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Ballet BC Reveal + Tell March 11 + 12, 2022 • 7:30 pm Royal Theatre Running time: Approximately 120 minutes including intermissions
Sarah Pippin. Photo: Marcus Eriksson
The Royal Theatre is located on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen peoples, also known as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live, create, and perform on this territory.
About the Works The Statement (20 minutes) World Premiere, February 2016, Nederlands Dans Theater Company Premiere, November 2021, National Arts Centre Choreography: Crystal Pite Music: Owen Belton Text: Jonathon Young Vocal Performance: Meg Roe, Colleen Wheeler, Andrew Wheeler, Jonathon Young Lighting Design: Tom Visser Set Design: Jay Gower Taylor Costume Design: Crystal Pite, Joke Visser Staging: Roger Van der Poel, Rena Narumi Performers: March 11: Anna Bekirova, Livona Ellis, Justin Rapaport, Rae Srivastava March 12: Miriam Gittens, Sarah Pippin, Evan Rapaport, Zenon Zubyk D must be stated, on the record, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the way it happened. Right? It doesn’t mean that Upstairs doesn’t know the full extent of their involvement. Physical reactions from A, B and C. B Okay... D Nonetheless, I’m here to get a statement explaining how your department acted independently. I don’t care if it’s the case or not the case. I get the statement then we can talk. Then we can deal. It’s the only way forward.
- Intermission -
Woke Up Blind (19 minutes) World Premiere, February 2016, Nederlands Dans Theater Choreography: Marco Goecke Music: “You and I” - written & performed by Jeff Buckley; “Like Young Lovers Do” - written by Van Morrison & performed by Jeff Buckley Lighting Design: Udo Haberland Costume Design: Marco Goecke Staging: Rupert Tookey Dramaturgy: Nadja Kadel
Performers: March 11: Emily Chessa, Kiana Jung, Justin Rapaport, Rae Srivastava, Dex van ter Meij, Jacob Williams, Zenon Zubyk March 12: Sidney Chuckas, Miriam Gittens, Sarah Pippin, Zack Preece, Evan Rapaport, Justin Rapaport, Dex van ter Meij In Woke Up Blind, dancers are drawn into a world of intense sound. They outdo themselves competing with Jeff Buckley’s vocal power and guitar sounds, diving into the action recklessly, driven by longing. Buckley’s music deals with love in different ways—the first piece unveils itself slowly, with strongly stretched vocals, the second with fast, frantic guitar accompaniment. Marco Goecke exposes human feelings through pure, highly complex movement. Illuminated from the background by the light of distant stars, all action is concentrated on the here and now.
- Intermission -
just BEFORE right AFTER (28 minutes) World Premiere, February 2022, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg Choreography: Medhi Walerski Music: Adrien Cronet Lighting Design: Pierre Pontvianne Associate Lighting Design: Lisette van der Linden Costume Design: Medhi Walerski Associate Costume Design: Kate Burrows Performers: Anna Bekirova, Emily Chessa, Livona Ellis, Miriam Gittens, Kiana Jung, Sarah Pippin, Evan Rapaport, Justin Rapaport, Rae Srivastava, Kaylin Sturtevant, Dex van ter Meij, Jacob Williams, Zenon Zubyk, Sidney Chuckas*, Chloe Crenshaw*, Zack Preece*, Sidney Ramsey*, Ethan Ribeiro*, Sophie Robinson* *Emerging Artist
“With this work, I embraced the unexpected and the everchanging nature of the creative process. What inspired me the most has been each dancer’s individuality, sensibility, and unique artistry. How incredibly humbling it has been to witness the endless creative possibilities of human relationships in the face of uncertainty. The result is a work split into two distinctive parts: Togetherness, heart, eternity // Memories, time, infinity just BEFORE, right AFTER” – Medhi Walerski
About Ballet BC
Rae Srivastava by Marcus Eriksson
Founded in 1986, Ballet BC is under the leadership of Artistic Director Medhi Walerski. Ballet BC is an acclaimed collaborative and creation-based company that is a leader and resource in the creation, production and education of contemporary dance in Canada. Based in Vancouver, the company’s distinctive style and approach has made a unique and valuable contribution to the development of dance both at home and around the world. In 2019, the company was
nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production for their tour to Sadler’s Wells in London. Ballet BC presents a diverse repertoire of Canadian and international work from the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including choreography by William Forsythe, Cayetano Soto, Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, Johan Inger, Medhi Walerski, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, Emily Molnar and more, and is deeply committed to the creation and performance of new works.
