Message from Alberta Ballet

CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON | Artistic Director

Each year, as we prepare The Nutcracker, we think of our youngest audience members.  

We begin imagining their reactions right from our earliest rehearsals in August. It’s why so much of this show is crafted to add wonder and delight to the holiday season. 

The Nutcracker is our largest production and is the culmination of months of work for dozens of people working behind-the-scenes and more than 120 performers who have been fine-tuning their role for months. Alberta Ballet’s dancers bring each of The Nutcracker’s characters to life as the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra drives the adventure forward with Tchaikovsky’s powerful score. And joining the professional artists is a children’s cast of dance students from Alberta Ballet School and Alberta Ballet Classes in the roles of mice, party children and soldiers. Please give them a warm welcome. Even on a stage as big as the Jubilee, their energy and enthusiasm fill the space. 

The Nutcracker is an evergreen masterpiece. It beautifully illustrates the life cycle of dance, from inspiring and enchanting our youngest audience members to the graceful pursuit of excellence from our dancers and our artistic and production teams.  

It takes a great many talented individuals to deliver on all the needs of this artistic institution: on the stage, in the studio, in the office or in a community. This year, we are missing two individuals who each strived in their own ways to support Alberta Ballet’s mission. This past November, we lost Janet Tait, our Head of Senior School and Angie Donahue, our Payroll Administrator.  

Each had been battling cancer, and both kept a close connection to the work and goals of our organization even as their illnesses progressed.

Janet, in particular, is close to the spirit of Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Our Alberta Ballet School students and many of our dancers benefited greatly from Janet’s gifts for artistic nuance and refinement. Her gifts are also very present in Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker as she assisted Choreographer Edmund Stripe in its creation. 

We are grateful to have had the talents and dedication of Angie and Janet. In this time of year steeped in memory and tradition, our hearts and love are with their families and with any others who are missing a loved one this season.  

Together, we celebrate the joy of dance, the power of tradition, and the enduring bonds that connect us all. Here's to a holiday season filled with inspiration, memory, enchantment and the magic. 

Thank you for choosing to include Alberta Ballet in your holiday celebrations. 

Synopsis

Act One

It is Christmas Eve and the Vishinsky family is welcoming guests to a party in their home. Their children, Klara and Nikolai, play ‘Blind Man’s Bluff’ with the youngest party guests. Presents are distributed and then Klara and Nikolai lead the children in a boisterous dance.

The parents, in turn, dance a courtly quadrille.

When Klara’s godfather Drosselmeyer arrives, the guests are treated to his magic tricks. Drosselmeyer has also brought life-size mechanical dolls who perform a play. They tell the story of a man who invented a clever mousetrap, one so successful he attracted the wrath of the Rat Tsar. The Rat Tsar took revenge on the man by turning his nephew into a hideous nutcracker. The only way to break the spell was to find someone who would love the nutcracker, not for what he looked like, but for what he was.

In the play, the soldier, who is changed into a nutcracker, is helped by a ballerina who falls in love with him. She defeats the toy Rat Tsar by hitting him on the head with her slipper.

After the play, Drosselmeyer invites Klara to dance and presents her with a nutcracker of her own. Nikolai accidentally breaks the nutcracker, but Klara soon forgives him. Drosselmeyer fixes the nutcracker, and Klara and the girls play with their dolls.

Grandfather and Babushka are invited to dance, the parents and children joining in the fun. The party ends and the guests depart. Klara looks around for her nutcracker. It’s nowhere to be seen. Babushka tells Klara to look again in the morning and packs Nikolai and Klara off to bed.

Later that night, Klara returns to the parlour to search for her nutcracker. The town hall clock strikes midnight and at once she is surrounded by a hoard of mice.

Drosselmeyer appears, rescuing Klara by casting a spell over the mice, sending them to sleep. 

He explains to Klara that it was actually he who was being portrayed in the play earlier that evening and it was he who had built the mousetrap that had angered the Rat Tsar. The Rat Tsar, in revenge, had transformed his nephew, Karl, into a nutcracker, the very nutcracker that Klara was now holding!

