Svetlana Lunkina, Heather Ogden and Sonia Rodriguez Debut as ANNA KARENINA

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

Set to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Alfred Schnittke and Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam, the ballet has been hailed "an Anna Karenina for our times" (NPR) following acclaimed performances in Hamburg and Moscow.

"It is always exciting to add a new, full-length story ballet into the company's repertoire and the addition of Anna Karenina is especially meaningful to me. John Neumeier inspires dancers like no other choreographer and they respond to his work by fully exploring the depths of the extraordinary characters he creates through dance," said Ms. Kain.

The 2018/19 season features several milestone anniversaries including Ms. Ogden's 20th anniversary with the company. She will be honoured during a performance of Anna Karenina. More details to be announced shortly.

Additional principal casting to be announced, all casting is subject to change.

Photo: Svetlana Lunkina in rehearsal for Anna Karenina. Photo by Edwin Luk.

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