The National Ballet Of Canada Tours To London And Paris In October 2024

The National Ballet of Canada will return to Europe this October for the first time since the pandemic.

Previously announced with the 2024/25 season, the back-to-back tours will bring the company to the revered Sadler's Wells Theatre in London and the legendary Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Muir has curated an all-Canadian programme featuring works by acclaimed choreographers Crystal Pite, James Kudelka, Emma Portner and William Yong.   

“I am thrilled that the National Ballet will return to London and Paris this October with this compelling programme, which not only highlights the breadth of choreographic talent in Canada but also serves as the perfect vehicle to showcase the versatility of our artists,” said Muir. 

London Tour, Sadler's Wells 
October 2 – 6

In the National Ballet's first appearance in London at Sadler's Wells since 2013, the company will perform Pite's sublime work Angels' Atlas, hailed as “mind-blowing” (CP24) with its mesmerizing light design and evocation of the human condition, alongside Kudelka's exquisite Passion and Portner's duet islands.  

Paris Tour, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
October 12 – 15 

In addition to Angels' Atlas and Passion, the National Ballet will bring William Yong's UtopiVerse to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The futuristic ballet made its world premiere in Toronto in June. This will mark the company's first appearance in Paris since 2017.  

Crystal Pite created Angels' Atlas for the National Ballet in 2020 to rapturous reviews. Audiences and critics were blown away by the moving and visually stunning work. Unfolding against a morphing wall of light, the Globe and Mail called Angels' Atlas “a glimpse into the infinite” and the Toronto Star added “human yearning is evoked powerfully onstage”. Set to original music by Owen Belton and choral pieces by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Morten Lauridsen, Angels' Atlas is a profound work from one of the world's leading contemporary choreographers. 

Celebrated Canadian choreographer James Kudelka explores relationships of love in Passion. Two couples, each stylistically unique – one classical, the other contemporary – weave within the Corps de Ballet, evoking complex relationships of passion. A love story whose meticulous structure mirrors the music, Passion is set to the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Concerto for Piano in D, Op. 61a. 

A sculptural duet for two women, Emma Porter's islands was hailed a triumph both at its world premiere by Norwegian National Ballet in 2020 and its North American premiere at the National Ballet in 2023. An acclaimed work from a genre-breaking choreographer, islands is set to an eclectic compilation of music by contemporary artists as well as original music by Forest Swords, bringing together hip hop, dub, guitar loops and electronic sampling for a rhythmic, avant-garde sound. 

Toronto-based choreographer William Yong's first commission for The National Ballet of Canada, UtopiVerse, showcases the versatility of the National Ballet artists, integrating Yong's multi-disciplinary experience in this futuristic ballet. UtopiVerse received its world premiere in March 2024 and was hailed “a fascinating fusion of movement and visual spectacle” (Critics at Large). 

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