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Reality and Illusions

"The Dream" and "Being and Nothingness"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
November 10, 2018

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2018 by Denise Sum

The National Ballet of Canada's fall mixed program featured two contrasting and compli- mentary one act works. First was a revival of Sir Frederick Ashton's "The Dream", arguably one of the most successful dance adaptations of Shakespeare's work. This provided a wonderful chance to see a new generation of dancers in this timeless piece. Next was principal dancer and choreographic associate Guillaume Côté's "Being and Nothingness", a meditation on Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophical treatise of the same name. Fresh off from recent performances on tour in Russia, the plotless ballet was in fine form. Originally created as a solo for Greta Hodgkinson, it later expanded into a 40-minute chamber work. Hodgkinson's expressiveness and artistry remain the highlight of this ballet. 

Photo: Jillian Vanstone and Harrison James in "The Dream". Photo by Aleksandar Antonijevic. 

Too Much

"Anna Karenina"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
November 10, 2018

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2018 by Denise Sum

The National Ballet of Canada has taken a liking to John Neumeier's full-length dance dramas over the past decade with performances of "The Seagull", "Nijinsky", and "A Streetcar Named Desire". His latest work to enter the repertoire, "Anna Karenina", is a new commission and a joint effort between the NBoC, Hamburg Ballet, and Bolshoi Ballet. Leo Tolstoy's epic story needs no introduction. However, audiences should not expect a literal translation of the famous tragedy set in imperial Russia. Rather, Neumeier places "Anna Karenina" in a contemporary setting while preserving the original characters, events and themes. The production is theatrical and determined, but ultimately uneven, confusing and needlessly long. 

Photo: Harrison James and Svetlana Lunkina in "Anna Karenina". Photo by Kiran West.

Romance, Hard Times and Comic Relief

"Paz de la Jolla", "The Man in Black", "Cacti"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 13, 2018

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2018 by Denise Sum

The NBoC closed their 2017-2018 season with a triple bill of 21st century works featuring the company premiere of Justin Peck's sunny 2013 creation, "Paz de la Jolla". This is the first ballet by the NYCB wunderkind to enter the NBoC's repertoire. Joined by James Kudelka's country-infused "The Man in Black" and Alexander Ekman's cheeky "Cacti", this mixed program had a little bit of everything.   

Harrison James and Hannah Fischer in "Paz de la Jolla". Photo by Aleksandar Antonijevic. 

 

Movements that are drawn

"Frame by Frame"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 1, 2018 

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2018 by Denise Sum

When the National Ballet of Canada announced a full length commission from Guillaume Côté, some may have had their doubts. Côté is a brilliant performer, but his work as a choreographer has been uneven. His 2016 adaptation of "Le Petit Prince" did not instil much confidence in his ability to craft a coherent narrative work. Furthermore, this new commission is an homage to the life and work of Scottish Canadian filmmaker and animator Norman McLaren (1914-1987), not exactly straightforward ballet material. Yet through collaborating with renowned Quebecois filmmaker, playwright, director and actor Robert Lepage, "Frame by Frame" is an innovative landmark work for the company. The artistic team included Ex Machina, Lepage's multidisciplinary production company, as well as the National Film Board of Canada. "Frame by Frame" successfully combines a varied dance vocabulary with innovative digital media techniques to create a ballet that is distinctive to the company and true to the ethos of McLaren's oeuvre. Devoted balletomanes, first time balletgoers, and cinemaphiles alike will find something meaningful and memorable in this work.  

Dylan Tydaldi with Artists of the Ballet in "Frame by Frame." Photo by Karolina Kuras.

The Litmus Test

"The Sleeping Beauty"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
March 8, 2018

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2018 by Denise Sum

This month marks the 200th birthday of the great Marius Petipa. What better way to mark the occasion than with performances of his masterpiece, "The Sleeping Beauty"? In addition to representing the zenith of the imperial Russian style, Rudolf Nureyev's 1972 production will always hold a special place in the National Ballet of Canada's repertoire. The NBoC came of age with this production, touring it widely across North America, galvanized by Nureyev's vision and star quality. It remains a grand and lavish work that the company should be proud of. It also provides a periodic checkup of the troupe's cohesiveness and mettle in this all hands on deck technically and stylistically demanding production. Any respectable classical company must be able to pull off a convincing version of this perennial classic, and the NBoC gave a fine performance here. 

Photo: Heather Ogden and Guillaume Côté in "The Sleeping Beauty". Photo by Bruce Zinger. 

