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Ballet Kelowna to offer Remembrance Day performance

Ballet Kelowna is marking their milestone 15th anniversary season
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Ballet Kelowna is marking their milestone 15th anniversary season with a special Remembrance Day performance honouring Canada’s Veterans and those who have served in the wars. Acts of Remembrance, a new work by the Company’s Artistic Director and CEO Simone Orlando, will premiere at the Kelowna Community Theatre November 10 and 11.

The premiere of Orlando’s new work is timely.

“This year marks the 100th anniversary of the First World War battles of Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele,” says Orlando. “Acts of Remembrance is a commemorative work, which remembers the courage and sacrifice displayed by Canadians in these bitter conflicts.” said Orlando.

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“The choreography is paired with a projection design of wartime images from a number of Okanagan museums. In addition to photographs of local men training at Camp Vernon in 1916, images from the front lines reveal the horrific conditions encountered by those who bravely fought in the trenches.”

Renowned dance composer Owen Belton brings the human experience closer with an original soundscape inspired by soldiers’ accounts from the battlefront.

The Acts of Remembrance program also features the world premiere of a new work by acclaimed Canadian choreographer Wen Wei Wang. Mr. Wang has created unique works for Ballet BC, Ballet Jorgen, and Alberta Ballet and his choreography has been performed across Canada and at dance festivals around the world. His exciting new commission for Ballet Kelowna features innovative partnering, extreme extensions, and complex pointe work for the women.

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The program will close with the company premiere of Joe Laughlin’s L’Étiquette, a lively ensemble piece with period costumes, fluttering fans, and elaborately staged scenes inspired by the dance, music, and manners of the Baroque era. Artistic Director/CEO, Simone Orlando was part of the original cast of L’Etiquette when the piece was created at The Banff Centre in 1996. “I am delighted to bring L’Etiquette into Ballet Kelowna’s repertoire with the the help of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet who have generously loaned us their stunning costumes and set pieces for the ballet.”

Ballet Kelowna’s Acts of Remembrance is Nov. 10 and 11 at the Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water Street. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m.

Ballet Kelowna subscriptions and single tickets are available online at www.kelownatickets.com or call 250-862-2867.

Ballet Kelowna’s 2017/18 season continues with Elles: Extraordinary Dance Created by Women, Feb. 2, and the full-length ballet A Streetcar Named Desire May 1 and 2, 2018. For more information about Ballet Kelowna’s 2017/18 season performances, visit www.balletkelowna.ca.

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