The National Ballet Of Canada Hosts 1,690 Health Care Workers At Free Performance

Barry Hughson, Executive Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced that the National Ballet will host 1,690 Toronto Health Care Workers at a free performance of George Balanchine's Serenade, Jera Wolfe's Soul & Crystal Pite's Angels' Atlas on Saturday, November 27.

"All of us at The National Ballet of Canada are honoured to host the health care heroes that have worked so hard to keep us safe during this pandemic," said Hughson. "We wanted to express our deep gratitude for their dedication and the many sacrifices they have made for the wider community by sharing the joy of live performance. We look forward to welcoming them to this very special programme."

At the start of the pandemic, the National Ballet provided front-line workers with Gratitude Classes, free virtual classes that focused on relaxation and stretching, to show support, boost morale and provide a reprieve from their busy schedules. The 1,690 health care workers attending the free performance of Angels' Atlas and Serenade are from the following organizations: University Health Network, Ontario Nurses Association, SickKids Hospital, Trillium Health Partners, Humber River Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, McMaster Children's Hospital, Canadian Nurses Association, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, St. Joseph's Health Centre, Halton Healthcare, CAMH: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Women's College Hospital, Unity Health Toronto and The Four Villages Community Health Centre.

"Thank you to The National Ballet of Canada for their generous and kind invitation to our front-line health care workers to attend the ballet. Time with family helps with recovery and builds needed resilience to continue to combat the pandemic and address the toll it has had, and continues to have, on front-line health care workers. Thanks for caring for our caregivers." - Tariq Asmi, Chief Executive Officer, The Four Villages Community Health Centre

The 2021/22 season marks the company's long-awaited return to live performance and launches with Serenade, one of Balanchine's most iconic ballets, performed by companies the world over, followed by a video interlude of Soul by Wolfe. The programme concludes with the Dora Award-winning Angels' Atlas, created by Pite for the National Ballet in 2020.

More Information on Serenade & Soul & Angels' Atlas >