Ballet dancers return to the stage at Calgary's Jubilee Auditorium
Alberta Ballet is back after a forced hiatus due to the pandemic and it's starting with a fan favourite, Swan Lake, that opens Oct. 21.
It tells the tale of Prince Siegfried and the Swan Queen and is considered a hallmark of classical ballet.
The ballet company had originally intended to perform Swan Lake in its 2019/20 season and the empty seats at the Jubilee will be filled with many patrons who purchased tickets as far back as the summer 2019.
Co-artistic director Christopher Anderson says society has been without the emotional power of live performance a long time and Swan Lake is deeply expressive and passionate.
"I would say that the version that we are sharing now is a far more intimate and vulnerable interpretation but it's really living and breathing with them, I see myself as a guide more than anything," said Anderson.
He's been challenged preparing for the show by pandemic restrictions.
"We've been everywhere from our studios closed to open for single dancers," he said. "We've recorded a series of classes that they can access digitally and then we've gone from working in groups of two to three to four and then eventually before we came into the Jubilee, we were all the way up to groups of 15."
This iconic production also ushers in a new era for Alberta Ballet that includes a new vision to create impact all over the province and an endowment campaign to support these goals.
"Arts organizations needs an endowment," said co-artistic director Jean Grand-Maître. "Because they're saying in the coming decades hundreds of us will disappear without those endowments so it makes us very vulnerable to the future."
Grand-Maître says the campaign kicked off with a $3 million donation from supporter Barbara Palmer.
"We were asking some of our major donors during the pandemic to sustain us," he said. "I think something happened magical throughout all the hardships of the pandemic, it opened the hearts of a lot of people and so donations have been coming in, in the way I haven't seen in 20 years."
As a resident company of the Jubilee Auditorium, Alberta Ballet is following the Jubilee’s COVID-19 health and safety policies. The facility will operate at full capacity for performances under the Restriction Exemption Program and will follow all requirements, municipal and provincial, for in-person events.
"Come in show either your proof of vaccination or the QR code, we are set up to scan, or a negative rapid test, if that's the route that you that you're going and then line up at the bar, grab a drink, go to your seat and enjoy the show," said the Jubilee's acting general manager Scott Mctavish.
Alberta Ballet has also implemented a Relaxed Refund Policy for the duration of the 2021-22 season to give patrons greater flexibility as they consider returning to live events.
Swan Lake will run at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary from Oct. 21 to 30, and in Edmonton at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium from Nov. 5 to 7.
Tickets are available at AlbertaBallet.com.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels will take the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
BREAKING Toronto Maple Leafs fire head coach Sheldon Keefe
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Torchbearers in Marseille kick off the Olympic flame's journey across France
Torchbearers carried the Olympic flame through the streets of France's southern port city of Marseille on Thursday, a day after it arrived on a majestic three-mast ship for a welcoming ceremony.
Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Court to hear about search for remains as Winnipeg murder trial enters second day
A courtroom in Winnipeg is expected to hear testimony today about the search for the remains of the four victims of Jeremy Skibicki.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.