Act One - Continued

With Klara’s promise to love the nutcracker, Drosselmeyer employs his magic, causing the room to grow and themselves to shrink. The nutcracker now reappears, life-size to the now tiny Klara and Drosselmeyer. An army of soldiers stream out of the fort to engage in a battle with the cossack rats that have gathered on the other side of the parlour. With the nutcracker leading the soldiers, a fierce battle ensues and eventually the Rat Tsar himself appears. With his powerful magic, he attempts to attack Drosselmeyer, but the nutcracker intervenes to save his uncle.

Klara remembers Drosselmeyer’s play during the party and how the ballerina defeated the Rat Tsar by hitting him on the head with her shoe. She strikes the Rat Tsar on the head, distracting him long enough for the nutcracker to attack him with his own scepter.

The Rat Tsar is mortally wounded, and the nutcracker also collapses in pain. Drosselmeyer realizes that his plans and magic are still not enough to transform his nephew. Klara and Drosselmeyer sense that their surroundings are changing and as Klara seeks help, she encounters wolves and fears they wil devour her precious nutcracker.

However, the wolves are attendants to the Snow Tsarina who appears in her sleigh. She instructs Drosselmeyer to stand the nutcracker up and, with a wave of her hand, transforms the nutcracker back into Karl. It takes a moment for Karl to realize he is human again. Once he does, he embraces Drosselmeyer and Klara and thanks the Snow Tsarina for her life-restoring spell.

The Snow Tsarina summons her Snow Princesses and sleigh and guides everyone to a mysterious palace in the distance.

Act Two

The Snow Tsarina leads the sleigh to the gates of the Palace of the Sugar Plum Fairy. There, they are greeted by the Palace Pages and are introduced to the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier.

The celebration continues with dances from the Palace’s confectionary delights. Marzipan dancers take the stage first, followed by Caramel dancers, then Peppermint dancers and then Popcorn.

Klara and Karl dance and are then entertained by the Palace Pages and the Waltz of the Flowers, led by Christmas Rose. The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier conclude the celebrations with a Grand Pas de Deux and a rousing finale.

EPILOGUE

Very early the next morning, Klara answers a knock at the door. It is Drosselmeyer. He bids her good morning and, from under his cape, produces a nutcracker. A young man, who seems strangely familiar to Klara enters, and as he and Drosselmeyer depart together, Klara begins to wonder whether it was all a dream after all.

Credits

MUSIC CREDITS

Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker 

Performed by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (Dec. 15 – 24)

Conductor Peter Dala

  • Violin 1
    Donovan Seidle, Edmund Chung, Olga Kotova, Maria van der Sloot

    Violin 2
    Stephanie Soltice-Johnson,
    Theresa Lane, Adriana Lebedovich, Jeremy Gabbert

    Viola
    Laurent Grillet-Kim, Jesse Morrison

    Cello
    Josue Valdepenas, Clare Bradford

    Double Bass
    Sam Loeck

    Flute
    ​​Sara Hahn-Scinocco, Gwen Klassen, Sarah MacDonald

    Principal Oboe
    David Sussman

    Assistant Principal Oboe
    Katrina Kwantes-Oliveira

    Clarinet
    Slavko Popovic, Stan Climie,
    Jocelyn Colquhoun

    Bassoon
    Antoine St-Onge

    Horn
    Nikolette LaBonte, Doug Umana, Jennifer Frank, Laurie Matiation

    Trumpet
    Adam Zinatelli, Richard Scholz

    Trombone
    Kristofer Leslie

    Timpani
    Alex Cohen

    Percussion
    Malcolm Lim

    Harp
    Gianetta Baril

    Piano
    Rolf Bertsch

Alberta Ballet Dancers

Meet your Klara

Casting

Subject to Change

  • Klara | Allison Perhach

    Karl, The Nutcracker | Aaron Anker

    Drosselmeyer | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Snow Tsarina | Alexandra Hughes

