From ballet to hip hop, season brings dance lover’s delight
Summer lineup promises to please connoisseurs of both classical and contemporary movement
Whether your tastes skew classical or contemporary, if you’re a performing arts fan, you will want to make room on your dance card this summer. From May through to August, there’s plenty of live dance to take in, ranging from ballet to hip hop to pantsula to tap.
Red Giselle, by the Eifman Ballet St. Petersburg, May 11-13, at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, sonycentre.ca Renowned Russian ballet company Eifman Ballet St. Petersburg celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, with a tour that includes a brief stop in Toronto to present Red Giselle, a ballet tribute to the famous Russian dancer Olga Spessivtseva.
Olga Spessivtseva was one of the most famous prima ballerinas of the 20th century, noted for what many called her near-flawless performance in the lead role of Giselle. But her life was marked by hardship; she was sent to an orphanage following the death of her father in her early years, was forced to flee Russia during the 1917 revolution and suffered from debilitating mental illness for much of her life.
In 1998, Russian choreographer Boris Eifman penned a love letter to Spessivtseva, in the form of a ballet called Red Giselle. The show draws parallels to the famous Giselle, while delving into the themes that coloured so much of Spessivtseva’s life — celebrity, politics, privacy and art. Eifman says the catalyst for his creating the ballet were the “tragic emotions” he felt after learning of Spessivtseva’s story.
A Street car Named Desire, by the National Ballet of Canada, June 3-10, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, national.ballet.ca Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, along with the iconic film adaptation, featuring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh, are considered impor- tant members of the canon of American theatre and film.
In 1983, 36 years after Williams wrote his prized work, choreographer John Neumeier translated the play into a ballet that explores the story’s complex themes of madness, memory, violence and desire, told through the perspective of character Blanche DuBois.
The National Ballet is presenting the Canadian premiere of Neumeier’s adaptation, featuring principal dancer Sonia Rodriguez dancing the lead of Blanche. Music by Sergei Prokofiev scores the first, more reflective part of the show, and the second, more jarring half is set to compositions by Alfred Schnittke.
Swan Lake, by the National Ballet of Swan Lake. Canada, June 15-25, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, national.ballet.ca This year marks the 140th anniversary of what is, arguably, the most famous ballet of all time. Swan Lake first premiered in Moscow in 1877, featuring the music of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreography by the prolific Julius Reisinger. By all accounts, that first stage production of Swan Lake wasn’t exactly a success.
Fourteen decades later, the show is beloved by audiences around the world. To close out this, its 65th anniversary season, the National Ballet has chosen a Swan Lake adaptation created in 1999 by choreographer James Kudelka.
Kudelka’s version is a darker, even goth- ic departure from the original (traditionalists, be warned) but offers the show a contemporary edge. This year’s production marks principal dancer Heather Ogden’s return to the company after having given birth to her second child in January, as well the debuts of several National Ballet dancers in principal roles.
Breakin’ Convention, June 23-25, at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, sonycentre.ca The world’s biggest festival of hip hop dance comes to Toronto for two nights of incredible dance theatre performances by more than 10 groups of Canadian and international artists.
Curated and hosted by Jonzi D, a British dancer and artistic director who has helped develop and raise the profile of hip hop dance in the U.K., Breakin’ Convention features some of the world’s best b-boy and b-girl dance crews and street dance companies.
Amongst the international headliners are the world title-winning Just Dance crew from South Korea, led by B-Boy Ducky, presenting The 7 Human Emotions, a dance presentation of ancient Korean culture with a hip hop twist.
Another highlight: South Africa’s Soweto Skeleton Movers, whose new performance at Breakin’ Convention features a specific form of pantsula — a frenetic dance that originated during the Apartheid era in South Africa — developed by Skeleton Mover Jabulani Manyoni, along with “comedic contortionism” and “magical hat tricks.”
Arrive early because before the show gets under way each night, DJ sets, freestyle dancing and workshops will fill the lobbies of the Sony Centre.