Ballet BC 2025/26 season finale UNITY is its first full-evening work since 2019. Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber bring their buzzworthy work back to the Vancouver stage.
VANCOUVER, BC – Ballet BC is thrilled to announce its season finale program UNITY, featuring FOR GLASS, a world‑premiere evening of dance by internationally acclaimed choreographic duo Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, coming to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre May 7/8/9.
Audiences are invited to experience a powerful work that deepens Ballet BC’s ongoing artistic partnership with two of contemporary dance’s most daring creative voices, highlighting the company’s continued commitment to pushing boundaries and forging new artistic terrain. The full-evening experience harnesses the physicality and emotional range of Ballet BC’s full company of 20 dancers. Philip Glass’ String Quartet No. 3 “Mishima” (1985) and String Quartet No. 5 (1991), two of his most significant works, will be performed live on stage by the Vancouver-based Microcosmos Quartet—Marc Destrubé, John Marcus, Tawnya Popoff, and Rebecca Wenham
FOR GLASS, named in honour of the renowned minimalist composer, marks the highly anticipated full‑length follow‑up to Smith and Schraiber’s celebrated 2025 debut with Ballet BC, Obsidian. With a movement language shaped by years dancing with Batsheva Dance Company and infused with their own deeply expressive style, the voracious duo’s work has been praised as “wild and rebellious” (Le Figaro) and “astonishing in its creativity and depth” (LA Times).
“I am always inspired by the work of Bobbi and Or, and am thrilled Vancouver gets another opportunity to experience it, following an incredible run of global successes,” says Artistic Director Medhi Walerski. “Their approach to creation is fresh and exciting—deeply dedicated to their craft, they bring openness, care, and an exceptional work ethic to the way they collaborate with the dancers in the studio. Their choreographic voice is diverse, blending a strong movement language, theatricality, beautiful musicality, and thoughtful composition to create a piece that is both powerful and sensitive. It’s the perfect finale for a remarkable season for Ballet BC.”
Bobbi Jene Smith is an alumnus of the Juilliard School, North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. From 2005-2014, she was a dancer with the Batsheva Dance Company. Or Schraiber is a dancer, choreographer, actor, and filmmaker. Also a former dancer with the Batsheva Dance Company, he studied acting at the Stella Adler Studio, and performed in the Broadway production of The Band’s Visit (1st U.S. tour). In 2023, Smith and Schraiber choreographed the Off-Broadway production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at NYC’s Lucille Lortel Theater. Their film work includes Boaz Yakin’s Aviva (2019), Terrence Malick’s The Way of the Wind (2025), and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! (2026).
Together they are founding members of The Broken Theater and the American Modern Opera Company, and have choreographed original works for some of the world’s finest dance companies including the Paris Opera Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, Ballet BC, Los Angeles Dance Project, the Batsheva Ensemble, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, and others.
UNITY and the world premiere of FOR GLASS, takes place May 7/8/9 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. Tickets are on sale now at balletbc.com. Arts for All Seating starts at $19 thanks to the generous support of Simons.
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