    Mother | Mariko Kondo

    Father | Caleb Durbin

    Nikolai | Michael Scott-Kahans

    Babushka | Melissa Eguchi

    Grandfather | Ari Rombough

    Hussar Doll | Aaron Anker

    Ballerina Doll | Alyssa Churchill

    Rat Doll/Rat Tsar | Eli Barnes

    Party Guests, Calvary, Wolves and Snowflakes | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Sugar Plum Fairy | Luna Sasaki

    Sugar Plum Cavalier | Lang Ma

    Marzipan | Alexandra Gibson & Eli Barnes

    Caramel | Mariko Kondo, Caleb Durbin and Emmanuel Lopez

    Peppermint | Mya Kresnyak & Zachary Boresow

    Popcorn | Kurtis Grimaldi

    Flowers | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Christmas Rose | Jennifer Gibson

  • Klara | Allison Perhach 

    Karl, The Nutcracker | Aaron Anker 

    Drosselmeyer | Scotto Hamed-Ramos 

    Snow Tsarina | Jennifer Gibson

    Mother | Mariko Kondo

    Father | Caleb Durbin

    Nikolai | Michael Scott-Kahans 

    Babushka | Melissa Eguchi

    Grandfather | Ari Rombough

    Hussar Doll | Aaron Anker 

    Ballerina Doll | Alyssa Churchill 

    Rat Doll/Rat Tsar | Eli Barnes 

    Party Guests, Calvary, Wolves and Snowflakes | Artists of Alberta Ballet 

    Sugar Plum Fairy | Heather Dornian

    Sugar Plum Cavalier | Yaroslav Khudych

    Marzipan | Alexandra Gibson & Eli Barnes 

    Caramel | Mariko Kondo, Caleb Durbin and Emmanuel Lopez 

    Peppermint | Mya Kresnyak & Zachary Boresow

    Popcorn | Kurtis Grimaldi

    Flowers | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Christmas Rose | Alexandra Hughes

  • Klara | Mya Kresnyak

    Karl, The Nutcracker | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Drosselmeyer | Eli Barnes

    Snow Tsarina | Heather Dornian

    Mother | Alexandra Hughes

    Father | Aaron Anker

    Nikolai | Rikuto Kubota

    Babushka | Allison Perhach

    Grandfather | Ari Rombough

    Hussar Doll | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Ballerina Doll | Hotaru Maruyama

    Rat Doll/Rat Tsar | Yaroslav Khudych

    Party Guests, Calvary, Wolves and Snowflakes | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Sugar Plum Fairy | Mariko Kondo

    Sugar Plum Cavalier | Caleb Durbin

    Marzipan | Seira Iwamoto & Yaroslav Khudych

    Caramel | Alexandra Hughes, Aaron Anker and Leona Takada

    Peppermint | Alyssa Churchill & Michael Scott-Kahans

    Popcorn | Matthew Maxwell

    Flowers | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Christmas Rose | Alexandra Gibson

  • Klara | Luna Sasaki

    Karl, The Nutcracker | Lang Ma

    Drosselmeyer | Kurtis Grimaldi

    Snow Tsarina | Mariko Kondo

    Mother | Seira Iwamoto

    Father | Eli Barnes

    Nikolai | Leona Takada

    Babushka | Kira Anderson

    Grandfather | Ari Rombough

    Hussar Doll | Lang Ma

    Ballerina Doll | Chizuru Kikuchi

    Rat Doll/Rat Tsar | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Party Guests, Calvary, Wolves and Snowflakes | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Sugar Plum Fairy | Alexandra Hughes

    Sugar Plum Cavalier | Aaron Anker

    Marzipan | Kira Anderson & Caleb Durbin

    Caramel | Seira Iwamoto, Eli Barnes and Rikuto Kubota

    Peppermint | Melissa Eguchi & Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Popcorn | Michael Scott-Kahans

    Flowers | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Christmas Rose | Heather Dornian

  • Klara | Mya Kresnyak

    Karl, The Nutcracker | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Drosselmeyer | Eli Barnes

