Preview | Fall 2021 - Issue No. 55

Preview A publication for our donors / Issue No. 55 Fall 2021

Presenting Sponsor 2020/21 Season

A New Day It is pure joy to welcome you back to the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts for our 2021/22 season, featuring our first full run of indoor performances in nearly 20 months. Artistic Director Emerita Karen Kain chose to mark this return with two works that feel particularly suited to the emotion and collective energy of the occasion, Crystal Pite’s Angels’ Atlas and George Balanchine’s Serenade. The power of these works will certainly be felt when the curtain rises in November.

Despite ongoing challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, The National Ballet of

Canada is entering this season with optimism and creativity as we seize the opportunity to work safely on stage and in our studios while continuing to explore new avenues for discovery and growth in the digital space.

More bittersweet will be our celebration of two exquisite artists, Principal Dancers Sonia Rodriguez and Jillian Vanstone, as they prepare to retire from the company in March after decades of inspiring performances.

The milestones and achievements ahead would not be within our grasp without you, our donors, who gave generously and cheered us on as

we trained, created and shared our art virtually in preparation for this moment. If our Fall Season feels triumphant and beautiful, it is because you have made it so.

Thank you endlessly. We dedicate the 2021/22 season to you.

Barry Hughson Executive Director

Barry Hughson.

Photo by Karolina Kuras.

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The National Ballet of Canada

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Contents Message from Barry Hughson

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In Conversation with Hope Muir

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Angels’ Atlas

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Serenade

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Your New Principal Dancers

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Dancer Q&A: Genevieve Penn Nabity

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Message from Diana Reitberger

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Financial Update

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Harbourfront Residency

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70 for 70 Legacy Challenge

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In Memoriam

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The Nutcracker

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national.ballet.ca Preview newsletter is published quarterly by The National Ballet of Canada’s Development Department.

Director of Development: Diana Reitberger, CFRE Publisher: John Hart Preview Editor: Caroline Dickie Contributor: Rhea Daniels Art & Design: Carmen Wagner We would love to hear from you.

Please send your comments to: preview@national.ballet.ca

Jillian Vanstone is sponsored through Dancers First by George & Kathy Dembroski.

Clockwise from top: Sharing the Stage signage featuring Shaelynn Estrada. Cornell Wright, Hope Muir and Barry Hughson. Jillian Vanstone in The Nutcracker. Sonia Rodriguez in A Streetcar Named Desire. Photos by Karolina Kuras.

The National Ballet of Canada

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Kota Sato is sponsored through Dancers First by Tony Arrell, C.M. & Anne Arrell.

Cover: Kota Sato. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

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In Conversation with Hope Muir Toronto-born Hope Muir officially takes the role of Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada in January 2022, building on a rich international career that has taken her from English National Ballet to Rambert Dance Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Scottish Ballet and Charlotte Ballet, where she has been Artistic Director since 2017.

Starting in August 2021, Hope has been participating in the artistic life of the National Ballet, attending the Harbourfront Centre Outdoor Residency, teaching class and meeting with dancers and donors.

Here, she shares her experience and expectations of life in the company.

What was it like to immerse yourself with The National Ballet of Canada for the first time at last summer’s Harbourfront Centre Outdoor Residency?

The first time you enter any new environment or organization, the experience is always tinged with butterflies, excitement and nervous expectation. That is especially true now, coming back after this huge hiatus with the pandemic. The excitement was even more tangible.

I felt so emotional seeing those dancers on stage after such a long time without performances.

You have described the studio as your “natural habitat” and the place you most want to be. What makes it so?

With the amount of time that one spends in the studio as an artist and then in the career path that I’ve had, it really is the place where communication happens, whether that’s physically or verbally, and

where the dancers put the most trust in me. I feel I am most valuable to the dancers in the studio. It’s something we all share, it’s our common denominator.

them. That honesty and humanity is what I see in Crystal’s work and what makes it so moving, challenging and inspiring. She’s just an extraordinary individual.

You assisted Crystal Pite with the staging of Emergence for the National Ballet in 2009. This fall the company will perform her ballet Angels’ Atlas. How would you characterize her work?

I haven’t had the privilege of seeing Angels’ Atlas yet and being such a superfan of Crystal’s work I’m really looking forward to it. I don’t think you can really separate the work from the person in her case, which is why it’s so authentic and so distinctive. She really has her own language, which comes through the commitment and the preparation and all of the research that she does.