Biographies German choreographer Marco Goecke completed his ballet training in 1988 at the Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung ballet academy in Munich as well as at the Royal Conservatoire of the Hague, where he received his diploma in 1995. In 2000, he created his first choreography, entitled Loch. In the 2005/06 season Marco Goecke was appointed Choreographer in Residence at the Stuttgart Ballet, and it was there in December 2006 that he created his first narrative ballet, The Nutcracker. From 2006 to 2012 Goecke also held the post of Choreographer in Residence at the Scapino Ballet in Rotterdam. Since the 2013/14 season he has been an Associate Choreographer at the renowned Nederlands Dans Theater. Goecke has received several international awards, including the Culture Prize of the State of Baden-Württemberg, the Nijinsky Award in Monte Carlo, the Choreographer of the Year in the critics’ survey by the magazine Tanz in 2015, the Dutch dance prize Zwaan as well as the Italian prize Danzadanza for best choreography of the year in 2017. Since January 2019, Goecke has been Artist in Residence with Gauthier Dance Stuttgart. In February 2019, Goecke created his first piece for the Paris Opera Ballet. In the 2019/20 season, Marco Goecke became Artistic Director of the State Ballet Hannover. His most recent works include a Gershwin evening created for Gauthier Dance, a full-length piece The Lover based on the novel of the same name by Marguerite Duras for the State Ballet Hannover, and The Big Crying for Nederlands Dans Theater.
CHOREOGRAPHER, CRYSTAL PITE In a choreographic career spanning three decades, Crystal Pite has created more than 50 works for companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet, the Royal Ballet, and the National Ballet of Canada. She is an Associate Artist at three institutions: Nederlands Dans Theater; Sadler’s Wells; and Canada’s National Arts Centre. She holds an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University and is a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2002, she formed her company Kidd Pivot in Vancouver. Kidd Pivot tours internationally with works such as Betroffenheit and Revisor, both co-created with playwright Jonathon Young, as well as The Tempest Replica, Dark Matters, Lost Action, and The You Show.
Pite’s many awards include the Benois de la Danse for her creation The Seasons’ Canon (2016) at the Paris Opera Ballet, the Governor General of Canada’s Performing Arts Award: Mentorship Program (2008), and the Grand Prix de la danse de Montréal (2018). She is the recipient of three Sir Laurence Olivier awards for creations with Kidd Pivot and The Royal Ballet, and most recently, the 2022 National Arts Centre Award.
CHOREOGRAPHER/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, MEDHI WALERSKI Medhi Walerski became Artistic Director of Ballet BC in July 2020. Raised in France, he initially trained in Normandy with Laurie Bokobza and Christine Caroly before joining the Conservatoire Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Walerski danced at the Paris Opera Ballet and the Ballet du Rhin before joining the Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) in 2001. For more than a decade he was an integral part of the company, contributing to the creative, innovative style that NDT is famed for. He was awarded the Dutch dance prize VSCD Zwaan in 2013. Walerski has worked closely with many renowned choreographers, creating and performing works by Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, Crystal Pite, Johan Inger, and Wayne McGregor among others. Walerski’s choreographic debut was in 2008 for NDT 2. Since then he has created numerous acclaimed works for NDT and Ballet BC including Petite Ceremonie (2011), Chamber (2012), and Silent Tides (2020), as well as works for Bern Ballet, Goteborg Ballet, the Ballet State of Georgia, StaatBallet Hannover, Staattheater Wiesbaden and Charlotte Ballet. As an educator, he is regularly invited to lecture and give workshops at dance conservatories and festivals around the world.
