Mixed bill by George Balanchine, Ginette Laurin, James Kudelka and Jean Grand-Maître
In 2024, we celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Ludmilla Chiriaeff, an undisputed pioneer of dance in Canada. In 1957, she founded Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and later established the École supérieure de ballet du Québec in 1966. She also created Le Jeune Ballet du Québec and various dance programs in schools throughout Montreal, showcasing her commitment to education and the promotion of dance.
The mixed bill LUDMILLA features the works of renowned artists who have been influenced by or have crossed path with the woman affectionately known as Madame. Alongside a creation by Jean Grand-Maître, three other pieces by choreographers James Kudelka, George Balanchine, and Ginette Laurin grace this show, offering a vibrant exploration of Ludmilla's legacy.
Discover how the influence of this visionary endures through generations of dancers and continues to enrich the landscape of dance in Canada.
About the show
Total duration: 2h31, including a 25-minute intermission
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: Paul Hindemith
Staging: Joysanne Sidimus
Lighting: Pierre Lavoie
George Balanchine, the celebrated choreographer and co-founder of the New York City Ballet, left an indelible mark on Chiriaeff and the post-war dance era. His 1946 creation, The Four Temperaments, is a neo-classical masterpiece. Set to music composed by Paul Hindemith, the choreography dissects the four human character traits derived from ancient medical humorism: Melancholic, Sanguine, Choleric, and Phlegmatic. The dancers' technical precision, coupled with the expressive and precise body language and minimalist scenography, creates a visually captivating spectacle.
Duration: 32 minutes
Choreography: Ginette Laurin
Music: Andreas Burckhardt
Costumes: Ginette Laurin and Mélanie Ferrero
Lighting: Pierre Lavoie
Ginette Laurin, an esteemed Quebec choreographer and founder of O Vertigo, has profoundly influenced Montreal's contemporary dance landscape with her innovative works. Among them, Le Funambule, a seminal piece from 1998 created for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, stands out for its audacious melding of pointe dancing and theater. In this performance, Ginette Laurin stretches the boundaries of the dancers' bodily expression, orchestrating a compelling quest for balance and a deep contemplation of human fragility.
Duration: 18 minutes
Choreography: James Kudelka
Music: Sergei Prokofiev, Waltz suite op. 110 and excerpts from Cinderella
Costumes: Denis Lavoie
Lighting: Sonoyo Nishikawa
James Kudelka revives Désir, a pivotal piece in the repertoire of Les Grands Ballets, first performed in 1991. Merging the idioms of classical and modern dance to the bewitching waltzes of Sergei Prokofiev from Waltz suite op. 110 and from Cinderella, Kudelka crafts a series of pas de deux that delve into the intricate and passionate dynamics of human relationships.
Duration: 33 minutes
Choreography: Jean Grand-Maître
Music: Līgo, Song of Latvia, orchestrated by Ārijs Šķepasts; Pēteris Vasks, English Horn Concerto, first movement; Pēteris Vasks, Vientulais Engelis (Lonely Angel) - Meditation for Violin and String Orchestra; sound compositions by Jean Grand-Maître; recordings excerpts of Madame Chiriaeff
Arrangements: Nicholas Savard-L’Herbier, Jean-François Duchesne and Claude Lemelin
Costumes: Mélanie Ferrero (GBC) and Sonia Bayer (ESBQ)
Lighting: Pierre Lavoie
Archive research and sound production: Sophie Bissonnette
Voice-over: Ludmilla Chiriaeff
With the participation of 20 students from the École supérieure de ballet du Québec - advanced classes
In honour of Ludmilla, Jean Grand-Maître, one of Canada's most talented choreographers of his generation and acclaimed worldwide for his collaborations with Elton John, Sarah McLachlan, k.d. lang, and Joni Mitchell, will present his creation Continuum, crafted in collaboration with Les Grands Ballets and featuring the promising talents from the École supérieure de ballet du Québec. This piece follows the journey of an artist, a war refugee and exile from her homeland, who carries with her a love for dance to her new home. There, she will plant the seeds of passion for this art form, still largely undiscovered, with a rare insight.
