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Ballet BC Romeo + Juliet MEDHI WALERSKI March 13 + 14, 2020 • 7:30 pm Royal Theatre Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes (including intermission)
Brandon Alley and Emily Chessa in Romeo + Juliet. Photo © Michael Slobodian.
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 Work ROMEO + JULIET World Premiere, February 22, 2018, Ballet BC Concept, Choreography and Costume Design: Medhi Walerski Set Design: Theun Mosk Lighting Design: Theun Mosk in collaboration with Medhi Walerski and Pierre Pontvianne Music: Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64, Composed by Sergei Prokofiev. Performed by London Symphony Orchestra (Conducted by André Previn) Courtesy of Warner Classics UK. By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
Artistic Collaborator: Pierre Pontvianne Assistant Costume Designer: Kate Burrows Lighting Director: James Proudfoot Many thanks to the dancers for their creative spark and inexhaustible generosity. Performers: Juliet Romeo Tybalt Mercutio Benvolio Nurse Friar Laurence Mother Capulet Father Capulet Paris
Emily Chessa (March 13), Kirsten Wicklund (March 14) Justin Rapaport (March 13), Dex van ter Meij (March 14) Jordan Lang Scott Fowler (March 13), Zenon Zubyk (March 14) Patrick Kilbane (March 13), Chase Buntrock (March 14) Alexis Fletcher‡ Peter Smida‡ Makaila Wallace‡ Sylvain Senez‡ Adrian de Leeuw†
ACT I
- Ball -
- Street Scenes -
GUESTS
MONTAGUES †
Juan Duarte*, Beth Durnie , Quaba Venza Ernest, Miriam Gittens, Kiera Hill, Emily Klukas*, Evan Rapaport*, Nicole Ward, Sophie Whittome
CAPULETS Hannah-Jane Clutchey†, Ralph Escamillan‡, Parker Finley, Madeleine Gilbert†, Kiana Jung*, Kierra Kelp*, Eva Solnick†, Samantha Sutherland†
4 STREET COUPLES Chase Buntrock (March 13), Juan Duarte*, Quaba Venza Ernest, Miriam Gittens, Kiera Hill, Patrick Kilbane (March 14), Evan Rapaport*, Nicole Ward, Sophie Whittome
– Intermission –
Hannah-Jane Clutchey†, Juan Duarte*, Beth Durnie†, Quaba Venza Ernest, Ralph Escamillan‡, Parker Finley, Madeleine Gilbert†, Miriam Gittens, Kiera Hill, Kiana Jung*, Kierra Kelp*, Emily Klukas*, Evan Rapaport*, Samantha Sutherland†, Nicole Ward, Sophie Whittome
ACT II SHADOW FIGURES Hannah-Jane Clutchey†, Juan Duarte*, Beth Durnie†, Quaba Venza Ernest, Ralph Escamillan‡, Parker Finley, Madeleine Gilbert†, Miriam Gittens, Kiera Hill, Kiana Jung*, Kierra Kelp*, Emily Klukas*, Evan Rapaport*, Samantha Sutherland†, Nicole Ward, Sophie Whittome
Thank you to Arts Umbrella Prep dancers Adrian Maxwell-Campagna and Ain Tominaga for their work on this production. * Emerging Artist † Arts Umbrella Prep Program ‡ Guest Artist
About Ballet BC Founded in 1986, Ballet BC has been under the leadership of Artistic Director Emily Molnar since 2009. Ballet BC is an internationally acclaimed collaborative and creation-based contemporary ballet company that is a leader and resource in the creation, production and education of contemporary dance in Canada. Bold and innovative, the Company’s distinctive style and approach has made a unique and valuable national contribution to the development of dance. In 2019, the Company was nominated for an Olivier Award for “Best New Dance Production” for their tour to Sadler’s Wells in London, which featured Solo Echo, by Crystal Pite, 16 + a room by Emily Molnar, and Bill by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar. Ballet BC’s dancers are a group of open-minded and curious artists, each unique for their dynamic movement while sharing an intuitive passion for dance. Ballet BC is committed to its role as a leader in the community through dancer training opportunities, community and audience outreach, and professional development activities.
