Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Mar 6
The centrepiece of our 40th anniversary season, this era-defining program captures the essence of what Ballet BC has become: rooted in legacy, deeply collaborative, and fearless in its pursuit of bold, boundary-pushing creation.
In special one-day-only presentations on Saturday March 6, audiences will experience a capsule creation from Artists-in-Residence Margaret Grenier and Starr Muranko—a reflection of the company’s studio work with the choreographers over a five-year period. The Saturday program also features a poignant guest duet performed by dancers of the National Ballet of Canada, alongside the North American Premiere of William Forsythe’s Undertainment and a World Premiere from Ballet BC Artistic Director Medhi Walerski.
A landmark celebration four decades in the making.
Undertainment
William Forsythe
The work of the incomparable William Forsythe returns to the Ballet BC stage with Undertainment. Called “fiendishly fascinating” (The Guardian) and “a mesmerizing new work” (New York Times), the visionary 2025 piece for 16 dancers starts with a signature toolbox of improvisational prompts, creating a structural order within which the performers can explore. Intended as a musical event as much as anything else, the dancers serve flexibly as instrumentalists, each with their own responsibilities and expertise in a self-generated system of sound and movement. A fresh and unmissable portrayal of commitment, risk, and imagination from a truly legendary creator.
WorkNew Walerski
Medhi Walerski
Ballet BC Artistic Director and French choreographer Medhi Walerski unveils his ninth world premiere for the company, and final as its leader—an eagerly anticipated work that marks the culmination of a defining artistic chapter and the curation of a visionary and significant repertoire that is both fearless and unmistakable. The new creation promises to showcase the qualities that continue to highlight his artistic identity: bold imagination, rigorous craft, and an unwavering belief in the potential of the human body and the power of connection.
New Grenier / Muranko
Margaret Grenier
Starr Muranko
Created by Ballet BC Artists-in-Residence, choreographers, and arts leaders Margaret Grenier (Gitxsan/Mushkegowuck (Swampy Cree)) and Starr Muranko (Mushkegowuck (Swampy Cree)), this new offering is the culmination of a meaningful five-year relationship with the company and its 20 dancers. Shaped through shared space and collaboration since 2020, the original piece explores a journey grounded in trust and reciprocity. Drawing on Indigenous music and dance, Grenier and Muranko’s work weaves movement with embodied storytelling—honouring story, land, and lineage as living presences within the creative process and carrying forward teachings cultivated over time. A testament to what can emerge when artistic practice is rooted in mutual respect and collective discovery.
WorkOn the Nature of Daylight
David Dawson
Music
Max Richter
A special contribution from The National Ballet of Canada’s Sharing the Stage initiative in honour of their 75th anniversary and Ballet BC’s 40th: On the Nature of Daylight—a deeply moving pas de deux by the company’s resident choreographer David Dawson. Performed by guest principal dancers and set to a beloved score of the same name by British composer Max Richter, the breathtaking piece unfolds as a poetic meditation on love in all its complexity. Through sweeping movement and intimate connection, two dancers embody the universal search for one another, capturing the delicate tension between longing and fulfillment, closeness and distance. Powerful and profound, the work reflects the mysteries of love that shape our lives and bind us together.
Work
