This Ballet Life

Company dancers Melissa Eguchi, Kelley McKinlay, and Heather Thomas chat with This Ballet Life hosts Oliver and Nicole as they discuss the challenges of the final two productions in the season, Cinderella and All of Us. Both brand new works with completely different approaches, the dancers share stories about their own personal challenges as part of a professional ballet career, including relationships, health/injury, and work commitments. In this episode:  Dancer Kelley McKinlay, Dancer Heather Thomas, and Dancer Melissa Eguchi. With Stage Manager Oliver Armstrong and retired dance Nicole Caron. 

Few decisions in a ballet company can be so profound as casting. Determining which dancer will perform what is an ongoing conversation. The conversation that begins well before the show reaches the theatre, but continues backstage and in the wings the night of the performance. Everyone is conscious how these decisions have a ripple effect: driving the audience enthusiasm in the theatre on performance to driving new directions in dance careers well after the curtain comes down.    In this episode: Alberta Ballet Artistic Director Jean Grand-Maitre, Ballet Mistress Christiana Bennett, Associate Artistic Director Christopher Anderson, Dancer Taryn Nowels, Dancer John Canfield.  With Stage Manager Oliver Armstrong and retired dancer Nicole Caron. 

The latest in Alberta Ballet’s signature portrait ballet series premiered in Calgary the first week of May.  All of Us features the music of The Tragically Hip and on Thursday May 3rd, Alberta Ballet was thrilled to have Rob Baker of The Hip in the audience.  This Ballet Life got a chance to ask Rob for some first impressions on the sensation of taking a seat in the audience for a show that featured his music and what he thought of the ballet overall.

Four Alberta Ballet dancers are in conversation after a full day of rehearsal in studio.  As a group, these four dancers represent all stages of a professional dance career.   They discuss the arc of a professional life on stage, about needing to prepare for a post-dance career, and how the characters they play underscore how they grow as performers and dancers. 

The dancers of Alberta Ballet share memories of pivotal moments:  the awe and anxiousness of a first Company class; the intensity and excitement of a prominent character role and those moments of encouragement from the senior Company dancers.

Alberta Ballet’s dancers return to the studio after summer break and the marketing machine is revving up.  The Company is weeks away from presenting on stage, but performance is still the name of the game.