Having been in the studio and seen how she communicates and how she works with the dancers, I know how satisfying that experience is for

What are you looking forward to about living and working in Toronto?

I’m looking forward to having four seasons again, that’s something I’ve missed out on a lot. As things are reopening, I’m also hoping to learn more about all of the different arts organizations in the city. I’m a bit of a foodie, so I want to try out some of the restaurants as well.

I’m always on the lookout for potential collaborations, and that could be through going to a restaurant, seeing an image on a menu, going to see a play, reading an article or popping into a coffee shop and picking up a book I’ve never seen before. I’m a bit of a collector of ideas and they always tend to feed back into dance.

Hope Muir. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

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The National Ballet of Canada

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Clockwise from top left: Hope Muir in rehearsal at Charlotte Ballet. Photo by Jeff Cravotta. Hope Muir in an English National Ballet School graduation performance. Photo by Bill Cooper. Hope Muir in rehearsal at Rambert Ballet. Photographer unknown. Hope Muir in August Pace.

Photo by Anthony Crickmay. Hope Muir walking the halls at The Walter Carsen Centre. Hope Muir in Company Class. Photos by Karolina Kuras.

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Artists of the Ballet in Angels’ Atlas. Photo by Johan Persson.

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The National Ballet of Canada

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Hannah Galway is sponsored through Dancers First by Alison & Alan Schwartz.

Hannah Galway in Angels’ Atlas. Photo by Johan Persson.

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The National Ballet of Canada

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A Company Reunited: Angels’ Atlas The National Ballet of Canada will make its first appearance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in nearly 20 months with Crystal Pite’s Angels’ Atlas, whose ensemble work feels prescient in light of recent global events. The intimate, communal experience it portrays, with nearly every dancer in the company coalescing against a spectral wall of light, is sympathetic to the yearning, suffering and solace of life in the pandemic, making the ballet’s return an emotional one.

After a stunning debut, Angels’ Atlas won two Dora Mavor Moore Awards in 2020 for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Achievement in Design. It was one of the last works for the full company that the dancers performed before theatres closed and it is now the first to reunite them en masse, as they express Pite’s theme of the ephemerality and vitality of life.

Second Soloist Hannah Galway,

who created a featured role in Angels’ Atlas, says it would be impossible to detach the ballet from its current context.

“Returning to this large and emotional piece, I can’t help but reflect on the past year and a half. Being separated from my colleagues and friends due to the pandemic makes me appreciate our collaboration on this piece even more. I can’t wait to return to the stage with this work and once again connect so intimately with all of those artists I admire.”

Pite, who was born in British Columbia, is a leading international choreographer with a body of work that is uniquely imaginative, generous and moving. For Angels’ Atlas, she used an ethereal lighting design by Jay Gower Taylor as the springboard for exploring the human condition in a way that is unexpectedly tangible.

“Crystal’s choreography is epic in scope yet I feel as though there’s

a great sense of humility in it,” says Galway. “She has a way of making the choreography feel personal. It is a gift to be able to perform this piece.”

Angels’ Atlas is set to original music by Owen Belton and choral works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and the American composer Morten Lauridsen. Pite has said that she chose choral music partly because of its connection to the body, a quality that resonates with Galway as a dancer: “The choral music fills our rehearsal rooms and the theatre. Once it fills the space, it has nowhere to go but our bodies and it beckons me to move, dance and express myself.”

Galway and the entire company are focused on the long awaited intheatre reunion that Angels’ Atlas will bring. “I’m so excited to share this beautiful piece with the audience we’ve been missing so deeply.”

Produced and commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada.

A co-production of The National Ballet of Canada and Ballett Zürich.

Philanthropic support for Angels’ Atlas is generously provided by An Anonymous Donor, Rosamond Ivey, Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin, The Producers’ Circle, The Volunteer Committee of The National Ballet of Canada and The Gail Hutchison Fund.

Artists of the Ballet in Angels’ Atlas. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

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The Art of Serenade Speed and agility are top of mind when it comes to the work of George Balanchine, but he was also a gifted creator of imagery and poetic moments of stillness, as when Apollo gently rests his head in the hands of his Muses. In Serenade, the curtain rises on an image of astonishing beauty from which everything else in the ballet will flow: 17 women drenched in blue light, arms raised to the sky.

“You get the sense that there are infinite women standing there and that you’ve only been given a small slice of their world,” says Associate Artistic Director Christopher Stowell.

“Nearly 100 years after the ballet was created, the image still hasn’t lost its power. There’s a reason why ballet companies are choosing to return to the stage with it.”