Made in Canada

"The Dreamers Ever Leave You", "The Four Seasons", "Emergence"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
February 28, 2018

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2018 by Denise Sum

The National Ballet of Canada's recent triple bill gave Toronto audience members an opportunity to experience three very different works commissioned by the company from Canadian choreographers. Though stylistically varied, each featured strong ensemble work and found inspiration from the natural world, be it the austere beauty of northern landscapes,the idiosyncrasies of insect behavior, or the cycle of changing seasons.  

Photo: Artists of the Ballet in "Emergence". Photo by Bruce Zinger. 

An Unquiet Mind

"Nijinsky"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
November 22, 2017

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2017 by Denise Sum

Fresh from bringing John Neumeier's "Nijinsky" to Paris' Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in October, the National Ballet of Canada performed this ambitious work in their home theatre with renewed vigor. One can only imagine how powerful it must have been for the company to perform a ballet about this dance legend on the very stage where his "Le Sacre du Printemps" premiered in 1913. The entire performance was very strong and the dancers looked confident and well-rehearsed. Rather than a linear biographical narrative, Neumeier presents a melange of swirling vignettes that is part retrospective, reverie, and hallucination. The perspective is not that of an impartial observer; rather the ballet represents Vaslav Nijinsky's chaotic inner world with all its ambiguities, fantasies and trauma. 

Guillaume Côté in "Nijinsky". Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

Light and Darkness

"The Winter's Tale"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts 
Toronto, Canada
November 10, 2017

by Denise Sum
copyright © 2017 by Denise Sum

 With "The Winter's Tale", Christopher Wheeldon has transformed one of William Shakespeare's "problem plays" into a highly effective dance drama. Many elements of a full-length classical ballet are there: pas d'action which move the plot along using mime, divertissements to showcase the dancers' technique, and a series of distinctive pas de deux for the leading characters. Yet the work has a pared down candor and expressionist movement style that feels fresh and contemporary. This narrative work is compelling because it takes the audience on a journey as the central characters grapple with difficult emotions and their consequences. There is depth and nuance here, which is revealed during this second run of the ballet, which is a co-production between the National Ballet of Canada and The Royal Ballet. It is worth remembering that audiences respond to this type of dramatic work if it is done well. Some of the National Ballet's recent full length commissions have been visually spectacular yet superficial, with little choreographic complexity ("Pinnochio", "Le Petit Prince", and Wheeldon's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" come to mind). A ballet like "The Winter's Tale" seems a much sounder investment of the company's talents and resources, as it is a work that can remain in the active repertoire and continue to stimulate dancers and audiences alike for years to come.    

Hannah Fischer with Artists of the Ballet in "The Winter’s Tale". Photo by Karolina Kuras.

Dark and Stormy

"Swan Lake"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 15, 2017

by Denise Sum
copyright © by Denise Sum 2017

"Swan Lake" may be one of the most loved of all ballets, but it is also one of the most tinkered with. There are times when a decent version of the 19th century classic seems hard to find. Sadly, James Kudelka's "Swan Lake" for the National Ballet of Canada leaves much to be desired. As a whole, this version does not make dramatic sense. Choreographically, it is often inelegant and at odds with the music. The most successful moments are those in Act II from the Petipa/Ivanov choreography, which makes it puzzling that they are not acknowledged in the program (the "after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov" credit is omitted). When one views a production as problematic as this one, one's hope lies in the dancers and their abilities to transcend its shortcomings. On this particular evening, there were a number of noteworthy performances.

Photo: Heather Ogden and Guillaume Côté in "Swan Lake". Photo by David Cooper.  

 

When Worlds Collide

"A Streetcar Named Desire"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 3, 2017

by Denise Sum
copyright © by Denise Sum 2017 

  John Neumeier's adaptation of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" begins where the play ends. Fallen Southern belle Blanche DuBois has been institutionalized, marking the final stage of her retreat from reality and descent into madness. In front of the curtain, a symbolic fallen chair rests. The curtain lifts to reveal a sterile psychiatric ward. Ceiling fans turn eerily, too slowly to create any breeze. Beneath them, Blanche (performed with tragic fragility by Sonia Rodriguez) is perched on the edge of a bed, hands trembling, with a vacant stare that hints at her mind's internal preoccupations. It is a powerful opening and Neumeier's "Streetcar" maintains this focused intensity throughout. From this tableau, Blanche's story is told in a series of vignettes, part memory and part fantasy, that reveal how loss and trauma shattered her understanding of the world and ultimately, herself.