Scott Fowler and the Artists of Ballet BC in Romeo + Juliet. Photo © Michael Slobodian.
The Company presents a diverse repertoire of Canadian and international work from the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and is a hotbed for the creation and performance of new
works. Since 2009, the Company has developed a repertoire of more than 45 new works by acclaimed Canadian and international choreographers including William Forsythe, Cayetano Soto, Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, Medhi Walerski, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, Johan Inger, Adi Salant, Emanuel Gat, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Jacopo Godani, Company 605, Jorma Elo, Wen Wei Wang, Itzik Galili, Serge Bennathan, Walter Matteini, José Navas, Emily Molnar, Lesley Telford, Nicolo Fonte, Fernando Hernando Magadan, Kevin O’Day, Shawn Hounsell, Gioconda Barbuto, Simone Orlando, Robert Glumbek and Aszure Barton among others. Under the artistic direction of Emily Molnar, former member of The National Ballet of Canada, Ballet BC and the Ballett Frankfurt, the Company actively fosters collaborations that support artists, choreographers and audiences alike, furthering the boundaries of contemporary dance. The Company embraces excellence in the practice of contemporary ballet, with its wide diversity of technique and style, honouring its roots and components. Website: balletbc.com Facebook / Ballet BC Instagram & Twitter / @BalletBC
The Artists ANNA BEKIROVA
QUABA VENZA ERNEST
Born in Amsterdam, Anna started dancing at the Dutch National Ballet Academy at age 10 and graduated in 2016. After her graduation she moved to Vancouver to study at Arts Umbrella under the guidance of Artemis Gordon. Here she had the opportunity to work with world-renowned artists such as Crystal Pite, Wen Wei Wang, Lesley Telford, Tom Weinberger and Cayetano Soto. Anna was one of Ballet BC’s emerging artists for the 2018–2019 season. She is incredibly excited to be joining as a full company member this year.
Quaba was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He began his dance training at Dance Theatre of Harlem under the direction of Arthur Mitchell & Robert Garland. After attending Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, he later went on to study dance at State University of New York at Purchase College Conservatory of Dance where he was awarded the Adopt-A-Dancer Scholarship. He has danced in works by Kimberly Bartosik, George Balanchine, Sidra Bell, Norbert De La Cruz lll, Ana Maria Lucaciu, Ohad Naharin, Jerome Robbins, Ted Shawn and Doug Varone. He has studied at Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Doug Varone & Dancers, Eastman, Jacob’s Pillow, and Springboard Danse Montreal under the direction of Alexandra Wells. Quaba is a recipient of the 2019 Thayer Fellowship in the Arts and joined Ballet BC in 2019.
Chase is from Chicago, Illinois. He began as a competitive gymnast for ten years but found dance at age thirteen in pursuit of a more artistic outlet. After graduating from Chicago Academy for the Arts in 2015, Chase attended The Juilliard School in New York City from which he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance. Throughout his career, he has performed works by Sharon Eyal, Crystal Pite, Merce Cunningham, Roy Assaf, and more. Chase has furthered his training at San Francisco Ballet, Arts Umbrella, Nederlands Dans Theater, and Springboard Danse Montreal. Additionally, he is grateful to have participated in educational outreach programs that served the five boroughs of New York City. Chase is thrilled to be joining Ballet BC for the 2019/20 season.
EMILY CHESSA Originally from Richmond, BC, Emily began her professional dance training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in 2006 where she received the Arnold Spohr Scholarship and the Paddy Stone Scholarship for choreography. After graduating the school in 2010, she trained at Arts Umbrella in the graduate program under the guidance of Artemis Gordon. She participated in summer programs such as the Movement Invention Project in New York and Springboard Danse Montreal. Since joining Ballet BC in 2012 as an apprentice, she has performed works by Emily Molnar, Company 605, Johan Inger, Lesley Telford, Medhi Walerski, Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin and Sharon Eyal. This is Emily’s eighth season with the company.
