Ballet BC is a
contemporary ballet
Contemporary ballet is a genre of dance that incorporates elements of classical ballet and modern dance. It employs classical ballet technique and in many cases classical pointe technique as well, but allows greater range of movement of the u ...
company located in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
.
History
Ballet BC is a professional contemporary ballet company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company was founded as Ballet British Columbia by Jean Orr,
David Y. H. Lui
David Y. H. Lui (Order of Canada, CM) (September 28, 1944 – September 15, 2011) was a prominent Canadian arts impresario and producer, highly respected for constructing the arts infrastructure in Vancouver.
Biography
Of Chinese heritage, Lui w ...
and Sheila Begg in 1986, with
Annette av Paul
Annette av Paul (born February 11, 1944) is a Swedish-Canadian ballet dancer who had a 30-year dance career performing, teaching,
and directing companies across Canada. Av Paul was born in Rönninge, Sweden, about 30 kilometres outside Stockhol ...
as first Artistic Director.
Artistic direction passed to
Reid Anderson
Reid Anderson (born 15 October 1970) is a bassist and composer from Minnesota. He is a member of The Bad Plus with drummer Dave King, saxophonist Chris Speed, and guitarist Ben Monder. The original lineup of The Bad Plus first played together i ...
,
Patricia Neary
Patricia Neary (born October 27, 1942) is an American ballerina, choreographer and ballet director, who has been particularly active in Switzerland. She has also been an ambassador for the Balanchine Trust, bringing George Balanchine's ballets to ...
and
Barry Ingham
Barrie Stanton Ingham (10 February 1932 – 23 January 2015) was an English actor, performing on stage and "in a handful of films." He was perhaps most widely known as "a prolific television actor". His notable work includes ''A Challenge for ...
and in 1992 to
John Alleyne, who introduced a program with original choreography including his ''The Faerie Queen'' in 2000 and dances by other Canadian choreographers. Alleyne was followed by
Emily Molnar after the reorganization in 2009. Molnar was followed by Medhi Walerski in 2020.
, the company is the only professional
ballet company A ballet company is a type of dance troupe which performs classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and/or contemporary ballet in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round ba ...
in British Columbia. It is based in the
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is a performing arts venue in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Along with the Orpheum, Vancouver Playhouse, and thAnnex it is one of four facilities operated by the Vancouver Civic Theatres on behalf o ...
.
Repertoire
Ballet BC presents a repertoire of contemporary ballet.
The company opened the 2015
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
Jacob's Pillow is a dance center, school and performance space located in Becket, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires. The organization is known for a Summer dance festival. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive archives a ...
, presenting three dances each by a different choreographer, including ''Twenty Eight Thousand Waves'' by their own resident choreographer Cayetano Soto. The company travelled on their 30th anniversary tour in late 2015 and 2016.
References
External links
*
Archive footage of Ballet BC performing ''Aniel'' in 2013 at Jacob's PillowArchive footage of Ballet BC performing ''Consagración'' in 2015 at Jacob's Pillow
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Ballet companies in Canada
Companies based in Vancouver
Performing arts in Vancouver
Performing groups established in the 1980s
1986 establishments in British Columbia