    Snow Tsarina | Heather Dornian

    Mother | Alexandra Hughes

    Father | Aaron Anker

    Nikolai | Rikuto Kubota

    Babushka | Allison Perhach

    Grandfather | Ari Rombough

    Hussar Doll | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Ballerina Doll | Hotaru Maruyama

    Rat Doll/Rat Tsar | Yaroslav Khudych

    Party Guests, Calvary, Wolves and Snowflakes | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Sugar Plum Fairy | Alexandra Gibson

    Sugar Plum Cavalier | Kurtis Grimaldi

    Marzipan | Seira Iwamoto & Yaroslav Khudych

    Caramel | Alexandra Hughes, Aaron Anker and Leona Takada

    Peppermint | Alyssa Churchill & Michael Scott-Kahans

    Popcorn | Matthew Maxwell

    Flowers | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Christmas Rose | Jennifer Gibson

  • Klara | Allison Perhach

    Karl, The Nutcracker | Aaron Anker

    Drosselmeyer | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Snow Tsarina | Jennifer Gibson

    Mother | Mariko Kondo

    Father | Caleb Durbin

    Nikolai | Michael Scott-Kahans

    Babushka | Melissa Eguchi

    Grandfather | Ari Rombough

    Hussar Doll | Aaron Anker

    Ballerina Doll | Alyssa Churchill

    Rat Doll/Rat Tsar | Eli Barnes

    Party Guests, Calvary, Wolves and Snowflakes | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Sugar Plum Fairy | Heather Dornian

    Sugar Plum Cavalier | Yaroslav Khudych

    Marzipan | Alexandra Gibson & Eli Barnes

    Caramel | Mariko Kondo, Caleb Durbin and Emmanuel Lopez

    Peppermint | Mya Kresnyak & Zachary Boresow

    Popcorn | Kurtis Grimaldi

    Flowers | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Christmas Rose | Alexandra Hughes

  • Klara | Luna Sasaki

    Karl, The Nutcracker | Lang Ma

    Drosselmeyer | Kurtis Grimaldi

    Snow Tsarina | Mariko Kondo

    Mother | Seira Iwamoto

    Father | Eli Barnes

    Nikolai | Leona Takada

    Babushka | Kira Anderson

    Grandfather | Ari Rombough

    Hussar Doll | Lang Ma

    Ballerina Doll | Chizuru Kikuchi

    Rat Doll/Rat Tsar | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Party Guests, Calvary, Wolves and Snowflakes | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Sugar Plum Fairy | Jennifer Gibson

    Sugar Plum Cavalier | Matthew Maxwell

    Marzipan | Kira Anderson & Caleb Durbin

    Caramel | Seira Iwamoto, Eli Barnes and Rikuto Kubota

    Peppermint | Melissa Eguchi & Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Popcorn | Michael Scott-Kahans

    Flowers | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Christmas Rose | Heather Dornian

  • Klara | Mya Kresnyak

    Karl, The Nutcracker | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Drosselmeyer | Eli Barnes

    Snow Tsarina | Heather Dornian

    Mother | Alexandra Hughes

    Father | Aaron Anker

    Nikolai | Rikuto Kubota

    Babushka | Allison Perhach

    Grandfather | Zachary Boresow

    Hussar Doll | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Ballerina Doll | Hotaru Maruyama

    Rat Doll/Rat Tsar | Yaroslav Khudych

    Party Guests, Calvary, Wolves and Snowflakes | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Sugar Plum Fairy | Alexandra Gibson

    Sugar Plum Cavalier | Kurtis Grimaldi

    Marzipan | Seira Iwamoto & Yaroslav Khudych

    Caramel | Alexandra Hughes, Aaron Anker and Leona Takada

    Peppermint | Alyssa Churchill & Michael Scott-Kahans

    Popcorn | Matthew Maxwell

    Flowers | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Christmas Rose | Jennifer Gibson

  • Klara | Allison Perhach

    Karl, The Nutcracker | Aaron Anker

    Drosselmeyer | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Snow Tsarina | Jennifer Gibson

