EMMA BOVARY and ONEGIN Come to The National Ballet of Canada

The world premiere of Emma Bovary will mark the first partnership between The National Ballet of Canada and award-winning choreographer, director and dancer, Helen Pickett. Pickett is breaking new ground in narrative ballet, combining a striking physical vocabulary with sensitivity to the human condition. Emma Bovary is a psychological exploration of the lead character from Gustave Flaubert’s 19th-century novel, Madame Bovary. 

For Emma Bovary, Pickett partners with award-winning opera and theatre director James Bonas, as co-director and co-treatment writer. The work features an original score by from award-winning musician Peter Salem, lighting by Bonnie Beecher, sets and costumes by Michael Gianfrancesco, production designs by Anouar Brissel and animation by Grégoire Pont. 

After 25 years with The National Ballet of Canada, Principal Dancer Piotr Stanczyk will retire. In honour of his illustrious career, Artistic Director Hope Muir has acquired Passion by James Kudelka, a formative figure from Stanczyk’s career, for his farewell performance. Created for Houston Ballet in 2013, Passion makes its Canadian premiere and is a love story whose meticulous structure mirrors the music, the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Concerto for Piano in D, Op. 61a. 

Performances 

November 11 at 7:30 pm 

November 12 at 2:00 pm  

November 15 at 7:30 pm 

November 16 at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm 

November 17 at 7:30 pm 

November 18 at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm 

Onegin

John Cranko’s extraordinary Onegin is a ballet which the very best artists of our age aspire to perform. A dance drama beloved for its rich characterization, musicality and passionate vocabulary, Onegin is based on Alexander Pushkin’s 19th-century verse novel Eugene Onegin and tells a nuanced story of unrequited love. Onegin is set to a gorgeous selection of music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and was redesigned in 2010 with period sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by James F. Ingalls. 

Performances 

November 22 at 7:30 pm 

November 23 at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm 
November 24 at 7:30 pm 
November 25 at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm 
November 26 at 2:00 pm 

Venue:  Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto.