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Tag: Ballet Kelowna

Ballet Kelowna Makes MAMBO Memorable in Autumn

Ballet Kelowna Makes MAMBO Memorable in Autumn

Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets. That sultry line from a 1956 Sarah Vaughan hit was hard to forget as wife Elaine and I left Kelowna Community Theatre on a mid-November Friday night after Ballet Kelowna launched its 16th season with a performance aptly entitled Autumn. Promoted as a multi-faceted celebration of the splendor of the fall season, Autumn featured two premieres from lauded Canadian choreographers John Alleyne (Schubert) from 2000 and Alysa Pires (In Between) in 2018. The pièce de…

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Ballet Kelowna Makes Streetcar a Desirable Ride

Ballet Kelowna Makes Streetcar a Desirable Ride

No streetcar, lots of desire. That was my gritty takeaway on the first day of May at Kelowna Community Theatre as Ballet Kelowna wrapped up its landmark 15th anniversary season with the power and passion of the full-length ballet, A Streetcar Named Desire. American playwright Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize winning classic tells the story of two southern belle sisters – one clinging to a bygone era, the other embracing the reality of post-World War II life in America. Digging deeper…

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Ballet Kelowna Soldiers on With Acts of Remembrance

Ballet Kelowna Soldiers on With Acts of Remembrance

On Remembrance Day Eve 2017, it was a ballet bonanza of bonafide brilliance at Kelowna Community Theatre with one company premiere and two world premieres. This choreographer’s delight came courtesy of Ballet Kelowna, which on this occasion was celebrating the first production of its 15th anniversary season with Acts of Remembrance. Kudos to Simone Orlando, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Kelowna, for assembling such a powerful program featuring nine chiseled dancers and a textured mix of athleticism and storytelling….

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Ballet Kelowna and Okanagan Symphony Orchestra Get an Early Start on Sesquicentennial Celebrations

Ballet Kelowna and Okanagan Symphony Orchestra Get an Early Start on Sesquicentennial Celebrations

World premieres in Kelowna. They were super suite.         On the first Thursday of May, Kelowna Community Theatre was the gracious host site of several world premieres all neatly choreographed and composed into a visual parade of ballet and music. On this balmy eve in front of a packed house, Ballet Kelowna and the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO) joined forces to present Canadiana Suite: A Sesquicentennial Celebration and tribute performance in honor of Canada’s 150th anniversary. Yeah,…

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Alonzo King Puts a Cultural Spin on the Science of Ballet

Alonzo King Puts a Cultural Spin on the Science of Ballet

Have you ever had the experience of watching a movie or television drama and saying to yourself “I’m not really following the plot but like what I’m seeing?” That was me exactly on the first Tuesday night of March at Kelowna Community Theatre. In town for a one-night floor routine was the Alonzo King LINES Ballet from San Francisco. Based on this touring group’s reputation and global rave reviews, wife Elaine and I viewed this opportunity as a chance to…

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Taking My First Crack At The Nutcracker

Taking My First Crack At The Nutcracker

Hold onto your Drosselmeyer – that was one impressive ballet bonanza. Exactly two weeks before Christmas, Elaine and I had the privilege to take in a Sunday matinee showing of The Nutcracker at Kelowna Community Theatre. To be more specific, and to please many of the parents, grandparents, cousins, and siblings attending the sold-out production, the official all-inclusive title was The Canadian School of Ballet (CSB) presents The Nutcracker featuring dancers from Ballet Kelowna. No Bolshoi. This dance card was…

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