Piotr Stanczyk News

The world premiere of Emma Bovary will mark the first partnership between The National Ballet of Canada and award-winning choreographer, director and dancer, Helen Pickett. Learn more about the production and how to get tickets here!

Hope Muir, Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, announced that Principal Dancer Piotr Stanczyk will retire after 25 years with The National Ballet of Canada in November of 2023. Stanczyk will dance in the company’s upcoming Winter and Summer Seasons and his farewell performances will take place in the Fall Season during the 2023/24 season.  

At a press conference held at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced 235 nominations for the 42nd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, which recognize excellence in professional theatre, dance and opera in Toronto.

Barry Hughson, Executive Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for the long-awaited return to live performance. The 2021/22 season will open with Angels’ Atlas by Crystal Pite and Serenade by George Balanchine, onstage November 11 – 27, 2021 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Bolshoi presents The Winter's Tale, running through April 11, 2021. The production features a libretto by Christopher Wheeldon.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, and Barry Hughson, Executive Director, today announced that Canadians across the country will be able to enjoy the magic of The Nutcracker this holiday season. In partnership with Cineplex, a special presentation of the beloved classic, previously captured live at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, will be available to stream online on the Cineplex Store and shown at more than 50 Cineplex theatres across Canada from December 4, 2020.

Fall for Dance North (FFDN) invites arts enthusiasts to immerse themselves in a newly envisioned, interactive celebration of its sixth anniversary edition: The Flip Side, from Sept. 29a?"Oct.18, 2020.

It's a tale that's captivated audiences for hundreds of years, and although it contains some of the most iconic lines in theatre, it transitions to a non-spoken tale of forbidden love and tragedy seamlessly in this remount of the National Ballet of Canada's 2011 production.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for Romeo and Juliet by acclaimed choreographer Alexei Ratmansky. Principal Dancer Jurgita Dronina will make her company debut in the title role of Juliet this season. Romeo and Juliet is onstage March 11 a?" 22, 2020 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and concludes the Winter Season. #RomeoandJulietNBC 

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for The Nutcracker. This season, First Soloist Koto Ishihara makes her debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy. The holiday favourite is onstage December 12 - January 4, 2020 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. #TheNutcrackerNBC

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for Etudes by Danish choreographer Harald Lander, Alexei Ratmansky's Piano Concerto #1 and the company premiere of Jiří Kylián's Petite Mort. The mixed programme is onstage November 27 - December 1, 2019 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. #EtudesNBC #PianoConcerto1NBC #PetiteMortNBC

Set in a pastoral German village, GISELLE has all the components of a quintessential romantic work. The titular character is a beautiful young woman living with her strict-yet-loving mother (Lorna Geddes). Although a local forester (Piotr Stanczyk) wants to marry her, Giselle has fallen for another man in the village a?" the Count of Silesia, Albrecht (Harrison James), who has donned a disguise to escape the responsibilities of his noble status. When the forester exposes the Count's identity, Giselle goes mad and dies a?" in some productions by suicide, but in this version it seems more likely that a pre-existing heart condition is to blame. She returns as a Wili in the second act to defend Albrecht from the other Wilis and their queen (Heather Ogden), who force men in the woods to dance to their death.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada and Barry Hughson, Executive Director today announced the great artistic and financial success of the 2018/19 season, which resulted in an operating surplus for the 10th consecutive year. The Annual General Meeting was held today at 6:30 pm at The Walter Carsen Centre for The National Ballet of Canada in Toronto.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for The Merry Widow which concludes the 2018/19 season June 19 - 23, 2019 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Principal Dancer Xiao Nan Yu will retire from the stage at the end of the season performing the title role of Hanna Galwari. 

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for The Nutcracker. First Soloist Jack Bertinshaw makes his debut this season as Peter/The Nutcracker. Corps de Ballet Member Ethan Watts will debut as Uncle Nikolai.  

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for Frederick Ashton's The Dream and Guillaume Cote's Being and Nothingness. The mixed programme is onstage November 21 - 25, 2018 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. #TheDreamNBC #BeingandNothingnessNBC

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for the North American premiere of John Neumeier's Anna Karenina. The first co-operation between The National Ballet of Canada, The Hamburg Ballet and The Bolshoi Ballet, Anna Karenina is inspired by Leo Tolstoy's great masterpiece and opens the National Ballet's 2018/19 season November 10 - 18, 2018 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. #AnnaKareninaNBC

Theatres on the Bay presents the 13th edition of da:ns festival from 9 to 21 October 2018. This year, three newly-commissioned works by Singapore and Asian dancemakers-Kuik Swee Boon (Singapore), Daniel Kok (Singapore) and Rianto (Indonesia)-demonstrate Esplanade's role in driving artist development by supporting the creation of new work. In addition, da:ns festival 2018's line-up features works by acclaimed international companies and artists including Akram Khan Company (UK), Nederlands Dans Theater 1 (The Netherlands) and Lisbeth Gruwez (Belgium), who are all returning to the festival, as well as a ballet gala with international ballet stars. To get everyone involved in this 13-day celebration of movement, the festival also offers 80 workshops and masterclasses, as well as more than 82 free events.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for the company's upcoming tour to Hamburg, Germany with an all-Canadian programme featuring The Dreamers Ever Leave You by Choreographic Associate Robert Binet, James Kudelka's The Man in Black and Emergence by Crystal Pite. The National Ballet will perform as part of the 44th Hamburg Ballet Days, a two-week festival of dance, for two performances July 3 - 4, 2018 at Großes Haus. This will be the company's first appearance in Hamburg since 1994.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the principal casting for the company premiere of Justin Peck's Paz de la Jolla, James Kudelka's The Man in Black and Alexander Ekman's Cacti. The Summer Mixed Programme concludes the 2017/18 season, June 16 - 22, 2018 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.