Jam-packed new season for NAC
NAC Dance introduces a jam-packed new season
The National Arts Centre’s upcoming season of dance is shaping up to be a blockbuster that encompasses everything from full-length classical ballets to wild contemporary productions featuring aerial performers, figure skating and, in one case, music by members of the rock band Arcade Fire.
For serious dance fans, several performances land in the mustsee category, including the final full-length performance by dance legend Akram Khan, the return of Canadian star Evelyn Hart in a role created especially for her, and the North American première of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal’s interpretation of the oh-so-romantic Giselle, a piece that marks a shift back to the classical repertoire for the company.
Also included in the season are two popular works by Alberta Ballet: Their sumptuous version of the Nutcracker will ring in the holiday season, while the first in their series of portrait ballets, dedicated to a Canadian icon of songwriting, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a tour. Created with input from the artist herself, Joni Mitchell’s The Fiddle and the Drum offers a contemporary interpretation of 14 of her songs, including three written for the piece.
There are no fewer than 19 dance events on the 2018-19 calendar, representing 18 companies from nine countries and 26 choreographic voices. Of these, six performances were co-produced by the National Arts Centre, meaning the NAC helped fund their creation.
“There’s so much good work out there in dance. I feel sometimes I could do 50 shows a year and still not capture it all,” series producer Cathy Levy said in an interview.
“It’s ambitious and it’s big, yes, not just because it’s the NAC’s 50th, but because every year brings new audiences, and as our audience grows, we want to continue to bring people along with us.
“We feel we’re in a good position to bring them more artists they ’ve never heard of, and to introduce new ideas.”
To help you navigate the abundance, the season is divided into sections. The ballet series consists of the full-length ballets, performed with the NAC Orchestra in Southam Hall. Series A features similarly large-scale works and is performed in Southam Hall, but not with the orchestra. Series B presents smaller-scale works in the Babs Asper Theatre, without orchestra accompaniment.
There is also one performance, by the legendary Paul-Andre Fortier, in the NAC’s Azrieli Studio in October, as well as a handful of performances in off-site venues.
BALLET SERIES ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET
Vespers
Nov.1 to 3
The new full-length ballet by choreographer James Kudelka is a mythological tale set to Monteverdi’s baroque masterpiece Vespers, with elaborate costumes and a special appearance by former principal dancer Evelyn Hart as Everywoman.
The Nutcracker
Nov. 28 to Dec. 2
Back by popular demand, the Alberta Ballet production of the seasonal favourite is based on the original choreography of Edmund Stripe, with lavish set design, historically relevant costumes and, of course, the music of Tchaikovsky, making it a holiday treat for all ages.
NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA
Apollo, The Dream, Paz de la Jolla Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, 2019
“A beautiful triple bill,” Levy said of an evening that features two classical works — George Balanchine’s landmark Apollo and Frederick Ashton’s The Dream — sandwiching the Ottawa première of a more contemporary piece, Paz de la Jolla, by Justin Peck, the young New York City Ballet dancer-choreographer.
LES GRANDS BALLETS CANADIENS DE MONTRÉAL
Giselle
April 4 to 6, 2019
Under recently appointed artistic director Ivan Cavallari, Les Grands Ballets is returning to its roots in classical technique with the fulllength Giselle, considered the jewel of romantic ballets. The NAC run marks its North American première and is part of a season dedicated to women for the Montreal-based company.
SERIES A
Alonzo King Lines Ballet
Nov. 16 and 17
The Canadian première of a new piece by the San Francisco company whose visionary leader Alonzo King pushes classical ballet traditions, this time reuniting with classical tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain.
Farruquito
March 4, 2019
For his one-night-only NAC debut, Spanish superstar Farruquito brings a self-titled piece that shows off his command of the Gypsy-flamenco tradition, joined by musicians, dancers and singers.
Ballet BC
March 23, 2019
Artistic director Emily Molnar brings her lauded company to Ottawa to perform a new piece of hers, plus
Cayetano Soto’s Beginning After, set to sacred music of the baroque period, and Enemy in the Figure by William Forsythe.
SERIES B
Akram Khan Company
Oct. 11 to 13
The NAC Dance season kicks off with Khan’s epic farewell Xenos, a solo, interdisciplinary piece created with an international creative team that includes Canadian theatre artist Jordan Tannahill, originally from Ottawa. Company Wang Ramirez Nov.7 and 8
Don’t miss the return appearance of the dynamic company led by husband-and-wife team Honji Wang and Sebastien Ramirez. Their piece Borderline features six performers, a rigging apparatus that lets them defy gravity and an original score by Lacrymoboy.
Malpaso Dance Company
Jan. 18 and 19, 2019
Based in Havana, Malpaso is Cuba’s first independent dance company, and they’re coming to the NAC for the first time with a mixed program that shows the scope of their talent. Kidd Pivot
Feb. 28 to March 2, 2019 Renowned Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite and playwright-actor Jonathon Young follow up their hit piece Betroffenheit with an adaptation of the 19th-century satirical play, The Inspector General, by Nikolai Gogol.
Peggy Baker Dance Projects April 12 and 13, 2019
Canadian dance artist Peggy Baker has collaborated with two members of the Grammy-winning band Arcade Fire — drummer Jeremy Gara and instrumentalist Sara Neufeld — to create Who We Are In The Dark, a daring piece for seven dancers.
OTHER
Le Patin Libre
May 10 and 11
The Montreal-based troupe of figure skaters returns to Ottawa with a new piece entitled Threshold that showcases their specialty, a sub-genre of dance dubbed contemporary skating. The performances take place at the Minto Skating Centre.
FACE 2 FACE SERIES
Feb. 22 and 23, 2019
La Nouvelle Scene and Ottawa Dance Directive
Three contemporary indigenous dance artists are featured in this series. From Australia comes Ibijerri Theatre Company with Blood on the Dance Floor by Jacob Boehme. Maori dance artist Victoria Hunt brings a solo piece that pays tribute to her ancestry, while Oji-Cree dancerchoreographer Lara Kramer presents the politically charged Windigo.