Serenade was first performed in 1934 by students at the School of American Ballet. It was the first ballet Balanchine created in America and is now a signature work for the company he co-founded, New York City Ballet. The story of its creation is legendary, with Balanchine incorporating unexpected events from the rehearsal process into the choreography and reworking the ballet repeatedly over time. But as Christopher observes, the core of Serenade – its “palette” – is so exquisite that Balanchine was able to do a variety of things within it and not distract from its power.

“What makes a piece of art last?

I think it comes down to a combination of surprise and inevitability,” he says.

“Serenade certainly isn’t predictable, but there is an inevitability about it. Every aspect comes to a satisfying conclusion – the patterns resolve themselves into a beautiful shape – and you’re left with the feeling that it couldn’t have happened any other way.”

In Serenade, Balanchine hearkens back to his early Russian training and the choreography of Marius Petipa while stripping away traditional notions of character and plot. In a sense the opening tableau is a reimagining of the female ensembles from classical ballets of the past, full of atmosphere and structure yet unbound by theatrical elements.

Musically, Serenade also enters a dialogue with ballet’s past, with Balanchine choosing Petipa’s frequent collaborator and classical ballet composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Balanchine felt strongly connected to Tchaikovsky as an artist and returned to his music many times throughout his career.

“Balanchine and Tchaikovsky were meant for one another,” says Christopher. “They were kindred Russian spirits despite being a generation apart. Both managed to be emotional without wearing it on their sleeves. The form and structure of their works, the colours and atmosphere, all service a deeper artistic expression.”

Though it was created for students, Serenade is a challenging piece to dance, with fast footwork and intricate patterning for the soloists and corps de ballet alike. After more than a year offstage, the dancers of The National Ballet of Canada have welcomed the opportunity that Serenade has afforded to hone their technique.

“It’s deeply rewarding to do something that we’re comfortable with and is also a challenge,” says Christopher. “It feels good to do these steps right now. Serenade is incredibly physical but it’s also full of joy. The dancers are getting so much satisfaction from that.”

The performance of Serenade, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced by arrangement with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Service standards established and provided by the Trust.

Artists of the Ballet in Serenade. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

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The National Ballet of Canada

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The National Ballet of Canada

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Your New Principal Dancers Ben Rudisin Born: Woodbridge, Virginia Trained: North Carolina School of the Arts and Houston Ballet II Joined: 2013

“I’ve worked my entire career with the goal of becoming a Principal Dancer in the back of my mind and to have it realized was such a strange yet incredible feeling. I’m very honoured and humbled to have received this promotion.”

– Ben Rudisin

Ben Rudisin is sponsored through Dancers First by an anonymous donor.

Ben Rudisin. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

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The National Ballet of Canada

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“I strongly believe that you cannot hide who you are on the stage. It really shows how you live and what you have experienced.

So, exploring the world as big as you can is the key to becoming a successful dancer, in my opinion.”

– Koto Ishihara

Koto Ishihara

Koto Ishihara. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

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Born: Nagoya, Japan Trained: Shiho Kanazawa Ballet School, The HARID Conservatory and San Francisco Ballet School Joined as a First Soloist: 2019 13

“To be a dancer of the future, you need to be able to be versatile.

I take a lot of pride and put in a lot of work trying to be a classical dancer with a wide range, able to do everything from the Bournonville style to the classical white tights pieces where your technique is very exposed.”

– Siphesihle November

Siphesihle November Born: Zolani, South Africa Trained: Canada’s National Ballet School Joined: 2017

Siphesihle November is sponsored through Dancers First by Jerry & Joan Lozinski.

Siphesihle November. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

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The National Ballet of Canada

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Tina Pereira Born: Port of Spain, Trinidad Trained: Canada’s National Ballet School Joined: 2001

“Growing up in Toronto and watching the Principal Dancers of the National Ballet, I learned the importance of being both a wonderful dancer and a role model. Now as a Principal myself, I am excited to have the opportunity to inspire the dancers of the future.”

– Tina Pereira Tina Pereira is sponsored through Dancers First by The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain, C.C. Tina Pereira. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

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Dancer Q&A: Genevieve Penn Nabity Born: Casco, Michigan Trained: Main Stage Center for the Arts in Armada, Michigan and Canada’s National Ballet School Joined: 2018 Recipient: The 2019 RBC Emerging Artist Award Second Soloist since: 2021

How did you discover dance?

