Greta Hodgkinson Will Bid Farewell to The National Ballet of Canada in MARGUERITE AND ARMAND

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced that Greta Hodgkinson's final performances as Principal Dancer will be in Marguerite and Armand, onstage February 29 - March 7. #MargueriteandArmandNBC

Ms. Hodgkinson bids farewell after a remarkable career that spans 30 years. She will dance the seminal role of Marguerite in Frederick Ashton's Marguerite and Armand, originally created for Margot Fonteyn. This rarely danced ballet gem was acquired in Ms. Hodgkinson's honour by Ms. Kain. Dancing opposite Ms. Hodgkinson will be Principal Dancers Guillaume Côté and Harrison James as Armand, a role originally created for Rudolf Nureyev.

"This is a very special, rarely performed ballet and one that I have long wanted to dance," says Ms. Hodgkinson. "It encompasses everything I love about ballet - it's classical, dramatic, romantic, tragic, it has sweeping choreography and yet it is so poignant. I am deeply honoured that Karen acquired this work for me to say farewell with."

Marguerite and Armand makes its company premiere as part of a mixed programme that features the world premiere of a new work by Crystal Pite and Wayne McGregor's sensational Chroma. Ms. Hodgkinson will be honoured by the entire company onstage following her final performance on Saturday, March 7.

Principal Dancers Sonia Rodriguez and Francesco Gabriele Frola will also make their debuts in the title roles.

Principal Casting

Marguerite
Greta Hodgkinson (February 29, March 4, 5, 6, 7 at 7:30 pm)
Sonia Rodriguez (March 1, 5, 7 at 2:00 pm)

Armand

Guillaume Côté (February 29, March 4, 5, 7 at 7:30 pm)
Francesco Gabriele Frola (March 1, 5, 7 at 2:00 pm)
Harrison James (March 6 at 7:30 pm)

Throughout her celebrated career, Ms. Hodgkinson has dazzled audiences and critics alike with her immaculate technique and dramatic power. She is a gifted interpreter of the great roles in classical ballet and an instinctive collaborator on new work. Ms. Hodgkinson leaves a legacy of roles created for her including Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Snow Queen in The Nutcracker and Summer in The Four Seasons all by James Kudelka. She has worked with renowned choreographers including William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Alexei Ratmansky, Glen Tetley, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, Crystal Pite and Guillaume Côté.

In addition to her acclaim in National Ballet productions, Ms. Hodgkinson has had an illustrious international career, performing on stages across the world with The Kirov Ballet, Teatro alla Scala, The Australian Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Munich Ballet, Teatro Comunale di Firenze and others. She has enjoyed long-standing partnerships with the National Ballet's Rex Harrington, Aleksandar Antonijevic and Guillaume Côté and has been partnered by many internationally acclaimed dancers including Roberto Bolle, Carlos Acosta, Marcelo Gomes, Massimo Murru, Laurent Hilaire, Federico Bonelli, Robert Tewsley, Tetsuya Kumakawa, Jason Reilly, Steven McRae and Matthew Golding.

Photo Credit: Karolina Kuras

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