    Mother | Mariko Kondo

    Father | Caleb Durbin

    Nikolai | Michael Scott-Kahans

    Babushka | Melissa Eguchi

    Grandfather | Ari Rombough

    Hussar Doll | Aaron Anker

    Ballerina Doll | Alyssa Churchill

    Rat Doll/Rat Tsar | Eli Barnes

    Party Guests, Calvary, Wolves and Snowflakes | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Sugar Plum Fairy | Heather Dornian

    Sugar Plum Cavalier | Yaroslav Khudych

    Marzipan | Alexandra Gibson & Eli Barnes

    Caramel | Mariko Kondo, Caleb Durbin and Emmanuel Lopez

    Peppermint | Mya Kresnyak & Zachary Boresow

    Popcorn | Kurtis Grimaldi

    Flowers | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Christmas Rose | Alexandra Hughes

  • Klara | Luna Sasaki

    Karl, The Nutcracker | Lang Ma

    Drosselmeyer | Kurtis Grimaldi

    Snow Tsarina | Mariko Kondo

    Mother | Seira Iwamoto

    Father | Eli Barnes

    Nikolai | Leona Takada

    Babushka | Kira Anderson

    Grandfather | Ari Rombough

    Hussar Doll | Lang Ma

    Ballerina Doll | Chizuru Kikuchi

    Rat Doll/Rat Tsar | Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Party Guests, Calvary, Wolves and Snowflakes | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Sugar Plum Fairy | Jennifer Gibson

    Sugar Plum Cavalier | Matthew Maxwell

    Marzipan | Kira Anderson & Caleb Durbin

    Caramel | Seira Iwamoto, Eli Barnes and Rikuto Kubota

    Peppermint | Melissa Eguchi & Scotto Hamed-Ramos

    Popcorn | Michael Scott-Kahans

    Flowers | Artists of Alberta Ballet

    Christmas Rose | Heather Dornian

Children’s Cast

Children’s Cast

Thank you to Land Rover Royal Oak for their Support

Creative Team For
THE NUTCRACKER

  • Christopher Anderson began his tenure as Alberta Ballet’s Artistic Director in July 2022.

    Before joining Alberta Ballet in 2015, Anderson enjoyed a 16-year career in professional dance. A graduate of Purchase College’s SUNY Conservatory of Dance, he launched his career at Boston Ballet, and two years later was invited to join Salt Lake City’s Ballet West. During his career, he danced leading roles both nationally and internationally and further had several roles created for him by some of today’s most exciting choreographers.

    In 2015, Alberta Ballet offered Anderson a contract as Ballet Master. Anderson was motivated to accept, given the strong talent he saw in the company’s dancers. He retired from professional dance and joined Alberta Ballet’s leadership team. At the end of his first season, he took on an expanded role of Associate Artistic Director.

    Seeing that the company had a strong foundation of contemporary and theatrical works in its repertoire, Anderson chose to set classics for his first full-length works for Alberta Ballet. He premiered Cinderella in 2017 and The Sleeping Beauty in 2018 and Swan Lake in 2021. In 2019, he also premiered a contemporary one-act Sixth Breath (2019).

  • A prolific and award-winning choreographer, Edmund has established a notable career in both contemporary and classical ballet fields as dancer and ballet master.

    Edmund Stripe was born in London, England and trained at the Royal Ballet School where his distinguished teachers included Walter Trevor, Nancy Kilgour, Piers Beaumont, and Richard Glasstone. He has danced with Ballet Gulbenkian (Portugal), London City Ballet, and the West Australian Ballet, where he created many major works for the company. He was appointed Ballet Master for West Australian Ballet in 1998.

    He joined Singapore Dance Theatre as Ballet Master in 2000: there he assisted in the mounting and re-creation of works by such noted choreographers as Jivˇí Kylián, Nacho Duato, and Goh Choo San. In 2002 he moved to Alberta Ballet as Ballet Master and over the next decade, assisted with works by George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Christopher Wheeldon and Jean Grand-Maître. His works for Alberta Ballet include Unquiet Light (2003), Swelter (2005), Alice in Wonderland (2006) and The Nutcracker (2008). He continues creating with Alberta Ballet as Choreographic Associate/Artist in Residence.

