Photo by Bruce Zinger.
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The Latest
Photo by Bruce Zinger.
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Review: Charpentier’s David and Jonathan (Opera Atelier)
One of my favourite things about Opera Atelier is the adorable married duo at its helm. Led by director Marshall Pynkoski and choreographer Jeannette Lajeunesse-Zingg, the two first met in a Toronto ballet class in the early 1980’s and bonded over their shared love of baroque music, opera, and dance. In 1985, they launched Opera Atelier in Toronto, and this production of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s David and Jonathan marks their fortieth anniversary season.
Photo by SV Photography.
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Review: OPHIS (Transcen|Dance Project)
Back with another fantastic immersive dance experience is OPHIS, presented by TranscenDance Project. Created and choreographed by Julia Cratchley with an original score by Owen Belton, OPHIS reimagines the myth of Medusa in an intimate site-specific performance that takes over all three floors of Toronto’s historic Great Hall.
Photo by Rydel Cerezo.
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Review: PIÑA (FakeKnot / Toronto Dance Theatre)
Beginning with karaoké, snacks, and a warm gathering in Studio A at the Winchester Street Theatre, PIÑA—presented by FakeKnot and Toronto Dance Theatre—invites its audience into something more than a performance. Choreographed and performed in part by Ralph Escamillan, the evening gradually shifts from a community celebration to an intimate, layered exploration of identity, history, and the diasporic body.
Photo by Bruce Zinger.
![Genevieve Penn Nabity and Ben Rudisin in Swan Lake.]( "Genevieve Penn Nabity and Ben Rudisin in Swan Lake.")
Review: Swan Lake (The National Ballet of Canada)
Karen Kain’s 2022 Swan Lake is back on the Four Seasons Centre stage with the National Ballet of Canada—but this time, Tchaikovsky isn’t the first thing you’ll hear. Instead, each performance opens with “O Canada.” On opening night, the audience sang loud and proud, embracing this unexpected yet thoughtful gesture—a reflective nod amidst current trade tensions between Canada and its southern neighbour, and perfectly fitting for a ballet created by Canada’s very own ballet sweetheart.
Photo by Bruce Zinger.
![Christopher Gerty and Genevieve Penn Nabity in The Four Seasons.]( "Christopher Gerty and Genevieve Penn Nabity in The Four Seasons.")
Dawson, Goecke, Tudor: A Review of The National Ballet of Canada’s Winter Triple Bill 2025
A delicate reflection on time, a dark plunge into the subconscious, and a bold reimagining of a classic—the National Ballet of Canada’s latest Triple Bill offers an evening of works connected by a common thread of reflection and transformation. The program features the 50th-anniversary performance of Antony Tudor’s The Leaves Are Fading, the gorgeous yet unsettling Morpheus’ Dream by German choreographer Marco Goecke, and a new take on The Four Seasons, choreographed by the National Ballet’s new Resident Choreographer, David Dawson.
Photo of Sandra Laronde. Photo by Tony Hauser.
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Sandra Laronde Receives 2025 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in Dance
Recognized as Canada’s highest honor in the performing arts, the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement celebrates artists for their outstanding and enduring contributions to culture in Canada and abroad. This year, the award is presented to Sandra Laronde—director, producer, choreographer, author, and Executive & Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance.
Photo by Roya DelSol.
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Review: everything i wanted to tell you (Vazari | Citadel + Compagnie)
With each lift, shimmy, and playful shove, everything i wanted to tell you (but couldn’t, so here it is now), choreographed by Jessie Garon, explores the physical and emotional push and pull of familial relationships. Presented by Vazari and Citadel + Compagnie, this contemporary dance work balances humor and gravity as it unpacks the joys and struggles of these family bonds, subtly questioning the cultural push toward setting rigid boundaries with family.
Photo by Karolina Kuras.
![Artists of the Ballet in The Nutcracker. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.]( "Artists of the Ballet in The Nutcracker. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.")
Review: The Nutcracker (The National Ballet of Canada)
The holiday spirit has begun! Cue the tacky christmas sweaters, endless carols, and every dancer’s favorite tradition: The Nutcracker. This world-famous ballet has become synonymous with the holiday season, performed by ballet companies around the globe. Yet when it comes to opulence, few can rival the National Ballet of Canada’s production.
