Denise Sum

“Onegin”
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
November 22, 2023  

John Cranko’s “Onegin” is a touchstone for the National Ballet of Canada, performed consistently since its company premiere in 1984. It is a well-rounded production with Pushkin’s engaging storytelling, Cranko's interesting and challenging choreography and an evocative arrangement of musical works by Tchaikovsky. It has all the elements for a timeless full length ballet that is both accessible

“Emma Bovary”, “Passion”
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
November 15, 2023

The National Ballet of Canada’s 2023-2024 season opener featured two distinctly different, yet complimentary works. First was James Kudelka’s “Passion”, a plotless ballet that nonetheless depicts different types of relationships and romantic love. Second was the world premiere of “Emma Bovary” - a modern take on Gustave Flaubert’s seminal 1856 novel “Madame Bovary” choreographed by Helen Pickett.

"Romeo and Juliet"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 15, 2023

The last time Toronto audiences saw Alexei Ratmansky’s “Romeo and Juliet” was in March 2020. Just two days into the run, theatres in Toronto (and around the world) shut down when the pandemic hit. As the National Ballet of Canada gradually resumed live performances, the return to Ratmansky’s production marked a full circle moment. Dancers who have been

"Frame by Frame"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 2, 2023*

It is rare that a new work shows us something we truly have never seen before. When "Frame by Frame" premiered in 2018, it did just that. An ambitious, multidisciplinary collaboration between choreographer Guillaume Côté and famed Quebecois multi-hyphenate Robert Lepage, "Frame by Frame" is a homage to the life and work of Scottish Canadian animator Norman McLaren (1914-1987). In

The International Competition for the Erik Bruhn Prize
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
March 25, 2023

The Erik Bruhn Prize is a beloved event for Toronto balletomanes. Established by Bruhn, former National Ballet of Canada artistic director and dance legend, the competition brings together young talents from international ballet companies with which Bruhn had relationships. Participants must be between the ages 18-23. It is a rare chance to see emerging artists from other companies who are

"Cinderella"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
March 10, 2023  

James Kudelka’s “Cinderella” has been a perennial favorite at the National Ballet of Canada since its premiere in 2004. With its broad appeal, “Cinderella” was programmed over March break to draw in families and hopefully gain some new audience members for the company. Kudelka’s modern take on the familiar fairy tale has something for everyone – humor, romance, intricate

"Symphony in C", "Alleged Dances", "Anima Animus"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
March 3, 2023  

The National Ballet of Canada artistic director Hope Muir continues to enrich the company’s repertoire with another interesting mixed program, featuring two new works (a world premiere and a company premiere). As with last year’s fall mixed program which featured ballets by black choreographers Alonzo King and Vaness G.R. Montoya, Muir

"MADDADDAM"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
November 30, 2022 

Wayne McGregor's "MADDADDAM", a new work inspired by Margaret Atwood's prescient MaddAddam trilogy (published between 2003 and 2013), has been many years in the making. In an alarming example of life imitating art, the premiere of this dystopian ballet set during a global pandemic was delayed by an actual global pandemic. Of her frightening work of speculative fiction, Atwood has written

"The Collective Agreement", "Crepuscular", "Concerto"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
November 9, 2022 

The National Ballet of Canada's 2022-2023 season opened with a mixed program ushering in the new. Toronto-born Hope Muir started her appointment as artistic director of the company in January 2022, marking a new era after Karen Kain's 16 year tenure in the role. This repertory program is the first Muir has put together for the NBoC.

"Swan Lake"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 10, 2022 

Karen Kain’s “Swan Lake” has been a long time coming. Originally scheduled to premiere in June 2020, the new production was pushed back two years due to the pandemic. It marks the end of Kain’s long career as artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada, from 2005 to 2021. This “Swan Lake” is a collaborative effort. Kain

"The Sleeping Beauty"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
March 17, 2022 

Rudolf Nureyev's The Sleeping Beauty is a signature ballet for the National Ballet of Canada. A lavish production with challenging choreography for the whole company, it has been used to mark many special occasions. It opened the inaugural season at the company's current home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, in 2006. This ballet was

"Skyward", "After the Rain", "On Solid Ground", "Elite Syncopations"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
March 9, 2022

The National Ballet of Canada's winter season started with a farewell run of "A Streetcar Named Desire" for company veteran Sonia Rodriguez. The farewells continued with a mixed program to celebrate Jillian Vanstone's retirement after 22 years. The NBoC acquired Christopher Wheeldon's stunning "After the Rain" for the occasion – an intimate and emotional choice.