  • Tchaikovsky was a leading Russian composer of the late 19th century whose works are notable for their melodic inspiration and their orchestration. He is regarded as the master composer for classical ballet, as demonstrated by his scores for Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty. Among the most subjective of composers, Tchaikovsky is inseparable from his music. His work is a manifestation, sometimes charming, often showy, of repressed feelings that became more and more despairing in his later years and were most fully expressed in his Sixth Symphony. Though his later work rejected conscious Russian nationalism, its underlying sentiment and character are as distinctively Russian as that of the Russian nationalist composers.

  • Zack Brown is one of the most versatile theatrical designers in the United States with a career that has spanned Broadway, opera, ballet, and television. Since obtaining his degree from the Yale School of Drama, he has designed the sets and costumes for over 150 productions. From the Metropolitan Opera to the Spoleto Festival; from the Hamburg Ballet to the Circle in the Square in New York; from the San Francisco Opera to the Maly Theatre in Moscow, Mr. Brown’s talents have been employed throughout the world. Washington, D.C., however, has seen the greatest body of his work with over 40 productions for the Washington Opera at the Kennedy Center, and numerous plays and musicals at Arena Stage and The Shakespeare Theater. He designed the scenery and costumes for the Tony Award-winning revival of On Your Toes, and he is the recipient of two Emmy Awards for the broadcast of La Gioconda from the San Francisco Opera. Alberta Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet, all have productions of The Nutcracker designed by Mr. Brown. For American Ballet Theater, he has created productions of Swan Lake, Raymonda, Gaite Parisienne, Jardin Aux Lilas and Dim Lustre, Lowell Liberian’s Piano Concerto #1 and Dorian based on “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Most recently for American Ballet Theatre he designed a new Theme and Variations. He has also designed the settings for Suzanne Farrell’s staging of Balanchine’s Don Quixote for her own company and the National Ballet of Canada.

  • Pierre has been active in dance since 1982, first in Toronto as stage manager for most of the city’s modern dance companies, then in Montreal for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. There he had the great opportunity to work closely with his mentor, lighting designer Nick Cernovitch. Pierre started designing lighting in the 1990’s for Margie Gillis and has since designed every new work in her repertoire. He also created lights for many independent modern dance artists in Montreal. Pierre’s versatility is seen in how easily he can sustain both modern and classical vocabulary. He has designed to rave reviews at Alberta Ballet where he is resident lighting designer. Pierre has also designed works for Shumka Dancers, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet BC, Boston Ballet and many others. For opera Pierre designed at Pacific Opera Victoria, Opera New Brunswick, Opéra de Québec and Tapestry Singers. I would like to dedicate this to my mentor Nicholas Cernovitch who just passed away a few weeks ago.

  • Born in Toronto, Peter Dala studied piano and conducting at England’s Royal College of Music. While in London he worked at the Royal Ballet School as a répétiteur which led to become Conductor and Pianist of the Basel Ballet in Switzerland in 1984. He also worked at the International Opera Studio, Zurich Opera, Switzerland where he conducted his first opera, and guest conducted for the Zurich Ballet. In 1988, Dala joined the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest where he conducted both opera and ballet performances. Career highlights include performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Mendelssohn’s ballet A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Singaporeand Hong Kong Festival of Arts. He joined Edmonton Opera as Chorus Director/Répétiteur, where he made his debut conducting Gounod’s Romeo and Juliette (1997). He is presently Resident Conductor. Mr. Dala started conducting for Alberta Ballet in 2001 with The Nutcracker, and was appointed Music Director in 2005.