My mom was a ballet dancer for a few years with BalletMet in Ohio before moving back home to Michigan. I started dancing at the age of three at the small recreational studio where she worked.

What do you love about ballet?

I love the feeling of moving my body.

It gives me the ultimate joy; there is no other feeling in the world than being able to express myself in a way that words cannot. I also love the opportunity to create art that can speak to one’s soul.

What do you appreciate most about The National Ballet of Canada?

I appreciate the community the National Ballet has created between the dancers, staff and stagehands.

It’s amazing to be so connected with so many different people on a regular basis.

What are your personal goals?

My goal right now is to savour and enjoy every moment I get to dance whether it be on stage, in front of a camera, in rehearsal or just in class with my colleagues, because it can be taken away at any moment. I also hope to learn how to properly cross-train so that I can prevent injury and extend my career.

What would you say to thank our donors for their support?

I would love to thank you all for your unwavering support throughout the pandemic. It has been difficult for everyone, but it is so special to know that our audience is right there with us.

Additionally, being able to have a steady paying job even when we were not dancing or performing would not have been possible without you. I cannot thank you enough for helping the National Ballet keep everyone, especially the dancers, securely employed.

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For more Dancer Q&As, visit national.ballet.ca/Ballet-News-Plus Genevieve Penn Nabity. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

The National Ballet of Canada

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Together Again for Ballet A Message from Diana Reitberger, Director of Development

Over the past year I have often been asked, “How is the fundraising going?” “How are you and the Development team coping?” “Is the company going to be ok?”

The simple answer is that we accomplished great things together and The National Ballet of Canada is ready to take to the stage, better than ever.

When the curtain rises on our first live performance on November 11, it will be because of you. You allowed us to stay the course because you

did not falter in your support of the company over the past year. Whether you renewed your membership in Friends’ Corps, Turnout or Patrons’ Council, or continued to fulfill pledges to specific programmes like Dancers First, Ballet Club Relevé and The Producers’ Circle, you were there for us. So many of you also donated back your tickets or entire subscriptions to show your support. And our Together for Ballet campaign inspired 1,679 donors to make a special gift in our time of need. What was so heartening were the 800 new donors we welcomed to our ballet family – we hope you feel our deep appreciation as we get to know you better!

I need to express my pride in the entire Development team for their commitment to keeping you engaged while navigating the vagaries of working from home. Whether meeting personally by phone or as a group on Zoom while you watched a class or rehearsal, there was a feeling that we were all in this together. And yes, when the weather was good, the occasional coffee meeting at an outdoor café or walk was possible with some of you.

I am fondly recalling an outdoor visit I had with Richard and Martha Hogarth last September in their garden. This special couple was united in their love for the National Ballet and I spent the visit being regaled with stories by Richard from their earliest involvement with the company in the late 1950s. One such story was how they lured friends to become involved with the National Ballet by offering Sunday night suppers at their apartment if they bought performance tickets! These were the initiatives that built our support from the ground up. Sadly, Richard passed away in February after over six decades of constant support for the company.

However, his spirit of connection and camaraderie shines bright in many of our programmes, and we hope you are inspired to introduce your family and friends to the company you love this season.

Thank you for being there for us this past year and for embracing the excitement of the year ahead. We are together again for ballet and it is an indescribably wonderful feeling!

- Diana Reitberger, CFRE Director of Development

Artists of the Ballet in the wings during The Nutcracker. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Diana Reitberger. Photo by Aleksandar Antonijevic.

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The 2020/21 Season: A Brief Report » Because of you, we were able to: » Support our dancers and musicians with virtual and in-person training » Create four new works by emerging and established choreographers » Commission nine dance films » Launch a popular, high quality virtual season » Connect virtually with students and children » Share resources with local dance artists

Season Highlights

6,112,323 106,798

Digital Audience

Community Participants

“In a season that began with the odds stacked against us and more questions than answers in terms of what the future might hold, The National Ballet of Canada moved quickly and with signature grace to deliver a virtual season at a high standard of excellence. We were able to do this – sustain our artists, connect with our audiences, and explore the enormous potential of the digital space – because you were willing to come with us, as committed donors and friends. We are proud to show you what a difference you have made, not only in our numbers, but for the artists who have waited so long to perform for you once more. ” – Cornell Wright Chair, Board of Directors

Cornell Wright. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

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2020/21 Operating Revenue

$23.8 M Together for Ballet Campaign $2.7 M

Annual Fundraising $5.5 M

Endowment Foundation Grant $2.7 M

Government Grants $6.9 M

COVID-19 Support & Insurance $5.2 M

Other $0.8 M

The National Ballet of Canada

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The Together for Ballet campaign launched in the fall of 2020 to keep the dancers and musicians employed and engaged in the virtual space. Together, our family of donors gave nearly $2.7 million to this cause, in addition to $5.5 million of renewed gifts, making it possible for the National Ballet to continue its core work of creating and sharing art.

