RWB will be presenting a mixed repertoire program showcasing works by some of today’s most celebrated choreographers, leaving no doubt that the company deserves its distinguished global reputation. The impressive four-piece lineup includes Peter Quanz’s “In Tandem,” Brian Macdonald’s “Pas D’Action,” William Forsythe’s “The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude” and Jorden Morris’ “The Doorway: Scenes from Leonard Cohen.”
Joining RWB on tour in Atlantic Canada will be Canadian songstress Allison Crowe and American singer-songwriter Cris Williamson, who will be performing live in “The Doorway: Scenes from Leonard Cohen.” Crowe, a native of Nanaimo, B.C., will be performing Cohen’s 1984 legendary ballad “Hallelujah” while Williamson will sing her version of Cohen’s 1967 song “Sisters of Mercy.” Crowe and Williamson will also be performing a duet of Cohen’s 1969 song, “Bird on a Wire.”
The tour will stops in Charlottetown on Nov. 10.
Rising international star and RWB alumnus Peter Quanz was commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum in New York City to create the neo-classical ballet “In Tandem”. Set to the 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning “Double Sextet” by American composer Steve Reich, “In Tandem” is a swift-paced journey that is as charming and complex as its urban birthplace.
A witty story ballet by award-winning Canadian choreographer, Brian Macdonald, “Pas D’Action” is a humorous portrayal of Princess Naissa and her four suitors that wonderfully satirizes the posturing and mannerisms of turn-of-the-century classical ballet.
Set to Franz Schubert’s “Symphony No. 9 in C Major” and choreographed by internationally-acclaimed artist William Forsythe, “The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude” is a rapid, dynamic ballet full of energy and vitality. The work embodies the tradition of dance as it explores a range of choreographic possibilities, testing the dancers’ physical limits with its technical rigour.
Created by Jorden Morris, the visionary behind RWB’s smash hit “Moulin Rouge - The Ballet,” “The Doorway: Scenes from Leonard Cohen” will take the audience inside the contemplative mind and complex heart of music icon Leonard Cohen. Graceful, moving and achingly honest, the series of dance vignettes set to Cohen’s songs and poems explores the emotional journey across the threshold to love and longing.
The RWB’s tour of Atlantic Canada will also serve as a homecoming for corps de ballet dancer Liam Caines, who grew up in Kingston, N.B. Caines made his professional debut with the RWB Company in 2006 and has since gone on to dance numerous roles in several high-profile RWB productions including Mark Godden’s “Dracula,” Jorden Morris’ “Moulin Rouge – The Ballet” and Twyla Tharp’s “The Princess & The Goblin.”
The Nov. 10 show in Charlottetown starts at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and information call 566-1267 or 1-800-565-0278.