PARKER FINLEY Parker was born in Louisiana in 1997. In 2014, she began her professional training at the Houston Ballet Academy under the instruction of Sabrina Lenzi and Sally Rojas where she performed works by Stanton Welch, John Neumeier, Kenneth MacMillan, and Ben Stevenson. After graduating in 2016, she was an apprentice for Hubbard Street 2 during their 2016–2017 season. As their apprentice, she had the opportunity to learn works from Alice Klock, Terence Marling, Alejandro Cerrudo, Peter Chu, and Bryan Arias. She has participated in summer programs such as Houston Ballet Summer Intensive and Springboard Danse Montreal. This is Parker’s third season with the company.
SCOTT FOWLER Born in Vancouver, Scott trained at Arts Umbrella under the direction of Artemis Gordon and attended summer intensive programs at American Ballet Theatre, the National Ballet School and Jacob’s Pillow. He performed in Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker, Ballet BC’s Peter Pan and in the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Scott received a scholarship grant from the BC Arts Council in 2010. In 2011, he toured the Netherlands, performing at Codarts and worked with Noord Nederlandse Dans. Scott was invited in 2013 by James Kudelka to perform See#3 as a guest artist for Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie. Scott has been privileged to work with choreographers Aszure Barton, Gioconda Barbuto, James Kudelka, Emily Molnar, Jacopo
Portraits © Michael Slobodian.
CHASE BUNTROCK
Godani, Wen Wei Wang, Medhi Walerski, William Forsythe, Crystal Pite and Sharon Eyal. This is Scott’s eighth season with the company.
Miriam is thrilled to be joining as Ballet BC as a full time member for this upcoming season.
MIRIAM GITTENS
Born in Vancouver, Kiera completed her professional training at Arts Umbrella under the direction of Artemis Gordon. She was a proud recipient of the BC Arts Council Scholarship Award for excellence in dance in 2011. After graduating in 2012 she apprenticed with Ballet BC for one season. In 2013, she joined Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal where she performed leading roles in pieces by Andonis Foniadakis, Itzik Galili, Rodrigo Pederneiras, Cayetano Soto, Barak Marshall and Wen Wei Wang. For four years she toured extensively with BJM performing in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, China, Israel, Mexico, USA and across Canada. Kiera returned to Ballet BC in 2017 and is thrilled to be back for another season.
Left: Gilbert Small and Brandon Alley in Romeo + Juliet. Photo © Michael Slobodian. Portraits © Michael Slobodian.
Miriam was born and raised in Fresno, California. She grew up training at The Dance Studio of Fresno where she received a diverse dance education. In May of 2017, Miriam graduated from The Juilliard School with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance. During her time at Juilliard, Miriam performed in works by Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Richard Alston, Mathew Neenan, Zvi Gotheiner, Loni Landon, and Takehiro Ueyama. She furthered her training during summer intensives at chuthis, Bodytraffic, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Springboard Danse Montreal, and Nederlands Dans Theater. Miriam has been involved in many outreach programs and fellowships which have allowed her to share her love for dance with audiences and students across New York City and California. She has most recently performed with chuthis under the direction of Peter Chu.
KIERA HILL
(cont’d)
PATRICK KILBANE
JUSTIN RAPAPORT
Patrick is from Bainbridge Island, Washington. He discovered dance at the age of 14 and studied on full scholarship at San Francisco Ballet School. He continued his training at the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and with Suzanne Farrell at The Kennedy Center. Patrick worked with Oregon Ballet Theater where he danced ballets by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. He spent five seasons with Sarah Slipper’s NW Dance Project in Portland, Oregon as a performer, teacher, and choreographer. There he danced original roles in new works by Ihsan Rustem, Wen Wei Wang, Danielle Agami, Maurice Causey, Noam Gagnon, Lucas Crandall, Didy Veldman, Olivier Wevers, Patrick Delcroix, and many others. Before moving to Vancouver he danced with Kate Wallich + The YC, Whim W’Him, and worked as a freelance artist in Seattle and internationally. During his time with Ballet BC he has had the privilege of performing works by Crystal Pite, Medhi Walerski, Cayetano Soto, Emily Molnar, Jorma Elo, Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, and William Forsythe. This is Patrick’s third season with the company.