Photos: Marco Goecke by Regina Brocke; Medhi Walerski by Rahi Rezvani; Crystal Pite by Anoush Abrar
CHOREOGRAPHER, MARCO GOECKE
Performers ANNA BEKIROVA Anna Bekirova was born in Amsterdam and started dancing at the Dutch National Ballet Academy at age 10, graduating in 2016. She moved to Vancouver to continue her studies at Arts Umbrella under the direction of Artemis Gordon. Here she had the opportunity to work with world-renowned artists, expand her knowledge on dance and grow as an individual. After graduating, Anna was offered a position as Emerging Artist for the 2018–2019 season at Ballet BC under the direction of Emily Molnar. She joined as a full company member in the following season. During her time here she has had the honour of performing works by Crystal Pite, Sharon Eyal, Medhi Walerski, Emily Molnar, Ohad Naharin and Adi Salant, among others. She’s excited to be returning for her fourth season.
EMILY CHESSA Emily Chessa is from Richmond, BC and began her professional dance training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in 2006 where she received the Paddy Stone Scholarship for choreography and the Arnold Spohr Scholarship for achievement in dance. After graduating in 2010, Emily trained at Arts Umbrella in the graduate program under the guidance of Artemis Gordon and has participated in summer programs such as the Movement Invention Project in New York City and Springboard Danse Montreal.
All dancer and emerging artist photos by Brendan Meadows
Joining Ballet BC in 2012, Emily has performed works by Company 605, Johan Inger, Lesley Telford, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Emily Molnar, William Forsythe, Medhi Walerski, Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin and Sharon Eyal. Highlights include dancing the role of Juliet in Medhi Walerski’s Romeo + Juliet. For the 2020-21 season Emily joined Nederlands Dans Theater 1 in Holland and was in the creation and performance of Michael Schumacher’s Revisitation. Excited and grateful, she returns to Ballet BC for her ninth season.
LIVONA ELLIS Livona Ellis was born on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples: Sḵwxw̱ ú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səlí̓lwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. She completed her training at Arts Umbrella under the direction of Artemis Gordon. In 2010 she received her Dance Diploma and began dancing with Ballet BC. Throughout her time with the company she has been
fortunate to perform works by world renowned artists such as Crystal Pite, Sharon Eyal, Medhi Walerski, Company 605, William Forsythe, and many others. Independently she has collaborated with Jennifer McLeish-Lewis for the EDAM Spring Series, Rachel Meyer and Jennifer Mascall for Dancing on the Edge Festival 2019, and Mary-Louise Albert and Peter Bingham for Solo Dances 2020/21. Livona has performed in international venues such as Sadler’s Wells, Movimentos Festival Wolfsburg, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Fall for Dance NYC and North, and International Dance Festival Birmingham UK. She has created works for Dances for a Small Stage, Dance Deck Trois, Public Salon 2019, Contemporary Art Gallery Gala 2018, and Arts Umbrella Season Finale. In 2017 she received the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award for Emerging Artist. In 2019 Livona staged Medhi Walerski’s Prelude on Staatsoper Hannover in Germany. Livona was also a guest artist with Konzert Theater Bern in Switzerland for their 2019/2020 season. She is currently on faculty at Arts Umbrella and is also one of the Programming Advisors for the BC Movement Arts Society. This is her tenth season with Ballet BC.
MIRIAM GITTENS Miriam Gittens was born and raised in Fresno, California and received a diverse dance education from The Dance Studio of Fresno. In May of 2017, she graduated from The Juilliard School with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance. She furthered her training during intensives at chuthis Movement Intensive, BODYTRAFFIC, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Springboard Danse Montreal, and Nederlands Dans Theater. Miriam was involved in outreach programs and fellowships that allowed her to share her love for dance with audiences and students across New York City. In the year following her graduation, she joined chuthis under the direction of Peter Chu. In 2018, Miriam joined Ballet BC as an emerging artist under the direction of Emily Molnar where she has had the honour of performing works by Aszure Barton, Sharon Eyal, William Forsythe, Johan Inger, Emily Molnar, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, and Medhi Walerski. This will be Miriam’s fourth season with the company.
