JÖRGEN DANCE
CLASSICAL BALLET
For over 38 years, Jörgen Dance has been engaged in communities across Canada. Its mission is to advance and enhance the appreciation of the art of Canadian ballet and choreography through performance, education, and community engagement. Each year, the company presents over 1,500 performances , ballet classes, and community engagement events, reaching over 60,000 people annually.
NEWS
SHOWS AVAILABLE
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
SYNOPSIS | A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2h00 (including one-20 min intermission) | 15 to 18 dancers
* Parts for up to 10 Local Participants
Ballet Jörgen presents William Shakespeare’s classic comedy with a Canadian twist accompanied by Mendelssohn’s famous score. Ballet Jörgen’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set in Canada’s mysterious North and will captivate audiences of all ages. The ballet is a tale of love and, often misguided, magic set in motion by the mischievous trickster Puck.
SLEEPING BEAUTY
2015 | 2h30 + 20 min intermission | 22 dancers
Sleeping Beauty is one of the world‘s most famous classical ballets and holds a place in the repertoire of virtually every major company. After more than 25 successful years, Canada‘s Ballet Jörgen will create its own unique classical ballet rendition with its World Premiere Tour during the 2015-2016 season. This major new ballet tells the enchanting story of Aurora and her prince complete with its inherently magical qualities and dazzling choreography.
The fairy tale about a young woman placed under a spell to sleep for a hundred years only to be awakened by a kiss is an easily accessible story. It appeals to a child’s imagination and holds a special place in the hearts of adults. The underlying theme is the tug between the forces of good (the Lilac Fairy) and evil (Carabosse), serving as an important thread to the plot. Told in three acts, the ballet benefits from the character development and technical expertise for which Canada’s Ballet Jörgen is known.
Artistic Director and award-winning choreographer Bengt Jörgen focuses on the magical elements and the interpretation of the ballet as a nature allegory: The young woman represents nature, the wicked fairy is winter, who deadens life with pricks of frost until a young man, spring, cuts away the brambles to allow the sun to awaken sleeping nature. Sleeping Beauty by Canada’s Ballet Jörgen draws on the traditional choreography by Marius Petipa to spin a tale of nature and love that will inspire young and old alike.
The delightful story will be danced to the original 1890 score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set to a libretto based on Charles Perrault’s story La Belle au bois dormant. In ensemble with stunning costumes and captivating lighting design, Sleeping Beauty by Canada‘s Ballet Jörgen is guaranteed to provide an evening of entertaining and inspiring live performance.
SWAN LAKE
SYNOPSIS | SWAN LAKE
2012 | 135 min (intermission) | 20 to 24 dancers
On the occasion of the company’s 25th anniversary in 2012, Artistic Director and CEO Bengt Jörgen re-visioned the classical and dramatic Swan Lake, adding a hint of Canadian heritage as is often a sign of his work. While this production of Swan Lake showcases the extraordinary beauty of traditional ballet in its purest form, Jörgen re-imagined it in the picturesque seascape of the Fortress of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia.
The elaborate sets are designed by Camellia Koo, reflecting the beauty of Canada’s national heritage park and giving a dramatic backdrop to Robert Doyle’s 17th century costume designs. Doyle was thrilled to be involved in this unique rendition of Swan Lake having worked on the original restoration project of the Fortress of Louisbourg.