WELCOME TO ROMEO AND JULIET

The National Ballet of Canada last performed Alexei Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet in Toronto in March 2020 when, regrettably, the run was cut short due to the pandemic. When I programmed the 2022/23 season, I was determined to fulfill the expectations and hard work attached to those performances, bringing the company and our audiences full circle in our return to the stage.

Commissioned for The National Ballet of Canada in 2011, Romeo and Juliet is a production for our times. Visually stimulating and poetic in its imagery, Ratmansky’s choreography reflects the artistry and athleticism of the company today. Alexei is a keen storyteller, attuned to the emotion and psychology of Shakespeare’s tragedy, and he imbues each character with intention.

When the ballet was first mounted, Alexei created the lead role of Romeo on Principal Dancer Guillaume Côté. Please join me in celebrating Guillaume as he shares his final Romeo with you this season.

Warmly,

Hope Muir

Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director