National Ballet season to feature ‘Swan Lake,’ ‘Onegin,’ Canuck choreographers

By The Canadian Press

TORONTO – A new season at the National Ballet of Canada will lean heavily on the work of former artistic director James Kudelka and feature the Canadian debut of “Spectre de la Rose” and treasured classics “Swan Lake” and “Onegin.”

Company director Karen Kain says the 2013/14 slate is “a rich blend of contemporary and classical ballets.”

It will be book-ended by two Kudelka adaptations: his take on “Swan Lake” opens the season Nov. 9-17 and continues March 8-16, 2014, while his adaptation of “Cinderella” concludes the season June 4-15, 2014.

Kudelka will also be featured in a program known as “Innovation,” which profiles three homegrown choreographers. It includes Robert Binet and José Navas, and runs Nov. 22-28.

Meanwhile, “The Nutcracker” returns with festive cheer from Dec. 14, 2013 to Jan. 4, 2014 while a mixed program including “Watch her” by Aszure Barton and “A Month in the Country” by Sir Frederick Ashton runs between Feb. 26 and March 2, 2014.

“Onegin,” choreographed by John Cranko, runs March 19-23, 2014, while the Canadian premiere of Marco Goecke’s re-imagining of “Spectre de la Rose” will be part of a summer program including “Opus 19/The Dreamer” and “the second detail” running from May 28 to June 1, 2014.

“These are exciting times for the National Ballet of Canada; there is a new vigour and character to the company,” Kain said Tuesday in a release.

“Our performances, both at home and on the international stage, have been greeted with praise from both audiences and critics alike and our dancers are clearly galvanized by the experience, as is showcased in their outstanding performances.”

For the first time, the ballet company will tour the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., from July 16 to 18, bringing with it “Giselle” and an all-Canadian mixed program of “The Four Seasons” and “Emergence.”

The visit will make the National Ballet of Canada the only company outside of New York City Ballet to perform at the prestigious summer festival.

The company will also visit the National Arts Centre in Ottawa with “Swan Lake” from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, 2014.

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On the web: http://national.ballet.ca

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