KIANA JUNG Kiana Jung was born and raised in Vancouver, BC, where she started her dance training at Arts Umbrella from the age of 9. She went on to complete the Professional and Graduate Program under the direction of Artemis Gordon. While
Performers (cont’d)
SARAH PIPPIN Sarah Pippin is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina. She completed her early dance training at CC & Company Dance Complex where she received a diverse dance education. In May of 2020, Sarah graduated from The Juilliard School with a BFA in Dance. During her time there, Sarah performed repertoire works by Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and José Limón, as well as new creations by Peter Chu, Gentian Doda, Stephen Petronio, and John Heginbotham. Additional performance opportunities include works by Sharon Eyal, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, and Jiri Pokorny, among many others. Sarah has furthered her training at summer intensives including Springboard Danse Montreal, chuthis Movement Intensive, Nederlands Dans Theater, The School at Jacob’s Pillow, and San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. She is a National YoungArts winner as well as the recipient of the Irving B. and Joan W. Harris Endowed Scholarship and the 2020 Martha Hill Award from The Juilliard School. Sarah had the privilege of being an Emerging Artist with Ballet BC for the 2020–2021 season, and she is thrilled to be returning as a full time artist this season.
EVAN RAPAPORT Evan Rapaport was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He began dancing at the age of 5 and developed his love for Hip-Hop and popular dance forms. He continued to formally train at the New World School of the Arts where he received awards from the YoungArts foundation for Contemporary Dance and
Choreography. Evan then continued his studies at The Juilliard School. At that time, he performed works by many incredible artists, including Twyla Tharp, Martha Graham, and Richard Alston. Evan furthered his rigorous training through summer intensives such as Magnus Midwest/Northwest, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Springboard Danse Montreal. Evan had the opportunity to join Ballet BC as an Emerging Artist in 2019 and performed Crystal Pite’s Solo Echo while on tour with the company. He also had the opportunity to dance as an Emerging Artist for the 20202021 season and performed in Justin Rapaport’s Passing By for TAKE FORM, along with Sharon Eyal’s Bedroom Folk. This will be Evan’s third year with the company, and he is ecstatic to be joining the ranks as a company dancer for the 2021–2022 season.
JUSTIN RAPAPORT Justin Rapaport is from Miami, Florida, where he began dancing at the age of 8. He went on to formally train at New World School of the Arts, followed by The Juilliard School, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. During his training, Justin had the opportunity to perform works by Jiří Kylián, Twyla Tharp, Kyle Abraham, Camille A. Brown and Brian Brooks in repertory and creations alike. Since joining Ballet BC, Justin has performed works around the world by choreographers such as Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Aszure Barton, Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, Johan Inger, Emily Molnar and Medhi Walerski. Justin created Passing By, a duet with Evan Rapaport and Rae Srivastava for TAKE FORM. For that work, Justin was selected as a finalist of the Copenhagen International Choreography Competition, where he was awarded the Danish Dance Theater Award. Outside of dance, Justin loves being outdoors biking, swimming or hiking, and he loves some occasional decadent donuts. This is Justin’s sixth season with Ballet BC.
