Cast Set For JEWELS at the National Ballet of Canada

The National Ballet of Canada has announced the casting for George Balanchine’s Jewels which concludes the 2023/24 season at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, June 15 – 22.  

The opening night performance on June 15 will feature Principal Dancers Svetlana Lunkina, Spencer Hack and Tina Pereira and First Soloist Donald Thom dancing the leads in Emeralds. Performing the lead roles in Rubies are Principal Dancers Koto Ishihara and Siphesihle November and Corps de Ballet Member Monika Haczkiewicz. Principal Dancers Heather Ogden and Ben Rudisin will dance the lead roles in Diamonds. 

As previously announced, New York City Ballet’s Principal Dancer Sara Mearns will appear as a Principal Guest Artist and will perform in each act of Jewels over three consecutive evenings: Emeralds on June 19 at 7:30 pm, Rubies on June 20 at 7:30 pm and Diamonds on June 21 at 7:30 pm. 

The National Ballet last performed Jewels in its entirety in 2006. Often appearing as standalone pieces, Balanchine’s 1967 glittering triptych Jewels evokes the radiance and architecture of the precious stones that each act is named after, Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds, each set to the music of a different composer, Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. 

Casting 

Emeralds 
Svetlana Lunkina* and Spencer Hack* (June 15, 19 at 7:30 pm) 
Heather Ogden and Ben Rudisin* (June 16 at 2:00 pm/ June 20 at 7:30 pm) 
Tina Pereira* and Naoya Ebe* (June 21 at 7:30 pm/ June 22 at 2:00 pm) 

Tina Pereira* and Donald Thom* (June 15 at 7:30 pm) 
Jeannine Haller* and Peng-Fei Jiang* (June 16 at 2:00 pm/June 20 at 7:30 pm) 
Sara Mearns† and Peng Fei Jiang (June 19 at 7:30 pm) 
Chelsy Meiss* and Kota Sato* (June 21 at 7:30 pm) 
Chelsy Meiss and Donald Thom (June 22 at 2:00 pm) 

Rubies 
Koto Ishihara* and Siphesihle November* (June 15, 19 at 7:30 pm) 
Calley Skalnik* and Donald Thom* (June 16 at 2:00 pm/ June 20 at 7:30 pm)
Genevieve Penn Nabity* and Spencer Hack* (June 21 at 7:30 pm) 
Brenna Flaherty* and Noah Parets* (June 22 at 2:00 pm) 

Monika Haczkiewicz* (June 15, 19 at 7:30 pm) 
Jordana Daumec* (June 16, 22 at 2:00 pm) 
Sara Mearns*† (June 20 at 7:30 pm) 
Heather Ogden* (June 21 at 7:30 pm) 

Diamonds 
Heather Ogden and Ben Rudisin* (June 15, 19 at 7:30 pm) 
Jurgita Dronina and Harrison James* (June 16, 22 at 2:00 pm) 
Genevieve Penn Nabity* and Christopher Gerty* (June 20 at 7:30 pm) 
Sara Mearns† and Ben Rudisin (June 21 at 7:30 pm) 

*Debut   †Principal Guest Artist 

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