Photo by Chris Randle.
![Photo of Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother.]( "Photo of Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother.")
Review: Raven Mother (Dancers of Damelahamid / DanceWorks)
Opening DanceWorks’ forty-eighth season is Raven Mother by Dancers of Damelahamid, a work that honors the legacy of Elder Margaret Harris, who co-founded the company in 1967 and was an integral figure in continuing the legacy of Indigenous cultural practices in Canada. Performed by her family, the work is a heartfelt tribute composed of narrative-based vignettes that showcase movement, music, and regalia of the Gitxsan people.
Photo by Karolina Kuras.
![Hannah Galway and Christopher Gerty in Silent Screen.]( "Hannah Galway and Christopher Gerty in Silent Screen.")
Review: Silent Screen / Body of Work / Rhapsody (The National Ballet of Canada)
Opening the season at the National Ballet of Canada is a Triple Bill that showcases that the company never shies away from a challenge. This program celebrates its own talents as well as the neoclassical and contemporary ballet worlds, featuring Body of Work, a solo by Canadian dancer Guillaume Côté; Rhapsody, a neoclassical ode to Sir Frederick Ashton; and Silent Screen, a cinematic contemporary ballet marvel.
Photo by Nicholas MacKay.
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Inside the National Ballet of Canada’s Premiere of Silent Screen: A Conversation with Medhi Walerski & Ben Rudisin
In anticipation of the National Ballet of Canada’s 2024/2025 season opener, I had the opportunity to speak with Medhi Walerski, Artistic Director of Ballet BC, and NBOC Principal Dancer Ben Rudisin about the Canadian premiere of Silent Screen. This 90-minute work, choreographed by Paul Lightfoot and Sol León, will be featured as a highlight in the company’s season debut on November 9, 2024.
Photo by Bruce Zinger.
![Artists of Atelier Ballet with tenor Antonin Rondepierre as Acis and soprano Meghan Lindsay as Galatea in the finale of Opera Atelier's production of Handel's Acis and Galatea. Photo by Bruce Zinger.]( "Artists of Atelier Ballet with tenor Antonin Rondepierre as Acis and soprano Meghan Lindsay as Galatea in the finale of Opera Atelier's production of Handel's Acis and Galatea. Photo by Bruce Zinger.")
Review: Acis and Galatea (Opera Atelier)
Opening Opera Atelier’s fortieth season is Handel's Acis and Galatea—an English-language opera staged at the beautiful Elgin Theatre. With a campy love story, playful humor, and lots of dancing, this production, directed by Marshall Pynkoski, delivers the kind of accessible, vibrant production that Opera Atelier is known for.
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko.
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Review: Burn Baby, Burn (Fall For Dance North / Côté Danse)
Ending my time with this year’s Fall For Dance North (FFDN) festival is Burn Baby, Burn , a new work by Guillaume Côté / Côté Danse, presented at the Fleck Dance Theatre. Inspired by the collective actions needed to combat climate change, this piece follows a fiery theme—aptly reflecting the urgency of our times and particularly poignant as we witness the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in Florida.
Photo by Drew Berry.
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Review: Big Time Miss (Fall For Dance North / Rock Bottom Movement)
World-premiering at the Fall for Dance North Festival, is Big Time Miss by Canada’s own Rock Bottom Movement, choreographed by Artistic Director Alyssa Martin. This work feels like watching Merce Cunningham on drugs—or maybe just finally letting his dancers feel something—sprinkled with a healthy dose of silliness and the occasional hip thrust. (Meant with all the respect in the world.)
Photo by Ravi Deepres.
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Review: Autobiography V98 + V99 (Fall For Dance North / Company Wayne McGregor)
Unapologetically postmodern, Autobiography V98 + V99, presented by Fall for Dance North at The Creative School Chrysalis at Toronto Metropolitan University is a 75-minute dance work by Company Wayne McGregor. The work draws from McGregor's genetic code to create 23 sections, representing the 23 chromosomes in the human genome, arranged randomly using AI. As a result, no two performances are the same.
Photo by Nanc Price.
