{"id":124619,"date":"2026-05-27T13:38:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=124619"},"modified":"2026-05-27T14:00:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T18:00:01","slug":"interview-national-ballet-canada-presents-world-premiere-jera-wolfes-kismet-helen-picketts-emma-bovary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/05\/27\/interview-national-ballet-canada-presents-world-premiere-jera-wolfes-kismet-helen-picketts-emma-bovary\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | The National Ballet Of Canada Presents The World Premiere Of Jera Wolfe\u2019s Kismet With Helen Pickett’s Emma Bovary"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Emma
Emma Ouellet in Rehearsal for Kismet (Photo: Ted Belton, Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The National Ballet of Canada will present a mixed program that includes the world premiere of Jera Wolfe\u2019s Kismet with Helen Pickett\u2019s Emma Bovary. The show takes the stage from May 29 to June 4 at The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.<\/p>\n

Wolfe is an award-winning performer and choreographer, known for works of emotional depth and athleticism. Jera previously worked with the NBC on a piece for Soul, which was produced as a video<\/a> during the pandemic, and later presented on stage at Harbourfront.<\/p>\n

LV caught up with Wolfe to talk about Kismet.<\/p>\n

\"Performer
Performer and choreographer Jera Wolfe (Photo: Alexsandar Antonijevic, courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jera Wolfe<\/h2>\n

Jera Wolfe was born in Toronto, and he’s a performer and choreographer of M\u00e9tis heritage. He’s a graduate of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, and returns there each year since 2016 to create a new work for the company.<\/p>\n

As a dancer, he’s performed with Peggy Baker Dance Projects, and as part of the Holland Dance Festival.<\/p>\n

His work is influenced by classical ballet, contemporary movement and Indigenous expression.<\/p>\n

As a choreographer, he’s collaborated with a number of prominent dance companies and organizations, including Fall for Dance North, Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur, Danse Danse, Canadian Stage, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and Jacob\u2019s Pillow. He was the official Canadian choreographer for the National Ballet School’s Sharing Dance Day in 2020, and the Ontario Ambassador for International Dance Day 2020. He won the 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Original Choreography for Trace, a collaboration with Red Sky Performance.<\/p>\n

Recent works include Bare for Canada\u2019s Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Arise for Canada\u2019s National Ballet School, Embers for Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, and Reliance for School of Performance and Toronto Metropolitan University.<\/p>\n

Jera Wolfe: The Interview<\/h2>\n

Kismet revolves around the idea of fate, a theme he\u2019s explored in other works, an our relationship with the natural world. It follows one central character on a journey that has both a darker and a lighter side.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s set to the first two movements of Ezio Bosso<\/strong>\u2019s Symphony No.2 \u201cUnder the Trees Voices\u201d. Ezio Bosso (1971 to 2020) was an Italian composer, pianist, double bass player, and conductor. His work includes film as well as ballet scores.<\/p>\n

Wolfe first heard the online recording which was captured live at a festival in a forested region near the alps.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust hearing the wind and the children outside, there’s something so beautiful about that natural recording,\u201d Jera says.<\/p>\n

Bosso\u2019s music is evocative. \u201cIt’s very virtuosic, it’s cinematic, it’s showy. It’s complex to play, but easy to hear,\u201d Wolfe says. \u201cIt’s something that you would see in a blockbuster movie. It’s got something knowing about it,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt starts out with violin solo.\u201d He cites the work\u2019s big dynamic range, which mirrors the ballet \u2014 which begins with two dancers, and eventually includes 35 people on stage.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s working with a live orchestra for the performance, which adds a different element to the mix.<\/p>\n

\u201cDancers are very good at consistency,\u201d Wolfe explains. \u201cWhen you have live music, that goes out the door. It becomes more a relationship that you’re watching,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt’s quite beautiful watching them navigate that space.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s excited to add the dimension of live music to the performance. \u201cI think magic lives there. You can tap into some kind of magic that is not as easy when it’s a recording. It’s something very human.\u201d<\/p>\n

The orchestra isn\u2019t present at rehearsals. \u201cWe have [Music Director and Principal Conductor] David Briskin<\/strong> in the studio with us. He’s building a very strong relationship with the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

That includes considering when tempos may change, or other details. The reality of working with a large company like the NBC is, the dancers and musicians are all involved in multiple projects simultaneously. He\u2019ll get an hour an a half with the orchestra before the dress rehearsal.<\/p>\n

Right now, his job is communication, among other things.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are making sure that everyone knows as much as possible, so that when we are in the moment, […] we have already done our homework, so that we can just run.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Isabella
Isabella Kinch and Ben Rudisin in Rehearsal for Kismet (Photo: Ted Belton, Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Working With A Larger Company<\/h3>\n

The same situation is true of working with lighting designer Simon Rossiter<\/strong>. \u201cHe\u2019s mapped it out,\u201d says Wolfe. \u201cHe\u2019s got a plan A and a plan B. My hope is that I don’t get in his way.\u201d<\/p>\n

It underscores the team approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve got a very strong team, and I’m dong my very best to make sure that everyone is on the same page. The reality is that we don’t have a few days in the theatre, we have a few hours to put it on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a challenge he looks forward to.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes it exciting. It’s where you really hope that people around you know what they’re doing,\u201d he laughs. His job is making sure he can clearly convey the overall aesthetic, the emotion, and the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m learning a lot,\u201d Wolfe says. \u201cIt’s my first commission with a big company.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dancers, as he notes, are working on two productions at the same time. \u201cWhen we go into the studio, it’s very fast paced.\u201d The key is to stay calm, and keep going.<\/p>\n