Justin 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 and The Juilliard School. During his training, Justin had the opportunity to learn works by Jiří Kylián, Twyla Tharp, Kyle Abraham, Brian Brooks and many more amazing artists. Justin has also studied at various summer intensives such as Nederlands Dans Theater, Springboard Dance Montreal and Jacobs’s Pillow Contemporary Program. While with Ballet BC, Justin has performed works by choreographers such as William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Aszure Barton, Sharon Eyal and Johan Inger, as well as well creations with Emily Molnar, Medhi Walerski, Adi Salant and Serge Bennathan. This is Justin’s fourth season with Ballet BC.
JORDAN LANG Jordan was born and raised on Long Island, New York, where he began his dance training at 12 years of age. After receiving very diverse training in his early years of dancing he went on to pursue a ballet concentration at Marymount Manhattan College in 2015. While at Marymount, Jordan performed works by Alexandra Damiani, Adam Baruch, Jo Stromgren, Robert Battle, Andrea Miller, Gabrielle Lamb and many more. While at Marymount Jordan participated in many outreach programs where he was fortunate enough to work with children and share his love for dance. Jordan attended Springboard Danse Montreal in 2018 where he performed in works by Alejandro Cerrudo and Micaela Taylor. Jordan has had the opportunity to perform at the Joyce Theater many times through the New York City Dance Alliance College Scholarship foundation as a scholarship recipient. Jordan is thrilled to be joining Ballet BC this season and is honoured to be in the company of such inspiring artists.
DEX VAN TER MEIJ Dex 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 under the directorship of Artemis Gordon, he had the opportunity to work with several brilliant artists such as Crystal Pite, Lesley Telford, Emanuel Gat, Doug Letheren, Eric Beauchesne, Rafael Sady, Lukas Timulak, Tom Weinberger, Wen Wei Wang and Cayetano Soto. Dex joined Ballet BC’s Program 2 for the amazing Romeo + Juliet by Medhi Walerski and feels very excited about joining Ballet BC for the 2019/20 season.
NICOLE WARD Nicole was born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia but raised in Vancouver, Canada. In her earlier years, she trained at Caulfield School of Dance under the directorship of Cori Caulfield, later moving to Arts Umbrella to further develop her professional training under the direction of Artemis Gordon, Lynn Sheppard and Marquita Lester. During her time there, she had the opportunity of working with Lesley Telford, James Kudelka, Gioconda Barbuto, Crystal Pite, Eric Beauchesne, Francesca Carotti, Fernando Hernando Magadan, Doug Letheren among others. After completing the Graduate Program in 2015, Nicole was offered an apprenticeship with Ballet BC and joined as a full-time company member the following season. During her time, she has had the honour of performing works by Johan Inger, Emily Molnar, Medhi Walerski, William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal and Gai
Portraits © Michael Slobodian.
The Artists
Behar, Adi Salant, Serge Bennathan, Company 605, Cayetano Soto, Jorma Elo, Emmanuel Gat and others. This season will mark her fifth season with Ballet BC.
SOPHIE WHITTOME Sophie was born in Edmonton, Alberta and grew up attending Victoria School of the Arts. She began her professional training in Vancouver in the Arts Umbrella Dance Company and Graduate Program, under the direction of Artemis Gordon. There she was fortunate to learn from and be influenced by many different artists. She also had the privilege to perform works by, among others, Sharon Eyal, Lesley Telford, Mats Ek, and Crystal Pite and to participate in Arts Umbrella’s 2018 Choreographic Mentorship with Crystal Pite. In 2018, she joined Ballet BC as an Emerging Artist and is looking forward to her first season as a full company member.
