Ballet British Columbia

JOHN ALLEYNE,
Artistic Director

World-renowned for his innovative creativity and signature choreography, John Alleyne is Vancouver’s leading artistic director and one of Canada’s foremost choreographers of contemporary ballet. Under his artistic leadership, Ballet British Columbia has risen to become a professional ballet company of international stature.`

Alleyne was born in Barbados and emigrated to Canada with his family in 1965. After graduating from the National Ballet School in Toronto in 1978, he joined the Stuttgart Ballet where he began his choreographic career, creating numerous compelling works for the company’s repertoire, such as Phases (1983), Variation on a Theme (1984) as well as his first commission, Weiderkehr (1985).

In 1984, Alleyne returned to Canada to join the National Ballet of Canada as a First Soloist, yet quickly became the company’s resident choreographer from 1988 to 1991, choreographing daring and mesmerizing works, including Blue-Eyed Trek (1988), Split House Geometric (1989-1990) and Interrogating Slam (1991).

Alleyne began his association with Ballet British Columbia in the late 1980s when he was invited to choreograph several works for the Westcoast company, among them Flying To Paris (1989) and Go Slow Walter (1990) and Talk About Wings (March 1991).

Alleyne was appointed artistic director and choreographer of Ballet British Columbia in 1992. Since then, he has successfully created one-act and full-length ballets to expand Ballet BC’s contemporary ballet repertoire. His leadership marked the beginning of a creative and prosperous period in the company’s history. Dedicated to the development of his craft, Alleyne’s choreography, noted for its technical complexity and innovative expansion of the classical ballet lexicon, has raised the national and international profile of Ballet British Columbia through works such as The Archeology of Karl…A romantic adventure (1993), Three Visible Poems (1994), The Don Juan Variations (1995), Can you believe she actually said (1995), Remember Me From Then (1996 with Peter Bingham of EDAM) Sex is My Religion (1996), Boy Wonder (1997), The Goldberg (1998), Schubert (1999), The Faerie Queen (2000), Orpheus (2002), Scheherazade (2002), Carmina Burana (2004), and The Rite of Spring (2005), and A Streetcar Named Desire (2006).

Several internationally respected companies and festivals have commissioned new choreography from Alleyne. Consequently, his work has been performed as part of the Canada Dance Festival, the New York City Ballet’s Diamond Project and the San Francisco Ballet’s celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations – United We Dance, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Ballet de Monte Carlo.

Mr. Alleyne is committed to exposing the art form to a wider audience and in 2003, in collaboration with the CBC, he adapted his critically acclaimed The Faerie Queen into a film version for national broadcast. An excerpt of the film The Faerie Queen was showcased at the 2004 Olympic bid performance at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre, receiving an enthusiastic reception from the IOC Selection Committee, the Prime Minister, the Premier, the Mayor, and other prominent members of the city’s arts and corporate communities.

Alleyne is the recipient of many prestigious awards acknowledging his extraordinary contribution to the world of dance. He was the recipient of the 1992 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Choreography for his work Interrogating Slam, which he created while at the National Ballet of Canada. In 1993 he received the Harry Jerome Award for Professional Excellence from the Black Business and Professional Association; in 2003 he received the first-ever honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University; in 2004 he received the Vancouver Arts Award for Performing Arts recognizing exceptional artistic achievement and promise; and in 2005 Alleyne was the keynote speaker at the Black Historical and Cultural Society of BC, receiving the Exceptional Achievement Award in the Performing Arts.

SYLVAIN SENEZ
Ballet Master

Originally from Montreal, Sylvain joined Ballet British Columbia as a dancer in 1991. Prior to joining the company, he danced with the Judith Marcuse Dance Company for three years and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens for nine years as a soloist.

Sylvain has also choreographed for Vancouver Opera and the Dancing on the Edge Festival. He is also a photographer specializing in dance performance and portraiture. His work has frequently been exhibited and is often used by Ballet British Columbia.

Over the years, Sylvain has made an invaluable contribution to Ballet BC as a dancer, teacher, ballet master and photographer. His elegant performing style and his emotional maturity as an artist has elicited praise from dance critics and devoted fans across the country.

Since his retirement as a dancer in the fall of 2001, he has continued to share his comprehensive knowledge of dance and Ballet BC’s repertoire in his current role as Ballet Master.

ANDREA HODGE
Ballet Mistress

Andrea retired as a professional dancer in May 2004 after dancing eight-years with BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio and most recently 10-years with Ballet British Columbia.

Upon her retirement she began teaching dance at Vancouver’s Arts Umbrella and discovered that sharing her knowledge and professional experience with developing young dancers enriched her in a way that was comparable to performing.

Andrea continues to work with Ballet British Columbia, setting repertoire as well as rehearsing the company for upcoming performances.

Andrea is passionate about sharing her wealth of experience in dance and performance. The success of her former colleagues, both in the studio and on stage, satisfies her passion for the art form on an unexpectedly deep level.