Time has chimed in Winter and thus we must open a new topic for the NBoC!

Michael Crabb recaps some of the most interesting choreography he viewed this year with Chroma topping his Xmas List.

You can now download the Natioanl Ballet of Canada onto your iPhone.

In other news, there is a new member of the corps in Danyla Bezerra from Boston Ballet, who hails from Pindamonhangaba, Brazil.

Other news, continued - Noah Long is no longer listed as a company member.





m2

That is odd. He just played Uncle Nikolai in the Nutcracker. Anybody know what happened?

That is interesting.

My experience is that when a name disappears from a website roster without external confirmation that it's best not to jump to conclusions. Sometimes it's just a mistake - RDB has done this a few times over the years. Other times, they may have taken a profile down temporarily to update it, or because the dancer was promoted and they're shifting it to a new location.

In anycase, I hope that it's a sign of a promotion or a great new contract elsewhere, not bad news. I've been very impressed with Long, and hope to seem him dance again in the future. We'll have to keep our eyes open with regards to press releases about new additions at other companies.

On a more positive note, what are people looking forward to in the upcoming NBoC season?

I am very excited about the Erik Bruhn Prize Competition, and Don Quixote. It also sounds like Christopher Wheeldon is nearly done choreographing his new Alice in Wonderland - and he never disappoints.

I'm also very tempted to sign up for the Ballet Class with the Stars, taught by Guillaume Cote next month, but don't think my skills are advanced enough. Especially since the class is likely to draw a lot of people, including, I'm sure, 99% of the female teenage ballet students in the GTA. Might have chanced it if it was during the summer when I was taking three classes a week and in good shape, but not now...

I had heard some time ago that Mr. Long intended to leave the company after Nutcracker. Don't know what his plans are, but imagine he has some exciting things on the horizon.

I thought I'd read a rumour in the fall (was it here? I have no clue) that one company member would be leaving soon to pursue musical theatre. I wondered at the time if it could be Long -- he was convincing in the more recent West Side Story run. Complete speculation here, but is there any chance he's in something like Toronto's Billy Elliot? It's a transplant from Chicago, but I understand there was an (Canadian) Equity casting notice for dancers specifically for the Toronto run in late November.

A gentle reminder about the need to avoid rumor and speculation when it comes to things like dancer departures.

However, it is certainly true that a number of former ballet dancers are performing in Billy Eliot. Former NYCB principal Stephen Hanna is performing the role of Older Billy on Broadway, while Max Baud is Older Billy in the US tour company. In addition, his Kurt Froman, also formerly of NYCB, is Baud's understudy, as well as the tour company's resident choreographer.

I don't see a cast listing for Toronto yet, and the Toronto production is entirely separate from the other North American touring company. So it's entirely possible that former NBoC dancers, such as Long, could be involved. That said, I'd ask that we not discuss the issue further unless Long's future plans are officially revealed (i.e. official website, press release, news article etc.)

Kate

My apologies, thanks for the reminder. I don't want to start any rumours, which is why I highlighted my complete lack of knowledge in the first place, so I'm happy to remove if you prefer.

In other news, the "class with the stars" probably will not be especially difficult. I checked out Rex Harrington's class from the fall and I wouldn't have called it intermediate in the grand scheme of ballet. The participants come from all backgrounds, including a good number of young teens that are at a recreational "intermediate" level. That might be a different reason not to go, though!

Check out this preview of Alice in Wonderland making its debut in Canada later in the season.

Lois Smith has passed away. I’m very sad to read she suffered from Alzheimer’s. She was quite the alabaster beauty in her day. Sadly, I never did see her dance, as she was before my time.

The National Ballet of Canada along with the CBC pay tribute to Lois Smith with prose and some beautiful photos.

Here is another memorial for Lois Smith.

Very surprised to hear that Noah Long has (apparently?) left the company, especially since he was getting a lot of principal roles for a second soloist. Will be interested to see what the official reason is when it's finally announced.

I'm quite looking forward to the Eric Bruhn competition and Don Quixote, since I've never seen it. I'll be curious to see how Onegin sells in its encore presentation. It's too bad they can't spread out the shows a bit more instead of having them all crammed into March. But I'm sure the opera company's demands come into play, obviously.

Yes, Noah Long has definitley left the company. I doubt there will be an official announcement at this point, its a bit late.