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Review: Homecoming – 2024 Signature Programme (Fall For Dance North)
It’s officially dance season! For me, it all starts with the Fall for Dance North (FFDN) festival. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, this year’s festival feels bigger and better than ever. Kicking off this milestone season is Homecoming – 2024 Signature Programme, presented at The Creative School Chrysalis at Toronto Metropolitan University. This two-hour show (with two intermissions) features three works: The National Ballet of Canada’s islands, Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company performing The Last Song, and Ballet Edmonton’s Feel No More.
Photo by Caitlin Unrau.
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Review: Arising (Canadian Irish Dance Company)
How often do you get to witness a dance company take its first steps? It’s even more unique when that debut is an Irish dance production right in the heart of Toronto. Last night marked the debut of the Canadian Irish Dance Company with their work Arising, a celebration of new interpretations of Irish dance set to an entirely Canadian soundtrack.
Photo by Karolina Kuras
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Review: Jewels (The National Ballet of Canada)
Ending the 2023/2024 season at the National Ballet of Canada is George Balanchine’s Jewels, a plotless ballet that centers around three precious stones: Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds. Each gem is represented in a separate act, with costumes designed by Barbara Karinska that match their brilliance, and are brought to life by music from renowned composers: Fauré, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. This ballet is a showcase of three distinct styles that have shaped Balanchine’s illustrious career: French Romanticism, Contemporary American, and Russian Classicism.
Photo by Karolina Kuras.
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Inside The National Ballet of Canada's Mad Hot Ballet: Garden of Jewels Gala
What a fabulous season it has been at The National Ballet of Canada. This year marked my first time attending their annual fundraising gala, themed as a summer garden party, titled Garden of Jewels. This Mad Hot Ballet gala was an absolutely delightful way to cap off the season and to continue supporting the National Ballet of Canada.
Photo by Karolina Kuras.
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Review: Don Quixote (The National Ballet of Canada)
The National Ballet of Canada presents the North American premiere of Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote, beautifully reimagining this fan favorite. Renowned for its difficulty, Don Quixote demands virtuosic technique, speed, precision, stamina, and artistic flair from its performers. The audience was abuzz last night at the Four Seasons Centre as the company delivered just that.
Photo by Brian Medina.
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Review: JUNIOR 2024 (Harbourfront Centre)
Every May long weekend, the Harbourfront Centre hosts the annual Junior Festival, featuring a lineup of free or affordable performances of dance, theater, and circus, and activities for kids of all ages. This was my first time attending the festival and I had the pleasure of seeing three works: Make Me Dance by the Norwegian company Panta Rei Danseteater, Afrique en Cirque from the Guinean Cirque Kalabanté and BENCHED by Denmark’s Uppercut Dance Theater.
Photo by David-Hou.
![Photo of Soft.]( "Photo of Soft.")
Review: Unclearing (The Chimera Project Dance Theatre)
Unclearing, a contemporary dance double bill, delves into the intricacies of human emotion and experience. The program features Agrimony, co-created by dance artist Sophie Dow and musician Laura Rezek, and Soft choreographed by Malgorzata Nowacka-May.
Photo by Matt Barnes.
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Review: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (Côté Danse, Ex Machina, and Show One Productions)
Opening tonight at the gorgeous Elgin Theatre, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, presented by Côté Danse, Ex Machina, and Show One Productions, is a wordless dance spectacle that captivates from start to finish. Choreographed and co-designed by Guillaume Côté and directed and designed by Robert Lepage, this production beautifully demonstrates that words are not necessary to convey the essence of this timeless Shakespearean tale. I attended a preview of the work last night, and it exemplifies the power of creative collaboration. From the music to the choreography, direction, and cast’s performances, each element is beautifully crafted to tell the tale.
Photo by Karolina Kuras.
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Review: Winter Triple Bill (The National Ballet of Canada)
Winter Triple Bill, presented by the National Ballet of Canada, showcases three distinct works on the Four Seasons Stage. From the intimate duet of islands by Canadian choreographer Emma Portner, to the neoclassical elegance of Suite en Blanc by Serge Lifar, and the digital-age reflections of UtopiVerse by Canadian William Yong, this Triple Bill offers a diverse mix of contemporary and classical ballet, highlighting the exceptional talent of Canadian dancers and choreographers.
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