Coastal City Ballet is delighted to open its 14th season with an exhilarating performance featuring excerpts from the Spanish brilliance of Petipa’s Paquita. The evening's program will also include the premiere of the newly commissioned works “Rhapsody in Blue” by choreographer Stephana Arnold, alongside the Canadian premiere of “Cloudburst” by Ruaidhri Maguire.
Paquita: The Grand Pas Classique serves as a prominent highlight of Act III, showcasing the elegance of classical dance. This segment has been performed independently by esteemed companies such as the Mariinsky Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, the National Ballet of Cuba, and numerous others worldwide. The popularity of this act is largely attributed to the array of solos it encompasses, allowing us to highlight the diverse talents of our dancers through featured performances. Additionally, the choreography includes some of classical ballet’s most demanding movements, further demonstrating the skill and artistry of the performers. "Cloudburst": A ballet in three movements exploring humanity's evolving relationship with climate from pre-Columbian times to today. Inspired by First Nations art during Ruaidhri’s time in British Columbia, he appreciated Indigenous respect for nature, particularly on the ancestral lands of the Songhees and Esquimalt. He then examined the shift from this reverence to nature's romanticization in contemporary art, especially film. The ballet was originally produced by the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk for the "Wieczór młodej choreografii" event, co-funded by the Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Sport through the Dance program. Rhapsody in Blue: In a world where we are all witnessing and so many are experiencing the brutality of mother nature, the horrors and injustices by other humans and enduring everyday struggles, I wanted to use a piece of music that can transport an audience to a place of joy and fun, taking them away from these things for a moment in time. The aim for this piece is to find the intricacies of the rapturous music, "Rhapsody in Blue" by famed composer George Gershwin, exploring with the dancers a contemporary ballet movement vocabulary, and take the observer on a journey, instilling beauty, revelry and hope in everyone's' heart. |
COASTAL CITY BALLET BRINGS THE TRADITIONAL CLASSIC “GISELLE” TO VANCOUVER AUDIENCES. AFTER THE TREMENDOUS SUCCESS OF THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN 2023, COASTAL CITY BALLET PRESENTS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE 2023/2024 SEASON: THE ILLUSTRIOUS AND BELOVED BALLET “GISELLE”, ON MAY 10TH AT THE VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE AND JUNE 7TH AT SURREY ARTS CENTRE.
SINCE ITS PARIS PREMIERE IN 1841, GISELLE HAS BEEN HAILED AS ONE OF THE GREATEST ROMANTIC BALLETS OF ALL TIME. THE BALLET TELLS THE STORY OF A YOUNG PEASANT GIRL, GISELLE, WHO IS IN LOVE WITH THE NOBILITY BORN ALBRECHT IN DISGUISE AS A LOWLY VILLAGER. AFTER LEARNING OF ALBRECHT’S DECEPTION, GISELLE IS LEFT HEARTBROKEN. THE BETRAYAL DRIVES GISELLE TO MADNESS, AND SHE DIES OF A BROKEN HEART. ACT 2 OPENS IN THE MOONLIT REALM OF THE WILIS, VENGEFUL SPIRITS OF BETRAYED BRIDES. THE WILIS RISE FROM THEIR GRAVES AT MIDNIGHT TO EXACT THEIR REVENGE ON MEN BY DANCING THEM TO DEATH. IN A HEARTFELT DISPLAY OF FORGIVENESS GISELLE SAVES HER BELOVED ALBRECHT FROM CERTAIN DEATH. COASTAL CITY BALLET’S GISELLE FEATURES SOME OF BALLET’S MOST DRAMATIC SCENES AND OTHERWORLDLY IMAGES. THE DIVERSE TALENTS OF COASTAL CITY BALLET ALONG WITH THE BEAUTIFUL SCORE OF ALDOLPHE ADAM, GLORIOUS COSTUMES AND IMAGINATIVE SETS BRING THIS HEART WRENCHING LOVE STORY TO LIFE. THIS FULL-LENGTH MASTERPIECE IS DEFINITELY ONE NOT TO BE MISSED. |
Coastal City Ballet Presents:
