Annual Report for Our Donor Community - The National Ballet of ...

Message from theArtistic DirectorThe ability of performing arts organizations tocontinually renew and challenge themselves artisticallyis a key to their success and to maintaining thestrong and mutually fruitful relationship they havewith their audience. The National Ballet of Canadahas always prided itself on just this ability. In this, oursixtieth year, we are well aware of the rich and variedheritage the company embodies; but we are equallyaware of the need to explore, investigate and engagewith the present and the future of the art of dance.It is one of the reasons the National Ballet is knowninternationally for its artistic vigor and creativity.The past year exemplifies this especially well. Theexperience of working with Wayne McGregor onstaging his thrilling work Chroma was unforgettablefor everyone involved, and certainly for our audiences.Our dancers threw themselves into the dauntinglycomplex and physically demanding choreographywith an energy, focus and enthusiasm that astonishedeven Wayne. And the excitement they felt in bringingto life his extraordinary vision was translated toeveryone who saw it.The same could be said for Russian Seasons,Alexei Ratmansky’s choreographic paean to hishomeland and its rich cultural and religious heritage.Complemented by a truly ravishing score, masterfullyconducted by David Briskin, the work was a sensation,overwhelming our audiences throughout its run.And finally, there was the enormous success, bothartistically and financially, of Alice’s Adventures inWonderland, a work that we co-produced withEngland’s Royal Ballet. Christopher Wheeldon’simaginative adaptation of the famous Lewis Carrollstory was a thrill to watch as it came together andfinally worked its magic onstage. Every show wassold out to ecstatic audiences and overall it set newbox office records.All of these works were important in themselves,but staging them has also laid the groundwork forworking with all of these extraordinary artists on futureballets, the first of which we will see realized this yearwith Alexei’s new Romeo and Juliet.Other highlights from 2010/2011 were the return ofthe gloriously refurbished Onegin, the always popularErik Bruhn Prize and the continued success of ouroutreach programmes through our own initiativesYOU dance and Dance About and our participation inCulture Days.As always, I want to thank the dancers, musicians,administrative and production staff for their stellarwork, and our patrons, subscribers, volunteers andboard members for their tireless efforts andcommitment to the company.Finally, a word of special thanks to Lucille Joseph,our Board Chair for the past three years who iscompleting her term this year. She has made aninvaluable contribution to the company in her timewith us and I want to wish her all the best in herfuture endeavours.Karen Kain, C.C., LL.D., D.Litt., O.Ont.Artistic DirectorKaren Kain. Photo by Sian Richards.4 5