VANCOUVER, BC – Ballet BC announces Company’s 40th anniversary season, celebrating legacy and today’s top names in dance
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Full evenings featuring works by choreographers Crystal Pite and Imre and Marne van Opstal.
- The work of master choreographer William Forsythe returns to Ballet BC, with the North American premiere of Undertainment.
- The company announces Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber as Resident Choreographers for a five-year term beginning in the 26/27 season.
- Medhi Walerski will share his ninth world premiere for the company in his final season as Artistic Director.
- Ballet BC Artists-in-Residence and choreographers Margaret Grenier (Gitxsan/Mushkegowuck (Swampy Cree)) and Starr Muranko (Mushkegowuck (Swampy Cree)) will share a creation based on their five-year collaboration with the dancers.
- Principal dancers from The National Ballet of Canada will perform a guest duet, part of the company’s Sharing the Stage initiative.
Ballet BC today revealed its 2026/27 season curated by Artistic Director Medhi Walerski, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the company. Opening the season in November, Dutch choreographic duo Imre and Marne van Opstal return to Vancouver to share a double-bill full evening including their 2022 work I’m afraid to forget your smile, featuring the Vancouver Chamber Choir in the group’s first collaboration with the company, in addition to an anticipated world premiere.
In March, the centrepiece of the 40th season features two distinct programs which feature a total of five exciting offerings: The North American premiere of Undertainment by master choreographer William Forsythe, a world premiere from Artistic Director Medhi Walerski, the return of Obsidian by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, plus a capsule creation by Ballet BC Artists-in-Residence Margaret Grenier and Starr Muranko and David Dawson’s On the Nature of Daylight, a special guest duet starring principal dancers from the National Ballet of Canada—part of the company’s Sharing the Stage initiative.
To close the season, the company will share a triple bill of works by Crystal Pite: Solo Echo, The Statement, and the large-scale Angels’ Atlas, featuring a 36-dancer cast bolstered by guest artists from Vancouver’s Arts Umbrella and Modus Operandi.
“For this singular season, we wanted to reflect on who we are today while celebrating the masters who have made a lasting impact on Ballet BC since its beginnings,” says Artistic Director Medhi Walerski. “What lies ahead is shaped by legacy and imagination, by the artists who have carried us here, as well as those propelling us forward—fresh voices that are reshaping what this art form can be, challenging the way we approach process, movement, and storytelling. I am very excited about each creator who will share their artistry with us this year, including the remarkable Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, who I am especially thrilled to welcome to the Ballet BC family as Resident Choreographers.”
Following the huge success of Ballet BC commissions Obsidian (2025) and FOR GLASS (2026), Smith and Schraiber will continue their special relationship with Ballet BC with three new creations across the next five seasons, a truly meaningful partnership that celebrates two of the company’s most essential values—creation and collaboration.
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet will also return to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in December for a landmark seven-performance run of their beloved Nutcracker, and the dancers of Ballet BC will choreograph, produce, and perform their annual Take Form—bigger than ever with four performances across two weekends at the intimate Olympic Village Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre.
The company’s eight-dancer young company, Ballet BC Annex, will perform three exciting works on tour across the province: an adaptation of Last Flower, a work originally commissioned from Vancouver’s Out Innerspace for the main company in 2024, a world premiere by Canadian choreographer Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe, and new creation from Ballet BC company artist Michael Garcia in his choreographic debut for the company.
The company will also appear on tour around the world, performing on stages such as Festspielhaus St. Polten in Austria, The Soraya in Los Angeles, CA, and Vivo Performing Arts in Boston, MA.
In addition to artistic programming, Ballet BC is excited to announce the launch of its Beyond Forty Endowment Campaign, held at the Vancouver Foundation. The campaign has an overall goal of $8 million, and has received an outstanding initial gift of $2 million from an angel supporter. This transformative initiative will help secure the company’s long-term financial sustainability, ensuring that the company continues to thrive well into the future.
2026/27 SEASON
Bodies & Voices | Nov 5/6/7 2026, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
I’m afraid to forget your smile—Imre and Marne van Opstal, featuring Vancouver Chamber Choir
World Premiere—Imre and Marne van Opstal
Everything you ever… | Mar 4/5 2027 (Thu/Fri), Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Undertainment—William Forsythe
Obsidian—Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber
World Premiere—Medhi Walerski
Everything you ever… | Mar 6, 2027 (Sat), Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Undertainment—William Forsythe
World Premiere—Medhi Walerski
New Creation—Margaret Grenier and Starr Muranko
On the Nature of Daylight—David Dawson, featuring principal dancers from the National Ballet of Canada
One & Only | May 6/7/8/9 2027, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Solo Echo—Crystal Pite
The Statement—Crystal Pite
Angels’ Atlas—Crystal Pite
Nutcracker | Dec 9 – 13 2026, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Performed by Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Take Form | June 11/12 + 18/19 2027, Olympic Village Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre
Choreographed and produced by the dancers of Ballet BC.
Subscriptions to Queen Elizabeth Theatre performances are on sale now, as well as single tickets for all Nutcracker performances, and Take Form. Single tickets for all QET performances are on sale August 5, 2026.
Explore the season
