Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
On the Edge of Our Seats for the Retelling of a Classic Myth
By Leah Borts-KupermanIn Orpheus Alive, the audience members are gods; we’re pulled into the story and cast as divine judges in the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Posted December 6, 2019
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Orpheus Redux
By Rebecca FlemisterThe National Ballet of Canada offers a glimpse of both ballet’s past and promising future in the company premiere of George Balanchine’s Chaconne, paired with the world premiere of Robert Binet’s Orpheus Alive.
Posted December 2, 2019
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Twisted Sisterhood
By Jane CoombsThere’s a beautiful peasant girl, a handsome count and a waltz-happy village overflowing with wine. But one fatal lie lurks beneath this Cinderella story.
Posted November 15, 2019
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Ghosts of the Past
By Arlan VriensHot on the heels of Halloween, The National Ballet of Canada’s Giselle delivered supernatural chills, youthful exuberance and poignant heartbreak.
Posted November 15, 2019
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
A Flash Into the Rabbit Hole
By Brannavy JeyasundaramIn Chistopher Wheeldon’s version of Carroll’s classic tale, Alice is mature and compelled by love, offering intention to her journey.
Posted March 29, 2019
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Endless Imagination
By Dylan SchoenmakersThe most notable thing about The National Ballet of Canada’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is the number of things worth noting.
Posted March 18, 2019
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
From Apollo to Paquita
By Michael Zarathus-CookFor some, mixed programs are a tantalizing mix of styles and narratives; for others, they are too much of the former and not enough of the latter.
Posted March 18, 2019
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Fireworks in Four Variations
By Leslie AshworthEnchanting and dazzling are the first two words that come to mind to describe The National Ballet of Canada’s winter mixed program.
Posted March 14, 2019
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
A Calculated Cacophony
By Anna PaliyRendering a minimalist spin on the cautionary tale of affair-turned-despair – deeply rooted in Russian Romanticism – Neumeier produces a vaguely familiar version of Tolstoy’s 1878 novel.
Posted December 11, 2018
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
From Act to Imagination
By John NymanThe Dream and Being and Nothingness, though incongruous, achieved an expansive and satisfying unity: the two works presented equally compelling visions of human experience.
Posted December 4, 2018
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Sartre, Meet Shakespeare
By Erin BaldwinIf there’s a thread that ties together the two vastly different works in The National Ballet of Canada’s November mixed program, it might just be the theme of love.
Posted December 3, 2018
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Of Dire Consequence
By Isabella PerroneAnna Karenina might land herself in trouble by cheating on her husband, but she can’t cheat death.
Posted November 27, 2018
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
From Dream to Abstraction
By Taylor LongAt first glance, they aren’t very suitable neighbours. The National Ballet of Canada closed their 2017/2018 season with a mixed program of ballets including the Canadian premiere of recent Tony Award-winner Justin Peck’s Paz de la Jolla.
Posted June 29, 2018
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Season Closes with Compelling Voices
By Kallee LinsSome of Toronto’s most exciting ballet offerings can be found on The National Ballet of Canada’s mixed programs, and the three works that opened Saturday night at the Four Seasons Centre are no exception.
Posted June 26, 2018
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Forward Momentum in Frame by Frame
By Josette HalpertHave you ever yearned to step into the mind of a genius - and an Academy Award-winning genius at that?
Posted June 13, 2018
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Frame by Frame Leaves Minds Reeling in Amazement
By Melissa PoonLights. Camera. Action! Robert Lepage and Guillaume Côté deliver all of these and more in the highly anticipated world premiere of Frame by Frame by the National Ballet of Canada.
Posted June 11, 2018
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
A Magical Madness: Nijinsky
By Eve van EedenAristotle once said: “No great genius ever existed without a touch of madness”. Celebrating the man who personified this expression, Nijinsky is brought to life by The National Ballet of Canada.
Posted December 3, 2017
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Love Strikes a Chord: Nijinsky
By Wei ShenDirector Stanley Kubrick was once mesmerized by Napoleon Bonaparte. Choreographer John Neumeier’s similar obsession with “Le Dieu de la Danse”, Vaslav Nijinsky, has crystallized into the National Ballet of Canada’s production Nijinsky.
Posted December 3, 2017
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
A Study in Contrasts: The Winter's Tale
By Jaimie NackanToronto’s first snowfall of the season arrived just in time to welcome the November 10 opening night performance of “The Winter’s Tale” by The National Ballet of Canada.
Posted November 17, 2017
Emerging Arts Critics Programme
Definitive Motif in The Winter’s Tale
By Arianna BenincasaChoreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, “The Winter’s Tale” takes a contemporary approach to Shakespeare’s comedic, romantic and tragic “problem play” about jealousy, familial bonds and love.
Posted November 17, 2017
