There’s much to be excited about for Ballet BC’s season closing production, RITE! This program features two World Premieres both inspired by The Rite of Spring, the ballet and orchestral work that premiered in 1913 and is widely considered one of the most influential and revolutionary works of the 20th century. RITE is a collaborative platform for artists of different disciplines to showcase their talents and create an artistic endeavour unlike any other. Meet the masterminds behind Ballet BC’s closing production:
Welcome back Gustavo Ramirez Sansano!
You may remember Gustavo’s powerful work from last year’s U/NA when he wowed our audience with Lost and Seek. After the overwhelming response, we knew we had to bring Gustavo back for another season closer. Gustavo’s work has been featured on stages worldwide, including Les Etoiles de Ballet in Cannes, and the IX International Festival of Ballet in Miami. Did you know he was named one of POR LA DANZA magazine’s “15 Choreographers to Watch,” as well as Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2012? Impressive!
Award Winning Set Designer Luis Crespo is also back!
This reunion just wouldn’t be the same without the complete dynamic duo! Luis has worked closely with Gustavo through proyectoTITOYAYA, and has even won awards for this work, including the Valencian Autonomous Government Theatre’s 2010 Best Set Design Award for What is Not Seen and Broadway World Spain’s Best Set Design Award in 2014 for Aladdin. Luis has designed sets and lighting for various companies internationally, producing more than 60 works in theater, opera and dance.
2015 BC Community Achievement Award Recipient and Ballet BC Artistic Director Emily Molnar
Recipient of the 2015 BC Community Achievement Award, Globe and Mail Dance Artist of the Year for 2013 and nominated for the 2015 YWCA Women Of Distinction Awards – that’s our Emily Molnar! Emily graduated from the National Ballet School and went on to dance for the National Ballet of Canada as well as Frankfurt Ballet. In addition to her role as Ballet BC Artistic Director, she currently serves as the Artistic Director of Dance at the Banff Centre, and as a Director on the Board of the BC Arts Council.
Omer Arbel: Creative Director of Bocci, and Award Winning Designer!
Omer has created dozens of projects and won multiple awards (most recently the RAIC’s Allied Arts Medal for 2015!), and we are so thrilled to have him share his talents with us for RITE. Recently, Omer completed a 14.5 metre high lighting installation in the Canada House in London which consists of 157 pieces of individually blown glass dispersed throughout an intricate web of fibres and cables. Omer’s presence in design has been picked up internationally, as he was invited to the prestigious Salon Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, and created a half-million dollar installation in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, which was commissioned by the London Design Festival. Omer studied architecture at the University of Waterloo; he now leads OAO (Omer Arbel Office) and is the Creative Director for Bocci. His other notable works include the design of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic medals in collaboration with Artist Corrine Hunt.
Introducing Vancouver’s Godfather of Contemporary Space Rock… Meet Jeremy Schmidt!
In addition to being the keyboardist for the collaborative rock group Black Mountain, Jeremy also performs solo work under the alias Sinoia Caves, and has recently composed and produced the score for the feature length film Beyond The Black Rainbow. Jeremy uses a range of instrumental tools to create this work, including a collection of 20 different non-digital keyboards, organs and synthesizers, all of which are used in his Kosmische Kloset, his 10×10 home studio where he has laid down work for Black Mountain and Sinoia Caves.
Each of these collaborator will showcase artistic talents in a riveting evening that offers a new perspective on dance, music and design. This season closing production is the show you won’t want to miss. RITE runs for three performances at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, May 7-9, 2015 with shows nightly at 8:00pm. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 1-855-985-2787 (855-985-ARTS) or at ticketmaster.ca and range in price from $30 to $80 (including GST and service charges).