RAE SRIVASTAVA Originally from Austin, Texas, Rae Srivastava began his dance training with Cheryl Copeland. During high school, as his commitment to dance intensified, he found an equivalent devotion to the humanities. By continuing his education at USC Kaufman, he was able to pursue both of these vocations, interweaving these disparate fields into one cohesive curriculum. Due to a generous scholarship, Rae was afforded the opportunity to pursue his Master’s in Legal Ethics while he concluded his rigorous B.F.A. studies. During his time at
All dancer and emerging artist photos by Brendan Meadows
studying at Arts Umbrella, Kiana was invited to perform in Ballet BC’s Romeo + Juliet in their 17/18 season, as well as the ITs Festival in Amsterdam in 2017. During her studies she has performed works by Amos Ben-Tal, Mats Ek, Johan Inger, Emily Molnar and Crystal Pite. She has also had the opportunity to work with dance artists such as Eric Beauchesne, Yvan Dubreuil, Bret Easterling, Rafael Sady, Cayetano Soto, Lesley Telford, and Tom Weinberger, among others. Kiana has furthered her training at summer intensives, including the AU international Summer Intensive, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and a dance residency at the Banff Centre for arts and creativity. Kiana joined Ballet BC in 2019 as an Emerging Artist where she has performed works by Aszure Barton, Sharon Eyal, and Medhi Walerski, as well as performed in BC Culture Days 2020 and The Dancing On The Edge Festival 2021. Kiana is thrilled to return as a full-time company member for the 21/22 season.
USC, Rae studied under influential artists like William Forsythe, Jermaine Spivey, Bobbi Jene Smith, and Victor Quijada, while performing masterworks by Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, William Forsythe, and Jiri Kylian. Upon graduation, Rae joined Ballet BC as an Emerging Artist for their 20/21 season, performing Medhi Walerski’s GARDEN. He is delighted to return to Ballet BC as a company member, and he looks forward to cultivating a fruitful performing career with the company.
KAYLIN STURTEVANT Kaylin Sturtevant is originally from Plano, Texas, and grew up training at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center and Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She achieved her BFA in Dance in 2020 from the USC Kaufman School of Dance under the leadership of Jodie Gates. At USC, Kaylin had the opportunity to work closely with and perform works by artists such as William Forsythe, Barak Marshall, Aszure Barton, and Jodie Gates. She also has trained at summer intensives including Nederlands Dans Theater, Jacob’s Pillow, Arts Umbrella, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. In 2016, Kaylin was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar of the Arts and National YoungArts Winner in Modern Dance, where she performed at the Kennedy Center in a multifaceted arts show directed by Debbie Allen. Since graduating from USC, Kaylin has worked professionally with The DASH Ensemble directed by Gregory Dolbashian, danced for ISHIDA under the direction of Brett Ishida, and gained her Pilates certification through the BASI Comprehensive Program. Kaylin is beyond grateful and thrilled to be dancing with Ballet BC.
All dancer and emerging artist photos by Brendan Meadows
DEX VAN TER MEIJ Dex van ter Meij is originally from Amsterdam and started his professional dance training at the age of 10 with the Dutch National Ballet Academy for 8 years, continuing his training in 2016 at Arts Umbrella directed by Artemis Gordon. He had the opportunity to work with several brilliant artists such as Crystal Pite, Lesley Telford, Emanual Gat, Doug Letheren, Eric Beauchesne, Rafael Sady, Lukas Timulak, Wen Wei Wang and Cayetano Soto. In June 2017 Dex got to go on tour with the Arts Umbrella Senior Company to his home country the Netherlands where he got to perform at Nederlands Dans Theater’s/Korzo’s Shortcuts XL’17. After graduating, Dex was offered a position as Emerging Artist for the 2018–2019 season at Ballet BC under the direction of Emily Molnar. While
with Ballet BC, Dex has been all over the world performing pieces by choreographers such as Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Aszure Barton, Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, Johan Inger, Emily Molnar and Medhi Walerski. Working with Medhi Walerski on Ballet BC’s Romeo + Juliet Dex had the honour to dance the role of Romeo which was a milestone for him in his career. He also has been part of several dance festivals such as “Jacob’s Pillow” and “Colours international Dance Festival” in Europe, Canada and the US. Dex is also very interested in visual and installation art. This is Dex’s fourth season with Ballet BC. Dex is super excited to see what this season will bring him.
