Ballet Kelowna is bringing its final show of the season to Frank Venables Theatre on May 1. Photo by TD Photo
Two of the National Ballet of Canada’s brightest stars will dance in Oliver May 1, when Ballet Kelowna brings its final show of the season to Frank Venables Theatre.
Hannah Fischer and Ethan Watts will perform a duet by the National Ballet of Canada’s Robert Binet, as well as Rudi van Dantzig’s famous Romeo and Juliet balcony pas des deux.
Those pieces, along with a “feast” of other numbers, will make up a mixed program of live music and dance that Artistic Director Simone Orlando says is one of the most ambitious shows Ballet Kelowna has ever put on.
Renaissance, Orlando says, will feature “a double whammy of world premieres,” with two new dances and two newly composed pieces of music on the program.
The show will also weave together classic renaissance compositions with contemporary works inspired by the period, in a show Orlando says should be unforgettable. “It’s going to be a real feast, I think. We’re certainly finishing the year off with a bang.”
Further complementing the show will be Continuum Contemporary Music, an award-winning ensemble that will provide live accompaniment for all works, performing famous early music compositions from the Renaissance period, along with newly commissioned works by Jocelyn Morlock and Michael Oesterle, inspired by early music masters Henry Purcell and Marin Marais.
Orlando points out that this performance will be the first time Ballet Kelowna has ever performed to live music.
“Live music really enhances a performance, especially a dance performance. I think it makes the dancers more aware of where they are within the choreography and in the moment, because you really are listening very acutely to be in time with the musicians,” she says.
The varying timing that might occur from night to night heightens the dancers’ focus and concentration, she adds, making “the performance more brilliant and more alive.”
Fischer, whose participation in the show will mark her first-ever performance in British Columbia, says she welcomes the chance to be a part of the show.
“I’ve never danced to renaissance music before, so I’m kind of curious to see how that’s going to feel,” she said.
She pointed out that as a guest performer she will be plunked into a much different environment than she is used to, putting her in a similar state of heightened focus sure to bring out some spectacular dancing.
She said she hopes that by dancing in Renaissance she can make ballet more accessible to more people.
“Dance is everything: it can touch anybody on any level,” she said. “It shouldn’t be thought of as something that’s just for a select few. So any way I can support dance by coming to this gala and having people get excited … I’m happy to do it.”
She said many people have specific ideas about what ballet is, but if they come to the show she is convinced it will open their eyes.
“They might come away [saying] ‘wow, that was actually really inspiring. Those are athletes on stage. They’re not just pretty little dolls standing on stage, it’s a workout.’
“Ballet is there to inspire and give you an emotional response, or get you excited or sad or just in awe of the things that ballet dancers are doing,” she said.
Orlando said Ballet Kelowna is “really excited” to be bringing their show to Oliver, and that she “really hopes Oliver turns out in droves for the show,” especially any young dancers dreaming of a possible career in ballet.
“I just really think that this performance is really designed to inspire a younger generation of dancers, and we hope to see many of those young dancers at the show in Oliver,” she said.
By Trevor Nichols
