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Sisterhood

“Swan Lake”
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
March 8, 2025

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2025 by Denise Sum

“Swan Lake” is a measuring stick for any classical company, yet it is surprisingly difficult to find a definitive production without significant flaws. In the years since its 1877 Moscow premiere, different choreographers have changed the setting, cut and added variations and condensed it. It has been done with an all male cast, with and without a jester, with different guises of Rothbart and with both tragic and happy endings. The National Ballet of Canada has gone through multiple wildly different versions from Erik Bruhn’s 1967 production to James Kudelka’s 1999 interpretation to the current production directed and staged by Karen Kain (with choreography credited to Karen Kain, Christopher Stowell, Robert Binet after Erik Bruhn, Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa). Kain’s “Swan Lake” was to be unveiled in 2020 but the premiere was delayed multiple times due to the pandemic before it finally opened in 2022. This is the first time since then that the NBoC is revisiting this seminal work. The run was completely sold out well in advance of its opening, which shows the power and appeal of “Swan Lake” in the imagination of the general public. 

Genevieve Penn Nabity and Ben Rudisin in “Swan Lake”. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

Signature Style

“The Four Seasons”, “Morpheus’ Dream”, “The Leaves are Fading”
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
Feb. 26, 2025

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2025 by Denise Sum

The National Ballet of Canada’s diverse winter triple bill featured works from two British and one German choreographer that showcased a range of styles and movement vocabularies. The feature of the night was David Dawson’s colorful and modern “The Four Seasons”. Following opening night, the company announced that he will be appointed resident choreographer, marking the beginning of a close partnership between Dawson and the NBoC. The company has not had a resident choreographer since James Kudelka took on that role in 2007. The program also celebrated the 50th anniversary of Antony Tudor’s “The Leaves are Fading”. The romantic and poetic ballet was long overdue for a revisit after being absent from the repertoire since 1995. Lastly, Marco Goecke’s “Morpheus’ Dream” is a dynamic pas de deux that packs a punch in just ten minutes. 

Calley Skalnik and Spencer Hack in The Four Seasons. Photo by Karolina Kuras.