JACOB WILLIAMS Jacob Williams is originally from Vancouver, Washington. For many years, he performed in musical theater until he found a love for dance at the age of 16. After high school, Jacob furthered his education at Alonzo King LINES Ballet going on to dance with dawsondancesf and Oregon Ballet Theatre 2 (OBT2). In 2018, he joined the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program under the direction of Artemis Gordon, graduating in 2020. During his summers, Jacob trained at Springboard Danse Montreal, AU International Summer Intensive, and Northwest Dance Project. He has had the honor of performing works by Nacho Duato, Mats Ek, Sharon Eyal, Marco Goecke, Johan Inger, and Crystal Pite. As a choreographer, Jacob’s quintet, Semble, which premiered as a part of TAKE FORM, was selected as a finalist in the International Choreographic Competition Hannover. He is currently collaborating with Canadian folk music and spoken word group The Fugitives on a new show: Over the Ridge. Jacob joined Ballet BC as an Emerging Artist in the 2020–2021 season and is overjoyed to be returning this season as a full company member.
ZENON ZUBYK Zenon Zubyk was born in Toronto, Ontario and received his initial dance education at Elite Danceworx before graduating from the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program in 2018. Since then, Zenon has been dancing with Ballet BC where he has had the opportunity of touring internationally and performing works by world renowned artists including Crystal Pite, Sharon Eyal, William Forsythe, Aszure Barton, Medhi Walerski, Johan Inger and Ohad Naharin among others. Zenon was named one of Dance Magazine’s ‘Top 25 To Watch’ in 2020 for his performance in Emily Molnar’s To This Day. He has worked on a variety of film and media-based projects including the BMO: Inclusion
Performers (cont’d) installation where his moving image was projected in the Bank of Montreal building in downtown Toronto as a part of pride month 2016. In his own creative practice, Zenon continues to explore the paradoxical qualities of dance as an
act of non-performance by integrating choreography into the unpredictable happenings of nightlife and club events. This is Zenon’s fourth season with Ballet BC.
Emerging Artists SIDNEY CHUCKAS
CHLOE CRENSHAW Chloe Crenshaw is from Los Angeles, California, where her early dance education began at Burbank Dance Academy. In high school, she moved to Boca Raton, Florida, to train at The HARID Conservatory, where she graduated as valedictorian in 2018. Since then, she has been studying at the California Institute of the Arts under the direction of Dimitri Chamblas. While at CalArts, Chloe performed works by Danielle Agami, Trisha Brown, Peter Chu, and Spenser Theberge, among others, and has studied under influential artists such as Holley Farmer, Okwui Okpokwasili, Niharika Senapati, Pam Tanowitz, and Micaela Taylor. She has also attended summer programs at Gaga Intensive Los Angeles, BODYTRAFFIC, Boston Ballet,
and the School of American Ballet. Chloe is thrilled to be joining Ballet BC as an Emerging Artist this season.
ZACK PREECE Zack Preece was born in Vancouver, BC and began his dance training at a small dance studio in Abbotsford, BC at the age of 5. He soon fell in love with the art form and went on to join the Arts Umbrella Pre-Graduate Program under the direction of Artemis Gordon, at the age of 15. Before graduating from the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program in 2021, Zack performed works by Crystal Pite, Marco Goecke, Mats Ek and Johan Inger. He has also performed original creations by Lesley Telford, Stephen Shropshire, Amos Ben-Tal, and James Kudelka. Zack is absolutely thrilled to be joining Ballet BC for his first year as an emerging artist.
SIDNEY RAMSEY Sidney Ramsey grew up in South Carolina, where she began her dance training in a variety of styles. Upon graduating high school, she attended the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and was the school’s first student to double major, completing a degree in Health and the Human Sciences in addition to a BFA in Dance. Her passion for dance stems from its union of the mind and body, and she hopes to continue exploring the possibilities of intertwining dance and scientific research as she begins her professional career. During her time at USC Kaufman, Sidney had the opportunity to learn and perform works by William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Barak Marshall, Ohad Naharin, and Paul Taylor. With an interest in holistic health, she simultaneously conducted research studies into how dance training affects one’s quality of life. Long-term, Sidney plans to explore how rigorous dance training impacts aging, using her dual degree to uncover how dancers can sustain longer performance careers. Sidney could not be more excited to be joining Ballet BC as an Emerging Artist for the upcoming 2021/22 season.
