The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America.
It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally. The name was changed to the "Winnipeg Ballet" in 1941 and the company began touring Canada in 1945. In 1948, with the initiative of the Winnipeg Ballet, the Canadian Ballet Festival was formed.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet was granted its royal title in 1953, the first granted under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It completed its first American tour in 1954. In June that year the RWB's rented premises were devastated by fire; the company's entire stock of costumes, original music, choreographic scores and sets was destroyed. Conductor Eric Wild served as the company's music director from 1955-1962.
Today, the company spends 20 or more weeks a year on the road, presenting more than 100 performances every year in centres large and small. The company also mounts four productions a year in Winnipeg's premier performing arts venue, the Centennial Concert Hall. The company solidified its reputation under the artistic directorship of Arnold Spohr from 1958 to 1988. André Lewis is the current artistic director; he was appointed in 1996.
The dancer most associated with the RWB has been Evelyn Hart, but also included many other notable dancers including Mikhail Baryshnikov.[1] Born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1956, Hart made her professional debut with the RWB in 1976. In 1980 she was awarded the bronze medal at the World Ballet Concours in Japan,and the gold medal at the prestigious International Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, where she also received the Exceptional Artistic Achievement Award. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 1983. She left the RWB in 2005.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Professional Division is an exclusive, full-time classical ballet training program for students in grades 6 through 12. The school includes approximately 70 young dancers, selected from around the world, and graduates have international careers in top companies in Canada and abroad. The current building opened in January, 1988.
In 2002, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet's interpretation of the story of Dracula, choreographed by Mark Godden, was filmed in a made for television titled Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary directed by Guy Maddin. The film eventually was released theatrically.
[edit] Dancers
Dancers in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's 2011-2012 season include:[2]
[edit] Principals
[edit] Soloists
[edit] Second soloists
[edit] Corps de ballet
[edit] Apprentices
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- Catherine Rutherford [25]
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[edit] Former dancers
[edit] Former principals
[edit] Former soloists
[edit] Former second soloists
[edit] Former corps de ballet
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000864/bio
- ^ "Dancers". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. 2011-2012 season. http://www.rwb.org/dancers. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ "Vanessa Lawson". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/vanessalawson. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 1997, promoted to soloist in 2002, and became a principal dancer in the 2005"
- ^ "Nurzhan Kulybaev". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/nurzhankulybaev. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as a principal in 2011"
- ^ "Amanda Green". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/amandagreen. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 2004, moved up the ranks to soloist"
- ^ "Emily Grizzell". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/emilygrizzell. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 1997, moved up through the ranks, became a soloist in 2005"
- ^ "Jo-Ann Sundermeier". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/joannsundermeier. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "became an apprentice in 2003, moved up the ranks to soloist"
- ^ "Dmitri Dovgoselets". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/dmitridovgoselets. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 1998, promoted to soloist in 2005"
- ^ "Alexander Gamayunov". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/alexandergamayunov. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as a member of the corps de ballet in 2001, was promoted to Second Soloist in 2003, and then to First Soloist in 2005"
- ^ "Harrison James". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/harrisonjames. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB lin 2010, was promoted to soloist in 2011"
- ^ "Yosuke Mino". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/yosukemino. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 2000, spent one season with The Boston Ballet, then returned to the RWB in 2002"
- ^ "Carrie Broda". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/carriebroda. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 1998, was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2000, then to second soloist in 2006"
- ^ "Serena Sandford". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/serenasandford. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as a member of the corps de ballet in 2004, was promoted to second soloist in 2010"
- ^ "Amar Dhaliwal". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/amardhaliwal. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as a member of the corps de ballet in 2005, was promoted to second soloist in 2008"
- ^ "Eric Nipp". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/ericnipp. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 2007, was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2008"
- ^ "Sarah Davey". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/sarahdavey. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 2009, was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2010"
- ^ "Yayoi Ezawa". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/yayoiezawa. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 2005, was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2006"
- ^ "Beth Lamont". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/elizabethlamont. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "graduated from the RWB School Professional Division in 2008"
- ^ "Sophia Lee". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/sophialee. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "graduated from the RWB School Professional Division in 2010, trained in the School’s Aspirant program"
- ^ "Liam Caines". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/liamcaines. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "graduated from the RWB School Professional Division in 2006, trained in the School’s Aspirant program"
- ^ "Tristan Dobrowney". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/tristandobrowney. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 2008"
- ^ "Thiago Dos Santos". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/thiagorodrigodossantos. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ "Zhen Guo Chen". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/zhenguochen. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as a member of the corps de ballet in August 2004"
- ^ "Alanna McAdie". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/alannamcadie. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "graduated from RWB School Professional Division in 2009, then part of the RWB School Aspirant program"
- ^ "Catherine Rutherford". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/catherinerutherford. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "graduated from RWB School Professional Division in 2009, then part of the RWB School Aspirant program"
- ^ "Alex Lantz". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/alexlantz. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "graduated from RWB School Professional Division in 2009, joined RWB as an apprentice in 2010"
- ^ "Tara Birtwhistle". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/tarabirtwhistle. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as a corps de ballet member 1991, was promoted to soloist in 1995, and to principal dancer in 2000"
- ^ "Jaime Vargas". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/jaimevargas. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as a principal dancer in July 2004"
- ^ "Gael Lambiotte". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/gaellambiotte. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as a principal dancer in 2007"
- ^ "Reyneris Reyes". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/reynerisreyes. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as a soloist in 1999, was promoted to principal dancer in 2002"
- ^ "Jennifer Welsman". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/jenniferwelsman. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB in 1998, was promoted to second soloist in 2002, then to first soloist in 2008"
- ^ "Maureya Lebowitz". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/maureyalebowitz. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 2007"
- ^ "Chelsey Lindsay". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/chelseylindsay. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as a corps de ballet member in August 2002"
- ^ "Jacelyn Lobay". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/jacelynlobay. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "graduated RWB School Professional Division in 2004 and went on to complete the RWB Aspirant Program"
- ^ "Robert Pleschke". Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.rwb.org/dancers/robertpleschke. Retrieved February 3, 2012. "joined RWB as an apprentice in 2006, became a corps de ballet member in 2007"
[edit] External links