  • Christiana is in her seventh season working as part of Alberta Ballet’s artistic team. Previous to her position as Rehearsal Director at Alberta Ballet, she was a Principal dancer with Ballet West for 16 years. While dancing with Ballet West, Bennett was given the opportunity to dance throughout the United States, Europe and Asia where she was met with international acclaim. Some of her favourite ballets to perform were Swan Lake, Balanchine’s Diamonds and Serenade, Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella, Nicolo Fonte’s Bolero, Jiri Kylian’s Sinfonietta, William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated and Aszure Barton’s Happy Little Things. Christiana also had many roles created for her by choreographers such as Matthew Neenan, Nicolo Fonte, Helen Pickett, Val Caniparoli, Christopher Anderson, Garrett Smith and Charlotte Boye-Christensen.

    As a native of Massachusetts, most of her training was along the Eastern seaboard at prestigious schools. However, she attributes her career to the training received at Pacific Northwest Ballet School under the tutelage of Francis Russell.

  • After her fourteen-year career as a dancer with Alberta Ballet, Reilley transitioned into the role of Artistic Coordinator and has now been promoted to Rehearsal Director. She is excited to help behind the scenes and share the knowledge that she has gained while working with our organization.

    Originally born in Eatonville, WA, USA, Reilley trained at both Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle and at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto. She joined Alberta Ballet as a dancer in 2008, and has since made Canada her home, becoming a dual citizen in 2019. Some of her most memorable roles with Alberta Ballet have been as Madame de Tourvel in Jean Grand-Maître’s Dangerous Liaisons, and Queen Anne in David Nixon’s Three Musketeers.

  • After a 17-year performance career, including eight seasons with Alberta Ballet, Yoshiya has stepped into a new role as one of Alberta Ballet’s rehearsal directors.

    Originally from Niigata, Japan, Yoshiya completed his training at Niigata Ballet School and Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto and then went on to dance with American Repertory Ballet, Boston Ballet II, and Kansas City Ballet before joining Alberta Ballet in 2016. Yoshiya has delighted Alberta audiences as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Albrecht in Christopher Anderson’s Giselle, and Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake.

Additional Costumes (Act 2) | Timberlake Studios, Lisa Logan

Alberta Ballet Artistic Support

YEE-HANG YAM
Artistic Operations Manager

REBECCA FAUSER
Company Manager

KEN JAMES STEWART, EMMA SLUNT
Stage Managers

ANDREA GINTER
Lead Physiotherapist -
Momentum Health

COMPANY TEACHER
Jennifer Gibson

COMPANY PIANISTS
Juanita Faas
Marina Fedorov
Michael Levin
Mary Martel
Lorel Leal
Matthew Kallio
Helena Barker

  • Technical Director – Małgorzata Szablowska
    Second Technical Director - Daniel Tessa
    Lead Stage Carpenter – Jason McLellan
    Lead Fly Carpenter – Kevin Green
    Lead Props - Georgia Jeffery
    Lead Lighting – Awstin Davies
    Second Lighting – Oliver Petti

    Wardrobe Manager – Audrey Lee
    Lead Wardrobe – Juli Elkiw
    Second Wardrobe – Terri Lee Grant

    Children’s Wardrobe - Karen Crocker
    Cutter/ Stitcher – Anne Nguyen

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We’ve prepared a full calendar of inspiring activity for our donors in 2023-24 season!

​Our Donor Programs include Dance Circle and the Patron Program, and all membership donations through these program are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.*​​