KIRSTEN WICKLUND Kirsten studied at Pacific Dance Arts, The Goh Ballet Academy, Modus Operandi Contemporary Training Program and received scholarships to train at American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, & Banff Centre for the Performing Arts. She is the recipient of the Vancouver Foundation Arts Study Award and the Vancouver Ballet Society’s Memorial Scholarship and was a Female Finalist at the Youth American Grand Prix Finals in NYC. She has danced with Canada’s Youth Ballet Company, The Washington Ballet Company, Rasta Thomas’ Rock the Ballet, Alonzo King’s Choreographic Workshop, plus projectbased commercial work in film and television. Kirsten has choreographed works for Dancing on the Edge, Dances for a
Small Stage, The Dance Deck Series, Arts Umbrella, Goh Ballet and Lamon Dance. While with Ballet BC, she has been privileged to dance works by Lesley Telford, Medhi Walerski, William Forsythe, Emmanuel Gat, Wen Wei Wang, Cayetano Soto, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Johan Inger, Serge Bennathan, Company 605, Jorma Elo, Jacopo Godani, Walter Mateini, Emily Molnar, Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal and others. Kirsten appreciates the collaborative nature of Ballet BC and the opportunity to create new works as well as perform the company’s existing repertoire. She continues to choreograph, teach workshops and adjudicate across Canada and the United States. She is a 200 HR-E-RYT certified yoga teacher who studies and practices a variety of movement languages. Kirsten is in pursuit of creating works for live performance and hopes to explore many different avenues within the performing arts. This is Kirsten’s sixth season with Ballet BC.
ZENON ZUBYK Born in Toronto, Ontario, Zenon began his formal dance training at the age of 11 at The Conservatory of Dance and Music. He furthered his studies at Elite Danceworx under the direction of Dawn Rappitt, where he received a diverse dance education. In 2016, he joined the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program under the direction of Artemis Gordon. During his time there, Zenon had the opportunity of performing works by Crystal Pite, Sharon Eyal, Mats Ek and Aszure Barton to name a few. In 2017, he toured the Netherlands, performing in the ITS Festival and Netherlands Dans Theater’s Shortcuts XL’17. Zenon worked as an Emerging Artist with Ballet BC for the 2018/19 season and is absolutely thrilled to be a full-time company member this year.
Emerging Artists
Portraits © Michael Slobodian.
JUAN DUARTE Juan is from Feira de Santana, Brazil, where he began his dance training at the age of 10. In 2013, he joined the Bolshoi Ballet School in Joinville, Brazil, where he received a diverse dance education and completed his studies in December of 2015. Juan had the opportunity to get involved in a couple of outreach programs and fellowships when he moved to Canada right after completing his studies with Bolshoi Ballet. In 2017, he joined the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program under the direction of
Artemis Gordon. During his time there, Juan had the opportunity of performing works by Crystal Pite, Emily Molnar, Johan Inger, Mats Ek, Aszure Barton, Lesley Telford, James Kudelka, and more. Juan is so thrilled to work with Ballet BC as an Emerging Artist this season.
The Artists (cont’d) Kiana was born and raised in Vancouver, BC where she started her dance training at Arts Umbrella at the age of 9. She then completed the professional and the graduate program under the direction of Artemis Gordon. Kiana has done many summer intensives including the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance and the AU international Summer Intensive. She has had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Yvan Dubreuil, Rafael Sady (Mats Ek), Crystal Pite, Cayetano Soto, Lesley Telford, Lukas Timulak, Tom Weinberger and many other artists. She has also performed in Medhi Walerski’s Romeo + Juliet in Ballet BC’s 2017/18 season. Kiana is beyond excited to join Ballet BC this season as an Emerging Artist.
KIERRA KELP Kierra was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she began her dance training at the age of 5. She attended and graduated from Las Vegas Academy of the Arts in 2016. Later that year she began her pre-professional dance education under the direction of Artemis Gordon at Arts Umbrella. While attending she has had the opportunity to perform works by Crystal Pite, Sharon Eyal and Mats Ek. Kierra was also able to work with outstanding artists including Emanuel Gat, Lesley Telford, Fernando Hernando Magadan, Tom Weinberger, Wen Wei Wang and more. In June 2017, Kierra toured Europe with the Arts Umbrella Senior Company where she performed Chorus by Lesley Telford in the Netherlands Dans Theater’s/ Korzo’s Shortcuts XL’17. She also performed with Ballet BC in the 2018 Program 2 of Romeo + Juliet by Medhi Walerski. Kierra is overjoyed for the privilege to join Ballet BC as an Emerging Artist for the 2019/20 season.