The overwhelming impact of donor and government support offset the unprecedented loss of the cancellation of the 2020/21 performance season.

Our artists, however, remained active and creative during our first ever virtual season for audiences and students.

We are grateful for the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, as well as special COVID-19 relief from the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and Canada Rent Subsidy Programmes.

For the full results, view the 2020/21 Annual Report online at national.ballet.ca/annualreports

Daina Zolty in The Dreamers Ever Leave You. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

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Sharing the Stage: Harbourfront Centre Outdoor Residency In August 2021, The National Ballet of Canada gave four outdoor performances to a socially distanced audience during Sharing the Stage, a residency at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre featuring the world premiere of Crepuscular by Vanesa G. R. Montoya, works-in-process from guest companies and an outdoor studio with open rehearsals, free dance classes and discussions.

Thank you to our guest companies Esie Mensah Creations, Human Body Expression, Little Pear Garden Dance Company and Lua Shayenne Dance Company for their inspired participation in this event.

“Sharing the Stage gave us an opportunity to reconnect with each other, our dance colleagues, curious passersby and invested audiences. On a practical level, this residency allowed Lua Shayenne Dance Company to achieve some of its strategic goals of increasing local presentations that are accessible to multiple audiences to increase our visibility and engage new audiences.”

– Lua Shayenne, Artistic Director, Lua Shayenne Dance Company

Clockwise from top right: Lisa Robinson and Tanya Howard with their daughters at a Sharing the Stage workshop. Guillaume Côté and Tanya Howard in Soul. Ayano Haneishi in Tarantella. Kota Sato and Brenna Flaherty in Crepuscular. Photos by Karolina Kuras.

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The National Ballet of Canada

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“We made a commitment as an organization at the beginning of the pandemic that when we were able to return to the stage, we would support Toronto’s dance community in doing the same. For our four guest companies and many other artists involved, this was their first time creating and dancing in-person and connecting with the public in 16 months. To see artists in a state of exploration and for audiences to have the opportunity to move through that journey with them was a powerful point of reconnection.”

– Robert Binet, Curator and Producer, CreativAction and Special Initiatives

Sharing the Stage is an initiative of Staging Change which is generously funded by the Metcalf Foundation.

Lead philanthropic support for Crepuscular is provided by The Producers' Circle.

Apollo is a gift from The Volunteer Committee, The National Ballet of Canada.

Brendan Saye is sponsored through Dancers First by Robin Vaile Robinson.

Clockwise from top left: Vanesa G. R. Montoya. Larkin Miller and Antonella Martinelli in Crepuscular. Brendan Saye in Apollo. Photos by Karolina Kuras.

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70 for 70 Legacy Challenge

The National Ballet had its inaugural performance at The Eaton Auditorium on November 12, 1951 – 70 years ago.

Celia Franca had arrived from England 10 months prior and pulled off what many consider to be a ballet miracle – created an entire ballet company – while working as a file clerk at the Eaton’s department store. Celia recruited and trained 29 dancers, assembled costumes and hired two pianists as the company’s founding orchestra. For $3.00, you could have experienced the National Ballet’s very first performance.

Prior to Celia’s arrival in Toronto, three women – Sydney Mulqueen, Pearl Whitehead and Aileen Woods – had a vision to establish Canada’s very first national ballet company, one that would represent the very best in dance.

Together, they galvanized support, raised funds and turned their vision into a reality.

Now, seven decades later, patrons and volunteers from across the country are still supporting the National Ballet. Our collective funding has enabled the National Ballet to invest in the best dancers, attract world-class choreographers, help support the only dedicated ballet

orchestra in Canada, and inspire children and youth with free access to workshops and performances.

Because of our enduring care, the National Ballet is one of the world’s most prestigious companies.

We have come a long way since the first performance 70 years ago and, with your help, we can achieve so much more.

To mark this significant anniversary, I, along with my fellow Celia Franca Society Ambassador Committee members, have launched the 70 for 70 Legacy Campaign. Our goal is to secure 70 new legacy donors by June 30, 2022.

