Ballet BC continues its dynamic 30th Anniversary season at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, March 17-19. Under the artistic leadership of Ballet BC Artistic Director Emily Molnar, PROGRAM 2 features a world premiere by rising French choreographer Medhi Walerski. Walerski’s work (Petite Cérémonie, Prelude) has wowed dance lovers throughout Europe and North America. So, in this 30th anniversary season, it seemed fitting to commission a new work – his first full-length – from a choreographer who has had tremendous impact on both our artists and our audiences.
“Dance as a natural expression of the human being is liberating,” says Walerski. “It is with a sense of happiness and excitement that I embrace this new chapter of my career and this commission for Ballet BC that celebrates the creative and collaborative spirit of art and our humanity.”
This world premiere builds on the themes Walerski established with Prelude, seen on our stage in 2014, and celebrated for its poetic, complex, imaginative, and unpredictable choreographic language. It begins with the question of how to balance order and chaos; the individual and the collective. In explosive and dynamic contrast, the work will also look at the human need for celebration—be it a birth, a death, a change in history, or a reunion. Celebrations, and the energy they create through dance, life, and art, will permeate the theatre with sublime poetry, blurring the lines between the audience and the stage.
For this special commission, Ballet BC is joined by artists of the Arts Umbrella Graduate Dance Program to expand the cast of dancers to more than 25. Award winning Canadian designers, including Nancy Bryant (costumes) and James Proudfoot (lighting), will help Walerski realize his vision. “Each time I visit Vancouver I marvel at the beauty of the city and its wonderful artists,” says Walerski. “With this new work I want to create an experience beyond a traditional dance show, one where the audience enters a new world, all senses stimulated, to celebrate together.”
PROGRAM 2 plays the Queen Elizabeth Theatre at 8:00pm March 17-19, 2015. Tickets range from $30.00 to $90.00 (including service charges) and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 1-855-985-2787 (855-985-ARTS) or online at ticketmaster.ca.
