job.

Watching Alberta Ballet grow is part of Michael Crabbs job as dance critic at the National Post . After three dec -ades of observation, he feels the company is the strongest it has ever been. There has been a denite progression towards increasing sophistication over the years, he says. Currently, Alberta Ballet has a notable vibrancy. They are dancing as if it were a life-and-death issue. They are totally in the moment, giving their all. This does not mean they are technically perfect, just that they dance with a common purpose and sense of commitment, making every perform-ance real.

Choreography literally means dance-writing. It is the art of connecting structures, the abstract elements of movement: space, shape, time and energy. Grand-Matre develops a language of movement for each piece; he develops a poem in bodily form using movements from daily life, ballet, modern and jazz dance. Dance and Joni Mitchells music will work well together, Kelley McKinlay says, because both involve telling epic stories.

I am a little nervous, he says about the debut perform-ance, but I think its going to be a very memorable night. Lovers of Joni Mitchell will come and see it and maybe become lovers of dance as well.

The 40th anniversary season opens in October with Carmina Burana and other works (Balanchines Rubies, Jean Grand-Matres The Winter Room and Ali Pourfarrokhs Buttery Dream), continues with the Nutcracker in December, Dancing Joni: The Fiddle and the Drum in February, Cinderella in March, the Royal Winnipeg Ballets Dracula in April, and features Romeo and Juliets tour of Western Canada in September. AB

Joni Mitchell

PHO

TO

GR

APH

BY

WIL

LIA

M C