Program 1 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Forget what you thought you knew. Ballet BC’s 30th anniversary season begins with our eyes firmly on the future. Three choreographers who are reshaping contemporary ballet; three distinct perspectives on the future of dance; three works that will thrill and move you. That’s our opening program.
1.1 World Premiere
New Work
Choreography
Stijn Celis
A collaboration with
Chor Leoni

Belgian-born Stijn Celis makes his first work for Ballet BC—an honour, as the indemand choreographer only develops a limited number of new creations outside of his own company, Saarländisches Staatstheater. Celis’ work has been seen on major stages throughout Europe and North America, and his unique voice is notable for its explosive, grounded, and sensual style. For the first time ever, we partner with one of the finest male vocal ensembles in North America, Vancouver’s Chor Leoni, for an extraordinary collaboration between Ballet BC and more than 40 male singers accompanied by sacred texts spanning human existence from darkness to light.
Work
1.2 Canadian Premiere
Solo Echo
Choreography
Crystal Pite
Music
Johannes Brahms

Based in Vancouver, and celebrated globally, Crystal Pite explores recurring themes of acceptance and loss with Solo Echo, a work originally developed for Nederlands Dans Theater. Inspired by two sonatas for cello and piano by Brahms—creative touchstones for the artist throughout her career—and the poem “Lines for Winter” by Mark Strand, Pite continues her lifelong artistic exploration of tension and its resolution. Solo Echo moves from aggression to yearning, from the individual to the collective, travelling the pathways from conflict to acceptance.
Work
1.3 World Premiere - Ballet BC 2014
Twenty Eight Thousand Waves
Choreography
Cayetano Soto
Music
David Lang
Bryce Dessner

When Cayetano Soto’s Twenty Eight Thousand Waves premiered in 2014, it was clear that magic had happened between the Company and the choreographer. As Soto begins his tenure as Resident Choreographer of Ballet BC, we celebrate his vision and energy by remounting this examination of adaptation and boundaries, inspired by the fact that an oil tanker at sea is hit, on average, twenty eight thousand times a day by waves. This resilience in the face of extremity inspired this compelling look at the thin line between life and death, and the human instinct for survival.