The National Ballet of Canada Announces Return to Live Performances for the 2021/22 Season

Barry Hughson, Executive Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for the long-awaited return to live performance. The 2021/22 season will open with Angels' Atlas by Crystal Pite and Serenade by George Balanchine, onstage November 11 - 27, 2021 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Angels' Atlas was created by Ms. Pite for the National Ballet in 2020 and explores the impermanence of existence. It received rapturous reviews when it premiered. Set against a morphing wall of light, Angels' Atlas features original music by Owen Belton and choral pieces by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Morten Lauridsen.

On opening night, featured roles in Angels' Atlas will be performed by Principal Dancers Harrison James, Heather Ogden and Siphesihle November, First Soloists Spencer Hack, Jenna Savella and Donald Thom and Second Soloists Hannah Galway and Genevieve Penn Nabity.

First performed in 1934, Serenade is one of Balanchine's most iconic ballets and performed by companies the world over. His first original ballet created in the US, Serenade is set to Tchaikovsky's mournful Serenade for Strings, Op. 48.

The opening night cast of Serenade will feature Principal Dancers Guillaume Côté, Jurgita Dronina, Sonia Rodriguez and Piotr Stanczyk, First Soloists Jeannine Haller, Tanya Howard and Calley Skalnik, Second Soloist Hannah Galway and Corps de Ballet member Selene Guerrero-Trujillo .

This will be Ms. Rodriguez's and fellow Principal Dancer Jillian Vanstone's final Serenade as they will retire from the National Ballet this season.

Principal Casting

Angels' Atlas

Heather Ogden and Harrison James (Nov 11, 20, 26, 27 at 7:30 pm/ Nov 13, 14, 18 at 2:00 pm)
Svetlana Lunkina and Ben Rudisin (Nov 12, 13, 17 at 7:30 pm/ Nov 20, 21, 27 at 2:00 pm)

Jenna Savella and Spencer Hack (Nov 11, 12, 13, 20, 27 at 7:30 pm/ Nov 14, 18, 21 27 at 2:00 pm)
Jenna Savella and Donald Thom (Nov 13, 20, 27 at 2:00 pm/ Nov 17, 26 at 7:30 pm)

Hannah Galway and Siphesihle November (Nov 11, 12, 13, 20, 27 at 7:30 pm/ Nov 14, 18, 21 at 2:00 pm)
Genevieve Penn Nabity and Spencer Hack (Nov 13, 20, 27 at 2:00 pm/ Nov 17, 26 at 7:30 pm)

Genevieve Penn Nabity (Nov 11, 12, 13, 20, 27 at 7:30 pm/ Nov 14, 18, 21 at 2:00 pm)
Tanya Howard (Nov 13, 20, 27 at 2:00 pm/ Nov 17, 26 at 7:30 pm)

Spencer Hack and Donald Thom (Nov 11, 12, 13, 20, 27 at 7:30 pm/ Nov 14, 18, 21 at 2:00 pm)
Jack Bertinshaw and Donald Thom (Nov 13, 20, 27 at 2:00 pm/ Nov 17, 26 at 7:30 pm)

Serenade

Sonia Rodriguez, Jurgita Dronina, Tanya Howard (Nov 11 at 7:30pm/ Nov 20 at 2:00 pm)
Jillian Vanstone, Tina Pereira, Tanya Howard (Nov 12 at 7:30 pm/ Nov 27 at 7:30 pm)
Svetlana Lunkina, Jeannine Haller, Genevieve Penn Nabity (Nov 13 at 2:00 pm)
Heather Ogden, Jenna Savella, Kathryn Hosier (Nov 13, 17 at 7:30 pm/ Nov 27 at 2:00 pm)
Sonia Rodriguez, Jeannine Haller, Calley Skalnik (Nov 14 at 2:00 pm)
Jillian Vanstone, Tina Pereira, Calley Skalnik (Nov 18 at 2:00 pm)
Svetlana Lunkina, Chelsy Meiss, Genevieve Penn Nabity (Nov 20, 26 at 7:30 pm)
Sonia Rodriguez, Jurgita Dronina, Calley Skalnik (Nov 21 at 2:00 pm)

Guillaume Côté, Piotr Stanczyk (Nov 11 at 7:30 pm/ Nov 20 at 2:00 pm)
Naoya Ebe, Piotr Stanczyk (Nov 12 at 7:30 pm)
Brendan Saye, Peng-Fei Jiang (Nov 13 at 2:00 pm/ Nov 26 at 7:30 pm)
Guillaume Côté, Ben Rudisin (Nov 13 at 7:30 pm)
Skylar Campbell, Donald Thom (Nov 14 at 2:00 pm)
Harrison James, Ben Rudisin (Nov 17 at 7:30 pm/ Nov 27 at 2:00 pm)
Naoya Ebe, Donald Thom (Nov 18 at 2:00 pm/ Nov 27 at 7:30 pm)
Brendan Saye, Ben Rudisin (Nov 20 at 7:30 pm)
Skylar Campbell, Piotr Stanczyk (Nov 21 at 2:00 pm)

Hannah Galway, Calley Skalnik, Selene Guerrero-Trujillo, Jeannine Haller (Nov 11, 12, 13, 17, 26, 27 at 7:30 pm/ Nov 20 at 2:00 pm)
Hannah Galway, Ayano Haneishi, Miyoko Koyasu, Brenna Flaherty (Nov 13 at 2:00 pm/ Nov 20 at 7:30 pm)
Genevieve Penn Nabity, Ayano Haneishi, Miyoko Koyasu, Brenna Flaherty (Nov 14, 18, 21, 27 at 2:00 pm)

Casting subject to change.

More Information on Angels' Atlas & Serenade