Duration: 28 minutes
Latest update made on October 18, 2024. The cast is subject to change up until the start of the performance.
Ballet Mistress: Marina Villanueva
FIRST THEME
Anya Nesvitaylo, Thomas Leprohon (24S, 26M)
Aurora De Mori, Antoine Benjamin Bertran (25S, 26S)
SECOND THEME
Anna Ishii, Bernard Dubois II (24S, 26M)
Sofía González, Angel Vizcaíno (25S, 26S)
THIRD THEME
Vanesa G.-R. Montoya, Graeme Fuhrman (24S, 26M)
Anaïs Roy, James Lyttle (25S, 26S)
MELANCHOLIC
Célestin Boutin (24S, 26M)
Bernard Dubois II (25S, 26S)
Kiara DeNae Felder, Aurora De Mori (24S, 26M)
Catherine Toupin, Rose Trahan (25S, 26S)
Rose Trahan, Catherine Toupin, Maude Fleury, Tuesday Rain Leduc (24S, 26M)
Kiara DeNae Felder, Maeva Marcolini, Maude Fleury, Tuesday Rain Leduc (25S, 26S)
SANGUINIC
Rachele Buriassi et Esnel Ramos (24S, 26M)
Yui Sugawara et Raphaël Bouchard (25S, 26S)
Carrigan MacDonald, Alexandra Eccles, Sarah Branch, Kiara Flavin (all performances)
PHLEGMATIC
Antoine Benjamin Bertran (24S, 26M)
Thomas Leprohon (25S, 26S)
Calista Shepheard, Tatiana Lerebours, Éliane Jacques (all performances).
Anaïs Roy (24S, 26M). Maeva Marcolini (25S, 26S)
CHOLERIC
Maude Sabourin (24S, 26M)
Anya Nesvitaylo (25S, 26S)
Ballet Master : Jérémy Galdeano
Emma Garau Cima, Anna Ishii, Célestin Boutin, Raphaël Bouchard (all performances)
Maude Sabourin (24S, 26M). Vanesa G.-R. Montoya (25S, 26S)
Ballet Master : Hervé Courtain
FIRST WALTZ
Aurora De Mori et Roddy Dobble (24S, 26M)
Kiara DeNae Felder et Felixovich Morante (25S, 26S)
SECOND WALTZ
Alexandra Eccles et Bernard Dubois II (24S, 26M)
Maude Fleury et Angel Vizcaíno (25S, 26S)
Men’s dance :
Roddy Doble, Felixovich Morante, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, James Lyttle, Étienne Delorme, Thomas Leprohon (24S, 26M)
Felixovich Morante, Marcel Gutiérrez, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Théodore Poubeau, Étienne Delorme, Graeme Fuhrman (25S, 26S)
Women’s dance :
Aurora De Mori, Rose Trahan, Kiara Flavin, Anaïs Roy, Sofía González, Tetyana Martyanova (24S, 26M)
Kiara DeNae Felder, Rose Trahan, Kiara Flavin, Sarah Branch, Sofía González, Anna Ishii (25S, 26S)
THIRD WALTZ
Sextet : Sofía González, Rose Trahan, Kiara Flavin, Étienne Delorme, Felixovich Morante, Antoine Benjamin Bertran (24S, 26M)
Sofía González, Rose Trahan, Catherine Toupin, Étienne Delorme, Marcel Gutiérrez, Antoine Benjamin Bertran (25S, 26S)
FOURTH WALTZ
Tetyana Martyanova et Thomas Leprohon (24S, 26M)
Anna Ishii et Graeme Fuhrman (25S, 26S)
FIFTH WALTZ
Quartet : Alexandra Eccles, Bernard Dubois II, Anaïs Roy, James Lyttle (24S, 26M)
Maude Fleury, Angel Vizcaíno, Sarah Branch, Marcel Gutiérrez (25S, 26S)
SIXTH WALTZ
Aurora De Mori et Roddy Doble (24S, 26M)
Kiara DeNae Felder et Felixovich Morante (25S, 26S)
ENSEMBLE