This campaign will celebrate you and your commitment to ensuring the success of our company now and in the future. You can be a part of this special campaign no matter the size of your estate. The truth is, even 1% left to the National Ballet can have an enormous impact, while still leaving 99% of your estate for your loved ones.

My motivation in leaving a gift in my Will reflects my desire to thank the company that has given me so much joy over many years. I also wish to guarantee that the financial future of the ballet I love is on a strong footing.

Let’s ensure that the company's outstanding international reputation will be supported so that future generations can enjoy and celebrate The National Ballet of Canada.

You have been part of the National Ballet’s glorious history and I invite you to be part of our future. Take a moment to consider joining me and make your mark on The National Ballet of Canada with a gift in your Will.

In gratitude, Marcia McClung Chair, Celia Franca Society Ambassador Committee

For more information, visit national.ballet.ca/LegacyChallenge or contact Richard Lefebvre at rlefebvre@national.ballet.ca or 416 346 9686 x324.

Celia Franca and David Adams with Artists of the Ballet in Coppelia (1951). Photo by John Grange. Marcia McClung. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

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The National Ballet of Canada

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Remembering Those We Have Lost The Honourable Paul T. Hellyer Former Minister of National Defence and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, Paul Hellyer passed away on August 8, 2021 after a lifelong career in Canadian politics and public service. Paul was devoted to the performing arts throughout his life and served on the National Ballet’s Board of Directors from 1970 to 1975. Famously, Paul came to the rescue in 1967 when a sidetracked rail car threatened to prevent the company from fulfilling a scheduled performance of The Nutcracker in Vancouver.

Understanding the urgency, Paul dispatched a Hercules transport plane from Cold Lake, Alberta to ferry the sets and costumes on time. His longstanding friendship and leadership will be missed.

Richard Hogarth The National Ballet of Canada mourns the passing of a steadfast supporter in Richard Hogarth, who began hosting legendary Sunday dinners in 1959 to raise money for the fledgling company. Richard was one of the first donors to join the Patrons’ Council when it was formed in the 1980s and set an example of generosity throughout his life. He passed on April 18, 2021.

John Allan Slaight John Allan Slaight provided years of leadership support to the National Ballet’s artists and ambitions with characteristic warmth and creativity. Together with his wife of 35 years, Emmanuelle Gattuso, Allan invested in landmark new productions as a founding member of The Producers’ Circle and sponsored Principal Dancer Guillaume Côté through Dancers First. Allan also protected the future of the National Ballet by giving generously to the Endowment Foundation.

Allan was a ground-breaking figure in Canadian broadcast journalism and a passionate philanthropist who ensured that his legacy would live on through The Slaight Family Foundation and La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso. He was also a lifelong fan of magic, which suited his zest for life and belief in the impossible. The National Ballet family mourns his passing on September 19, 2021.

Judith R. Wilder (Billie Wilder) On July 17, 2021, the ballet community lost a wonderful friend in Judith Wilder, who was known affectionately throughout her life as “Billie.” A graduate of Havergal College, McGill University and Lorne Greene’s Radio Academy, Billie was a long-time supporter to the Patrons' Council, a lovely presence in the studios to watch rehearsals, as well as a cherished member of the Celia Franca Society.

The Honourable Paul T. Hellyer. Richard Hogarth. John Allan Slaight.

Judith R. Wilder.

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The Magic is Back!

December 10 – 31, 2021 All of us at The National Ballet of Canada missed sharing the magic of The Nutcracker with audiences last year and we're thrilled to present Toronto's favourite holiday tradition this December. Families can once again experience the beauty, joy and wonder of this cherished classic.

One of the largest and more elaborate productions in the company’s repertoire, The Nutcracker will be presented with some adaptations in order to ensure the safety of all involved on stage and behind the scenes.

Tickets are on sale now!

See more details about the production and the vaccination and safety policies at national.ballet.ca.

The Nutcracker is made possible by generous financial support from production underwriters Sandra Pitblado & Jim Pitblado, C.M., Lawrence & Ann Heisey and an anonymous friend of the National Ballet.

Jillian Vanstone. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

The Walter Carsen Centre for The National Ballet of Canada 470 Queens Quay West Toronto, Ontario M5V 3K4 Canada

Audience and Donor Services 416 (1 866) 345 9595 national.ballet.ca

The National Ballet of Canada is a registered charity.

Charitable Registration Number 11905 1449 RR0001