Karen Kain News

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced that Principal Dancers Svetlana Lunkina, Heather Ogden and Sonia Rodriguez will make their debuts in the title role in the North American premiere of John Neumeier's Anna Karenina. Based on Leo Tolstoy's great masterwork, Anna Karenina is the first cooperation between The National Ballet of Canada, The Hamburg Ballet and The Bolshoi Ballet and opens the 2018/19 season November 10 - 18, 2018 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. #AnnaKareninaNBC

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada announced today that Corps de Ballet members Hannah Galway and Alexander Skinner are the winners of the sixth annual RBC Emerging Artist Apprentice Award for their performances as Apprentices during the 2017/18 season. Ms. Galway and Mr. Skinner each received a $1,000 cash prize. The awards were presented in Toronto this evening by Artistic Director, YOU dance / Principal Ballet Master Lindsay Fischer and Flora Do, VP, Strategy and Client Insights, RBC Wealth Management, during the Patrons' Council 2018/19 season opening party. 

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada today announced that Night, by Canadian choreographer and former National Ballet dancer Julia Adam, will make its company premiere during the Winter Season. Night will be performed with Apollo, The Sea Above, The Sky Below and Paquita March 1 - 3 and March 20 - 21, 2019 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada today announced the Emerging Arts Critics (EAC) programme will expand in the 2018/19 season to include the Canadian Opera Company (COC) joining as collaborators with The National Ballet of Canada and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO).

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for the company's upcoming tour to Hamburg, Germany with an all-Canadian programme featuring The Dreamers Ever Leave You by Choreographic Associate Robert Binet, James Kudelka's The Man in Black and Emergence by Crystal Pite. The National Ballet will perform as part of the 44th Hamburg Ballet Days, a two-week festival of dance, for two performances July 3 - 4, 2018 at Großes Haus. This will be the company's first appearance in Hamburg since 1994.

The National Ballet of Canada has been named Best Company of the Year by l'Association Professionnelle de la Critique de Theatre, de Musique et de Danse in France for the company's performance of John Neumeier's Nijinsky in October 2017 at Paris' Theatre des Champs-Elysees. The highly prestigious award was announced today at the Grands Prix de la critique ceremony at the Theatre Paris-Villette in Paris.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced six promotions for the 2018/19 season: Skylar Campbell and Francesco Gabriele Frola to Principal Dancer, Jack Bertinshaw to First Soloist, Christopher Gerty, Spencer Hack and Miyoko Koyasu to Second Soloist.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, and Executive Director Barry Hughson today announced that MAD HOT BALLET: DISCO raised over $1.3 million. The annual fundraising gala took place last night in Toronto at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for the company premiere of Justin Peck's Paz de la Jolla, James Kudelka's The Man in Black and Alexander Ekman's Cacti. The Summer Mixed Programme concludes the 2017/18 season, June 16 - 22, 2018 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, and Executive Director Barry Hughson, today announced that Sadler's Wells in London, England will co-produce Frame by Frame, a collaboration between renowned theatre artist Robert Lepage and Choreographic Associate and Principal Dancer Guillaume Cote. Frame by Frame makes its world premiere tomorrow, June 1 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the repertoire for MAD HOT BALLET: DISCO. The company's annual million-dollar fundraising gala takes place on June 13, 2018 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced that YOU dance returns to the Regent Park community in Toronto for a third residency. The residency will include workshops at local schools as well as five free performances at Daniels Spectrum, May 14 - 18, 2018.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced that the company's annual fundraising gala MAD HOT BALLET: DISCO will take place on June 13, 2018 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.  

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for the upcoming tour of John Neumeier's Nijinsky to San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House, April 3 – 8, 2018. Part of San Francisco Ballet's 2017/18 season, this will be the company's return to the Bay Area for the first time in 10 years. The National Ballet's appearance is part of a unique reciprocal agreement between the two companies and San Francisco Ballet will tour to Toronto to perform in an upcoming season.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced that following several years of planning, she has commissioned acclaimed Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite to create a new work on the company. The ballet will make its world premiere in the 2019/20 season with further details announced at a later date.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for Rudolf Nureyev's landmark production of The Sleeping Beauty. A "grand jewel in The National Ballet of Canada's repertoire" (National Post), The Sleeping Beauty is onstage March 8 - 18, 2018 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced a new initiative within the popular pre-performance Ballet Talks series, See the Music, Hear the Dance. Led by Principal Conductor and Music Director David Briskin and featuring The National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, the new series invites audiences to deepen their knowledge of the musical language of ballet.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada today announced Five Creations, featuring five new works developed through the company's two-year Choreographic Workshop. The new works will be presented at two public performances at the Betty Oliphant Theatre, January 18 - 19, 2018.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for the company's tour of John Neumeier's Nijinsky to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa January 25 27, 2018, performed as part of the National Arts Centre (NAC) Dance 2017-2018 season. Earlier this season, the company received standing ovations and critical acclaim during a triumphant tour of Nijinsky in Paris. Critics hailed Nijinsky as sublime...truly breath-taking (On Sort ou Pas) and a fantastic performance (Kulturkompasset). #NijinskyNBC

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada today announced Five Creations, featuring five new works developed through the company's two-year Choreographic Workshop. The new works will be presented at two public performances at the Betty Oliphant Theatre, January 18 - 19, 2018.