Roddy Doble, Aurora De Mori, Alexandra Eccles, Bernard Dubois II, Sofía González, Rose Trahan, Kiara Flavin, Étienne Delorme, Felixovich Morante, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Tetyana Martyanova, Thomas Leprohon, James Lyttle, Anaïs Roy (24S, 26M)
Felixovich Morante, Kiara DeNae Felder, Maude Fleury, Angel Vizcaíno, Sofía González, Rose Trahan, Kiara Flavin, Étienne Delorme, James Lyttle, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Anna Ishii, Graeme Fuhrman, Marcel Gutiérrez, Sarah Branch (25S, 26S)
Ballet Mistress : Marina Villanueva
CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
Arnaud Mongeon, Benjamin Poirier (also dancer at GBC), Elías Roldán, Léo Lussier, Nickolas Anderson, Tao Stone Leduc, Ana Sofia Natera Marquez, Anaelle Carette, Ariane Pejot-Charrost, Clara Koçollari, Éliane Jacques (also dancer at GBC), Janna Matoussova, Jeanne Brabant-Lavigne, Katrina Lungu, Laure Billeau, Maëlle Hamache, Mélia Venditto, Sydney Pierce (all performances)
Understudies : Clémence Lacasse, Emma Perron, Alexane Depelteau-Lacassagne, Natasha Pazhouhandeh Asi
EXILE
Angels : Bernardo Betancor, Oscar Lambert, Tatiana Lerebours (24S, 26M)
François Gagné, Benjamin Poirier, Tuesday Rain Leduc (25S, 26S)
Ludmilla : Rachele Buriassi (24S, 26M), Anya Nesvitaylo (25S, 26S)
Lead Male : Esnel Ramos (24S, 26M), Graeme Fuhrman (25S, 26S)
Duo 1 : Anaïs Roy, Thomas Leprohon (24S, 26M)
Sarah Branch, Antoine Benjamin Bertran (25S, 26S)
Duo 2 : Catherine Toupin, Théodore Poubeau (24S, 26M)
Carrigan MacDonald, Daniel Leger (25S, 26S)
Duo 3 : Aurora De Mori, Étienne Delorme (all performances)
Solo 1 - Woman : Yui Sugawara (24S, 26M), Calista Shepheard (25S, 26S)
Solo 2 - Woman : Anna Ishii (24S, 26M), Mai Kono (25S, 26S)
Solo 1 - Man : Célestin Boutin (all performances)
Solo 2 -Man : Marcel Gutiérrez (all performances)
THE NEW LAND
Same cast as Exile
THE SEED
Ludmilla : Rachele Buriassi (24S, 26M), Anya Nesvitaylo (25S, 26S)
Lead Male : Esnel Ramos (24S, 26M), Graeme Fuhrman (25S, 26S)
Solo 1 - Woman : Yui Sugawara (24S, 26M), Calista Shepheard (25S, 26S)
Solo 2 - Woman : Anna Ishii (24S, 26M), Mai Kono (25S, 26S)
Solo 1 - Man : Célestin Boutin (all performances)
HERITAGE
Ludmilla : Rachele Buriassi (24S, 26M), Anya Nesvitaylo (25S, 26S)
Duo 1 : Anaïs Roy, Thomas Leprohon (24S, 26M)
Sarah Branch, Antoine Benjamin Bertran (25S, 26S)
Duo 2 : Catherine Toupin, Théodore Poubeau (24S, 26M)
Carrigan MacDonald, Daniel Leger (25S, 26S)
Duo 3 : Aurora De Mori, Étienne Delorme (24S, 26M)
Sofía González, James Lyttle (25S, 26S)
Solo 1 - Woman : Yui Sugawara (24S, 26M), Calista Shepheard (25S, 26S)
Solo 1 - Man : Célestin Boutin (all performances)
Solo 2 - Man : Marcel Gutiérrez (all performances)
CONTINUUM
Same cast as Exile, without Esnel Ramos or Graeme Fuhrman
And
Same cast as Childhood Memories
LES GRANDS BALLETS
The performance of "The Four Temperaments", a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Service standards established and provided by the Trust.