An Evening of Classical & New Work La Bayadère - “Kingdom of the Shades” with “Lull" Coastal City Ballet proudly opens its 2023-2024 season with the critically acclaimed scene from La Bayadère “Kingdom of the Shades “. The evening’s program will also premier newly commissioned work “Lull” by emerging choreographer Anya Saugstad. La Bayadère originally premiered in 1877 with the third act Kingdom of the Shades receiving the most praise. The scene Kingdom of the Shades ranks as one of the most celebrated excerpts in all of classical ballet, it is often performed independently from the full-length work. With 20 shades entering in a moonlit mist descending from the mountains, the stunning scene will take your breath away. Choreographed by Marius Petipa and music composed by Ludwick Minkus, Kingdom of the Shades is an iconic piece that every ballet lover will not want to miss. Lull is a mesmerizing movement piece that follows two beings drifting from one another. The work explores themes of water, it’s calm, storms, tides, and movements, embodied through a swarm of 25 dancers. “Lull” invites audiences to witness this work like an ocean. Tickets On sale now |
COASTAL CITY BALLET PRESENTS: THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
CLASSICAL BALLET’S GREATEST MASTERPIECE, THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IS A WORLD PREMIERE FOR COASTAL CITY BALLET AND ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT ADDITION TO ITS REPERTOIRE. A TREAT FOR ALL AGES, AUDIENCES WILL BE CAPTIVATED BY THIS TIMELESS TALE. WHEN THE MALEFICENT CARABOSSE LAYS A CURSE ON THE NEWBORN PRINCESS AURORA, ONLY THE POWER OF LOVE CAN BREAK THE EVIL SPELL THAT HAS CAST AURORA INTO A CENTURY-LONG SLUMBER. WITH A CAST OF 50 DANCERS, THE BALLET IS BROUGHT TO LIFE THROUGH AN ECLECTIC CAST OF STORYBOOK CHARACTERS AND MAGICAL FAIRIES THAT ARE NOTHING LESS THAN CAPTIVATING. THE PRODUCTION’S CHARMS ARE FURTHER HIGHLIGHTED THROUGH CELEBRATORY DANCES BY FAMILIAR CHARACTERS – LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD AND THE WOLF, PUSS IN BOOTS, WHITE CAT, AND THE BLUE BIRD. FULL OF DAZZLING VARIATIONS AND SET TO TCHAIKOVSKY’S MAGNIFICENT SCORE, THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IS ONE OF HISTORY’S MOST BELOVED STORY BALLETS. EVERYONE INCLUDING CHILDREN OF ANY AGE REQUIRES A TICKET. CHILDREN OF SCHOOL AGE QUALIFY FOR THE STUDENT PRICING. ANYONE WITH A STUDENT ID CARD (HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY, ETC.) QUALIFIES FOR THE STUDENT PRICING. DOORS OPEN 1 HOUR BEFORE SHOW TIME. |
Les Sylphides
Transitions * Aeropuertos llenos de esperanza Coastal City Ballet opens its 2022-2023 season with the romantic reverie “Les Sylphides,” December 4th at James Cowan Theatre in Burnaby. The evening’s program will also include two new choreographic works by Stephana Arnold & Marco Esscer. Les Sylphides, choreographed by Michel Fokine to the enchanting music of Frederic Chopin, pays homage to the romantic ballet era. Les Sylphides is a short, non-narrative ballet blanc. Dressed in long white tutus and lit by moonlight, the dancers are muses to a young poet ‘s imagination. Through music and dance, an ethereal and mystical atmosphere is evoked. Coastal City Ballet is excited to present a world premiere of TRANSITIONS by Stephana Arnold. Her inspiration comes from a quote written by J. Michael Strazinsky: “The future is always all around us, waiting in moments of transitions, to be born in moments of revelation”. Stephana is an Award-winning Ballet and Contemporary Choreographer, and a highly respected guest master teacher, on faculty for Arts Umbrella and Resident Teacher at Ballet BC. She is also an Adjudicator for many national festivals, including the Youth America Grand Prix. The fall program will also include a world premiere of AEROPUERTOs LLENOS DE ESPERANZA (Airports Filled with Hope) choreographed by Mexican choreographer Marco Esscer. His inspiration comes from his own journey as an immigrant to Canada and inspired by guitar music that reminds Marco of his father and grandfather. AEROPUERTOs LLENOS DE ESPERANZA is a tribute to the unspoken struggles that migrants can feel, the silent echo that lies in many of us, the things we left behind, the memories that remain, the scars, the shame, the feeling of abandoning a part oneself. |
Cinderella
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