All dancer and emerging artist photos by Brendan Meadows
Sidney Chuckas was born in Evanston, Illinois. He learns, creates and educates through his multidisciplinary art practices with a larger mission to dismantle the institutionalized marginalization of minoritized bodies. Dancing since the age of 5 at Dance Center Evanston, performing principal roles in musical theater productions at Evanston Township High School, and graduating from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, has taught Chuckas to utilize his diverse experiences to thoughtfully engage in others’ work while engaging those around him in thoughtful progressive conversation and change. He has performed works by William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Ohad Naharin, and Barak Marshall, danced for Brandy, Chance the Rapper, and Paris Jackson, trained with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Alvin Ailey, and The Joffrey Ballet, and has also created his own works for stage and screen. His time at USC also led him to discover his passion for design and he was able to complete his undergraduate studies with a minor in Architecture and received an academic scholarship to attend the Pratt Institute of Design Master of Architecture program. Chuckas is honoured to be a part of the Ballet BC community as an emerging artist and is excited to continue feeding his passion for inclusive, collaborative innovation, and creativity.
Emerging Artists (cont’d) ETHAN RIBEIRO
SOPHIE ROBINSON
Ethan Ribeiro began dancing at the age of 9 at a small studio in his hometown of Kitchener, Ontario. At the age of 15, he was accepted into the Professional Division Program at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School (the “RWB”). While there, he studied classical ballet, modern, contemporary and character dance. While at RWB Ethan had the opportunity to create his first piece which was awarded First Place in the student choreographic competition and performance “First Steps”. In June 2019, he graduated from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and in August of 2019, he began at Arts Umbrella’s Post-Secondary Dance Program, under the direction of Artemis Gordon. He has also had the wonderful opportunity to work with choreographers such as Crystal Pite, Lukas Timulak, Lesley Telford, Victor Quijada and David Raymond, just to name a few. In his second year at Arts Umbrella, Ethan was a recipient of the McCall MacBrian Cultural Leadership Scholarship. He is delighted to be joining Ballet BC as an Emerging Artist for the 2021/22 season.
Born and raised in Colorado, Sophie completed her early dance education at the Colorado Conservatory of Dance. At the age of 16, Sophie moved to Vancouver, BC to train at Arts Umbrella under the direction of Artemis Gordon. At AU, she completed the Professional and Post-Secondary training programs. During her time at Arts Umbrella, Sophie has had the opportunity to work with artists such as Crystal Pite, Lukas Timulak, Victor Quijada, James Kudelka, Tom Weinberger, and Lesley Telford. She’s spent summers training at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Dutch National Ballet, and Arts Umbrella’s International Summer Intensive. Sophie is thrilled to be joining Ballet BC as an Emerging Artist for the 21/22 season.
All dancer and emerging artist photos by Brendan Meadows
Purchase 50/50 Raffle Tickets 50/50 tickets are on sale in the lobby of the Royal Theatre during intermission and after the performance this evening. Proceeds from our raffle support the many artists whose projects are developed in Dance Victoria’s studios and then performed across the country and around the world. Tickets are also available at DanceVictoria.com. Tickets are $10 each or a book of five for $40. With fewer than 2,400 printed, your odds are great, plus you’ll be supporting Victoria’s vibrant dance community. Draw: April 26, 2022, 2:00 pm at Dance Victoria Studios, 111-2750 Quadra Street, Victoria, B.C. Total Number of Tickets: 400 @ $10, and 2,000 @ 5 for $40. GM Gaming Event Licence #130806
Sell your home. Support Dance Victoria. Choose a DFH realtor below and mention Dance Victoria when you buy or sell your property. Ten percent of the realtor’s commission helps bring the World’s Best Dance to our community. John Melvin john@johnmelvinproperties.ca | 250-477-7291
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Dance Victoria Studios
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