EMILY KLUKAS From Delta, BC, Emily began her professional dance training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. In 2016, she graduated from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim, Germany with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance. Emily went on to join the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program under the direction of Artemis Gordon where she had the privilege to perform works by renowned artists such as Emily Molnar, Crystal Pite, Mats Ek, Johan Inger, Lesley Telford among others. She is a two-time recipient of the BC Arts Council, Outstanding Student of the Arts scholarship
award. Emily is honoured and thrilled to join Ballet BC as an Emerging Artist for the 2019/2020 season.
EVAN RAPAPORT Evan 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. He has 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 is excited to be joining Ballet BC for his first season as an Emerging Artist.
Left: Brandon Alley and Emily Chessa in Romeo + Juliet. Photo © Michael Slobodian. Portraits © Michael Slobodian.
KIANA JUNG
Collaborators EMILY MOLNAR, C.M., ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, BALLET BC As Artistic Director of Ballet BC, Molnar’s vision has steered the unique company of 21 dancers into a celebrated era of innovation and collaboration. Since the start of her tenure in 2009, the Company has developed a diverse repertoire that includes more than 45 new works by celebrated Canadian and international choreographers. Molnar is a graduate of the National Ballet School and a former member of the National Ballet of Canada, a soloist with the Ballett Frankfurt under director William Forsythe, and a principal dancer with Ballet BC. An internationally respected and critically acclaimed dance artist and choreographer, Molnar worked and toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Mexico, Canada and the U.S., where she created works for Alberta Ballet, Ballet Mannheim, Ballet Augsburg, Cedar Lake Dance, ProArteDanza and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, among others. Molnar’s most recent works for Ballet BC are between disappearing and becoming, Aniel, 16 + a room, RITE, Keep Dreaming, I’m Driving, when you left, and most recently,To this day which premiered in November 2018. Named The Globe and Mail’s 2013 Dance Artist of the Year, Molnar is the 2016 recipient of the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award, BC Community Achievement Award and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in Art, Culture & Design. She was recently appointed to the Order of Canada for her artistic leadership of Ballet BC and creative contribution to advancing dance in Canada. For six years she served as a Director on the Board of the BC Arts Council. In addition to her work with Ballet BC, Molnar was the Artistic Director of Dance at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity from 2014–2019.
Portraits © Michael Slobodian. Medhi Walerski photo © Rahi Rezvani.
In 2019, Molnar was inducted into the BC Hall of Fame for contributions to the province’s entertainment industry and cultural landscape.
MEDHI WALERSKI, CHOREOGRAPHER Medhi Walerski danced at the Paris Opera Ballet before joining the Nederlands Dans Theater in 2001. For more than a decade at NDT, Medhi was an integral part of the company, contributing to the creative, innovative style that brought NDT world renown. He participated in the creation of numerous new works and danced in the company’s existing repertoire. He was awarded the most important Dutch dance prize, VSCD Zwaan 2013, for his role in School of Thought (Léon & Lightfoot).
Medhi has worked closely alongside the creative forces of internationally established choreographers and performed works by Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, George Balanchine, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, Hans Van Manen, Crystal Pite, Emio Greco, Angelin Preljocaj, Jacopo Godani, Maurice Béjart, Johan Inger, etc., in prestigious theatres around the world. Walerski made his choreographic debut with NDT in 2008 and since then, has continued to create for NDT as well as other companies as an independent choreographer, including Ballet BC. He created the highly successful Petite Céremonie, a work that has toured across the globe and remained a highlight of Ballet BC’s repertoire. Walerski has since created a number of works for Ballet BC, including 2018’s Romeo + Juliet — his first full-length narrative work — which has become the company’s most successful production to date.
LARA BARCLAY, REHEARSAL DIRECTOR Lara is a dancer and passionate collaborator with international experience as a performer, teacher, coach and choreographer. Trained at the National Ballet School and Hamburg Ballet School, her dance career has spanned 24 years performing with companies in Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, USA and Brazil. She has danced with Aszure Barton & Artists, Kevin O’Day/Ballet Mannheim, Toronto Dance Theatre, The Needcompany, Deborah Colker, Sylvain Émard, Action at a Distance, Mascall Dance, Evann Siebens, Vision Impure, Plastic Orchid Factory, and Josh Beamish. Most recently Lara performed in Aszure Barton’s 2019 premiere of Where There’s Form in Hamburg, Germany to a live improvised score by Hauschka. Lara has worked as an educator with children, youth and adults for over 20 years, helping to carve stronger pathways for individuals and artists. She cofounded Lamondance, and in 2017, obtained her certification in Expressive Arts Therapy and is continuing her studies as a master’s student at the European Graduate School in Switzerland. As a practicing therapist, she applies expressive arts and movement to encourage self-awareness, meaning and ease through the art of creation and improvisation.
