The National Ballet of Canada will be making a return to the outdoor stage at Harbourfront Centre from August 17 to 19. Sharing the Stage offers audiences free performances of three different programmes, along with free dance classes and interactive conversations with some of the artists.
Along with the artists of the NBC, Sharing the Stage welcomes guest companies Compañía Carmen Romero, Lua Shayenne Dance Company and Rock Bottom Movement. All three companies are based in Toronto.
Compañía Carmen Romero
Compañía Carmen Romero is a Toronto collective dedicated to Spanish music and dance, founded in 1986 by dancer and choreographer Carmen Romero. The company will team up with the RBC Apprentices of The National Ballet of Canada to perform their piece Vida, with choreography by Carmen Romero and music by Paco Montalvo, (El Vito Cordobés).
Lua Shayenne Dance Company
The Lua Shayenne Dance Company specializes in West African dance. On their website, choreographer Lua Shayenne says, “I weave contemporary narratives through dance, song and storytelling”. They’ll be performing their piece Waves | Vagues, with text, choreography and music by Lua Shayenne, and music by percussionists and music ollaborators Kemar Scarlett, Cécé Haba, Connor ‘Chino’ Chang, and Walter Maclean. Interpreters include: Aisha Nicholson, Rose-Mary “Rosie” Harbans, Kwasi Obeng-Adjei, Miranda Liverpool, Monique Pascall, Lua Shayenne
Rock Bottom Movement
Rock Bottom Movement describes itself as “Toronto’s absurdist dance theatre company”, so it’s probably safe to expect the unexpected from award-winning choreographer Alyssa Martin. They’ll be performing their piece KID SISTER, choreographed and directed by Alyssa Martin, with music composed by Jacob Vanderham, and costumes by Brayden Jamil Cairns. The performers include: Drew Berry, Brayden Jamil Cairns, Sam Grist and Jessica Mak.
The Programme
Hope Muir, Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director, and Robert Binet, Curator and Producer, CreativAction and Special Initiatives, have curated the series. Each performance will be preceded by Show + Tell, an artist panel discussion onstage where you can delve into the dances presented by hearing the performers talk about their work.
- Alleged Dances Excerpt by Rena Butler Performed by The National Ballet of Canada
- Waves | Vagues Performed by Lua Shayenne Dance Company
- New Work by Cameron Fraser-Monroe Performed by The National Ballet of Canada
- Vida Performed by Compañía Carmen Romero and RBC Apprentices of The National Ballet of Canada
- Concerto Pas de Deux by Kenneth MacMillan Performed by The National Ballet of Canada
- KID SISTER Performed by Rock Bottom Movement
- Ever New by Robert Binet Performed by RBC Apprentices of The National Ballet of Canada
Schedule:
August 17: Compañía Carmen Romero
August 18: Rock Bottom Movement
August 19: Lua Shayenne Dance Company
There will be live music to accompany each work.
You Can Dance Too
Local artists will teach free pre-performance classes in various styles of dance to get audiences moving.
Dance With Us | August 17 – 19, 2023, 6:00 – 6:45 p.m.
Stage-in-the-Park, Harbourfront Centre
- August 17: Beginner Ballet with Kate Kernaghan, Director of The National Ballet of Canada’s In Studio Programme
- August 18: Beginner West-African Dance with Lua Shayenne
- August 19: Beginner Flamenco with Carmen Romero
The Details
- All performances are free;
- Seating is general admission, but is limited, and should be reserved in advance;
- General admission seats can be reserved online as of August 1 at 11:00 a.m.;
- You’ll have to create an account to book the ticket(s), and will receive it via email;
- There will be a limited number of tickets reserved for Rush seating on the day of the performance;
- A limited number of accessible seats are available and can be booked as of August 1, at 11:00 am, by contacting us by phone at 416 345 9595 or by email at info@national.ballet.ca.
More details about ticketing [HERE].
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