Collaborators (cont’d) Theatre-maker Theun Mosk (1980) is deeply convinced that accumulating ideas as well as never confining yourself to one particular style or technique should be the basis of creative productivity. ‘Somebody makes a comment, you react to it, and eventually ideas evolve and get better.’ After graduating at the Amsterdam Academy of Theatre and Dance (Technical Theatre Arts) Mosk has worked as a theatre maker, and designer of sets, light and autonomous installations. He likes and encourages creative collaboration and often works with an artistic team towards specific and unique means of expression. In 2007 Mosk was awarded the prestigious Dutch Charlotte Kohler Prize and was selected to participate in the Prague Quadriennale that same year, as well as in 2011. In 2009 he won the Proscenium Prize for his substantial contribution to the Dutch theatre. Mosk has worked with Michel van der Aa, Robert Wilson English National Opera, Jetse Batelaan, Piet Paris, Ann van de Broek, Design Museum Den Bosch, David Mitchell, Nederlands Dans Theater, Medhi Walerski, Maritiem Museum, IFFR, Toneelgroep Oostpool, Boukje Schweigman, Arnhem Fashion Biënnale, Mattijs van Bergen, Nederlands Fotomuseum Rotterdam, Oerol Festival, Ballet BC Vancouver, Theaterfestival Boulevard, Veenfabriek/Paul Koek, Toneelhuis Antwerpen, Theater Rotterdam, Touki Delphine and the Fries Natuurmuseum for Leeuwarden-Friesland European Capital of Culture 2018.
PIERRE PONTVIANNE, ARTISTIC COLLABORATOR A graduate of the ESDC Rosella Hightower and winner of the professional prize at the Prix de Lausanne, Pierre Pontvianne joined the Nederland Dans Theater 2 under director Jiří Kylián in 1999. Since then, he has worked as a freelance artist throughout Europe, in particular for Frankfurt Ballet, Carte Blanche and, more recently, Maguy Marin’s dance company. During the course of his dance career, Pierre Pontvianne has danced the works of accomplished choreographers such as Jiří Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Hans van Manen, Johan Inger, William Forsythe, Tony Rizzi, Amanda Miller and Maguy Marin, among others. In 2012, he took over the direction of the French-based company PARC to develop his personal work. Currently, a number of his creations are touring in several international dance festivals throughout Europe. Pierre Pontvianne also works as a dramaturge, music composer and light designer
with other artists. He has been a regular collaborator of Medhi Walerski’s since 2012.
RALPH ESCAMILLAN, GUEST ARTIST Ralph is a queer, Canadian-Filipinx dancer/choreographer/community leader based in Vancouver, BC. His arsenal of performance skills include a variety of street dance styles, ballroom, vogue, circus, drag, and he is a graduate of Contemporary training program Modus Operandi in 2015. He has worked and toured internationally with a number on Vancouver based dance companies, and works in film and TV represented by Da Costa Talent. The founder of non-profit VanVogueJam, Ralph shares his passion for vogue/ballroom culture at his weekly by-donation class and vogue balls, acting as a beacon for the queer dance form in Western Canada. Recently touring his first full-length work HINKYPUNK around the parries under his company alias FakeKnot, he is now working on his second work whip at the MAI in Spring of 2021. For more info about Ralph and his work please visit: ralphescamillan.com
ALEXIS FLETCHER, GUEST ARTIST Alexis is a performer, creator, and producer, and has danced with Ballet BC for the past 14 years. There, she had the privilege of performing works by Crystal Pite, Emily Molnar, Johan Inger, Stijn Celis, Jacopo Godani, Medhi Walerski, Fernando Hernando Magadan, Serge Bennathan, Gioconda Barbuto, Jorma Elo, Kevin O’Day and William Forsythe, among many others. Currently a guest artist and rehearsal assistant with Ballet BC, she is now creating and performing independently. Her choreographic endeavours have been supported by Dancing on the Edge, InFrinGing Festival, New Works, Vernon Performing Arts Centre, Dance Victoria, and The Gordon Smith Foundation. In 2019 she was an Artist in Residence at Chutzpah! Vancouver as well as at Dance Victoria. In 2015, Alexis and her husband Sylvain created The Dance Deck at Casa Om, a multidisciplinary performance series where they curate and present annual performance events. Alexis is fascinated by how exploring the movement potential of the human body becomes a way of accessing the inner landscapes of our spirits and psyches, and this is the primary motivation behind her physical practice and choreographic interests. She believes that dance is a unique vehicle with which to share, research, and discuss our humanity.
Portraits © Michael Slobodian. Pierre Pontvianne photo © Hervé Deroo.
THEUN MOSK, SET DESIGNER
SYLVAIN SENEZ, GUEST ARTIST
MAKAILA WALLACE, GUEST ARTIST
Sylvain Senez has been active on the professional Canadian dance scene for nearly 40 years. He danced as a soloist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Judith Marcuse Dance Company and was a guest artist with Coleman Lemieux Company for their James Kudelka Tribute Program. Sylvain also appeared in The Strange Adventure of Myself, a full-length solo created for him by Serge Bennathan.
Makaila received her training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet school and Bolshoi Ballet summer programs before beginning her professional dance career with Stockholm’s Royal Swedish Ballet. Makaila later returned to Canada and joined Ballet BC, where she danced for over a decade. There she had the opportunity to perform a diversity of roles and worked alongside many of the world’s most renowned choreographers. Makaila has also worked intimately with Margie Gillis, as well as performing in Dance Deck Presents and Rachel Meyer’s Quartet. Makaila enjoys sharing her love of dance with others and regularly teaches a number of company classes, summer programs and intensives.
From 1991 to 2016 he has worked for Ballet British Columbia as a dancer, Ballet Master and Rehearsal Director. He has had the privilege of remounting Medhi Walerski’s ballets and assisting him for his creations for international dance companies. He was thrilled to guest to play the role of Father Capulet in Mr. Walerski’s creation of Romeo + Juliet for Ballet BC. He has choreographed for the Ballet BC choreographic workshop, Dancing on the Edge, and Vancouver Opera. He is also a photographer specializing in dance and portraiture. Currently, Sylvain devotes his time to teaching, rehearsal directing, photography and running a bed & breakfast. He and his wife Alexis Fletcher are the Artistic Directors of Casa Om Presents. This series produces The Dance Deck, an annual multi disciplinary performance project that is presented in their backyard.
Right: Justin Rapaport and the Artists of Ballet BC in Romeo + Juliet. Photo © Michael Slobodian. Portraits © Michael Slobodian.
PETER SMIDA, GUEST ARTIST Peter is a dancer, choreographer, actor and emerging filmmaker based in Vancouver, BC Canada, whose work focuses on an honest and abstract approach to narrative. He is currently an artist in residence with Ballet BC as well as a teacher for Modus Operandi and the Arts Umbrella Dance Company. Peter began dancing at the age of 15 in his hometown of Kingston, Ontario, before completing his formal training and graduating from Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. After performing with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Ballet Victoria, he joined Ballet BC in 2008 and stayed there for the next 11 seasons. There, he created, collaborated, and performed works by internationally esteemed choreographers such as Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Johan Inger, Sharon Eyal and Medhi Walerski, among several others.
Most recently, Makaila has acted as an assistant to Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo, including coaching his pieces at the prestigious 2018 Prix de Lausanne, setting his work and helping to stage his productions on both Pennsylvania Ballet and the Finnish National Ballet. Furthering her passion of movement research and professional development, Makaila travelled to Tel Aviv, Israel to study in the Gaga teacher training program. She is delighted to be back with Ballet BC as a guest rehearsal director and to play Lady Capulet.
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