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    Andre Succar

    Andrea Brussa

    Andrew & Alison Love

    Andrew Greenshaw

    Anelise Silveira

    Angelina Bakshi

    Ann Calvert

    Ann Falk

    Ann Hildenbrand-Mallory

    Ann Howell

    Ann McCaig

    Anna Maria Marrocco

    Anne M. Toutant

    Annette L. Willoughby

    Annette Milbradt

    Annie McKitrick

    Anthony Grace

    Ardith Birchall

    Arlene Strom & Colin Jackson

    Arliss Miller

    Beatrice van den Dool

    Bernard Kohrs

    Beth MacIntosh

    Betty Sherwood

    Betty Stein

    Bob & Mary Lamond

    Bob Willows

    Bogdan Kulik

    Boyd Musgrove

    Brenda Currie

    Brenda H. Harriet Fick

    Brenda Kaminski

    Brenda Nugent

    Brianna Wartman

    Bruce Mackenzie

    Bruce McFarlane & Janice Heard

    Burdette Richardson

    C J de Jong

    Calvin Chow

    Cara Varzari

    Carmen Stimpson

    Carol Dixon

    Carol H. Hodgson-Birkman

    Carol Rands

    Carol Xia

    Carolyn Nutter

    Catherine Barrett

    Catherine Campbell

    Catherine Lakeman

    Catherine Lis

    Catherine Turnbull

    Catherine Walker

    Cecilie Lord

    Chan and Lois Hawkins

    Cheri D Boyle

    Chris Piggott

    Christina & Paul Marlett

    Christine Halasa

    Christine Trickett

    Christopher & Ingrid Eggertson

    City Lumber & Millwork

    Claire Galvin

    Colin Jones

    Colleen Hartley

    Colleen J. Sankey

    Courtney Brin

    Craig & Valerie Johnstone

    Crystal L. Willie

    Darcia Rolland

    Darin H. Grisdale

    Noel Papadopoulos & Darin LaBonte

    Daryl Fridhandler

    David & Violet Todd

    David Jacques

    David Severson

    Davin & Alexis Macintosh

    Dawn Riley

    Dean J. Bartlett

    Deana Haley

    Debra Anker

    Debra Pitman

    Deirdre Harris

    Delia Stayner

    Diana Andriashek

    Diana Mulherin

    Dianne Grant

    Donald & Pauline Gray

    Donna Grandan

    Donna M. Ludvigsen

    Dorothy Guch

    Dorothy Woolstencroft

    Douglas and Laurie Strothe

    Douglas Soeder

    Dyann Lewis

    Edgar Toop

    Edward Huck

    Eileen Jones

    Elena Hernandez-Kucey

    Elisa Pilkington

    Elizabeth Baggott

    Ellen Bach

    Ellie & Carter Siebens

    Eric & Dedre Toker

    Erika Pochailo

    Erin Lamb-Fauquier

    Ernesto Chaves

    Eva Weckl

    F Michael Wright

    Farrell Engineering Sales Inc

    Fath Group/O'Hanlon Paving

    Fay Milk

    Feiran Qian

    Florence Dickson

    Fran Blacklaws

    Frances & Bob Coward

    Gail Moores

    Gail O'reilly

    Geoffrey Mar

    Geoffrey Van Blaricom

    George & Colleen Bezaire

    Georgina Clark

    Geraldine Higgins

    Gerard D. Mcinnis

    Gerhard Henkemans

    Geri & Allan Moon

    Gilda Sanders

    Gillian Lawrence

    Gina Sorensen

    Glenda Magallon

    Grace Bokenfohr

    Graeme Beaulieu

    Graham Steel

    Gregory McLeod

    Haggett & Rogers Group of Companies Inc.

    Heather & Ian Bourne

    Heather Klimchuk

    Heather Rae

    Helen Otto

    Helen Webster

    Herman & Elly de Jongh Fund

    Hope Smith

    Ildiko Beermann

    Imelda D. McLaren

    Ingrid Rozema

    Ingrid Vicas

    Jack & Donna Newton

    Jack Mcivor

    J'Adore Dance

    James & Allison Murphy

    James Conley

    Jana Neal

    Jane Baxter

    Jane Carestairs

    Jane McCaig & Richard Waller

    Janet Brook

    Janet E Matthews

    Janice Rae

    Jean Lawson

    Jeanie Cameron-Staples

    Jeanne E. Watson

    Jennifer & Torval Mork

    Jennifer Rallison

    Jesse Martinez

    Jessica Davis

    Jia Hu

    Jill A. Stueby

    Jill Sheward

    Jillian & Hall Murdoch

    Joan Bedard

    Joanne Graham

    Joanne Danyluk-Hall

    Jocelyn Beckett

    Jodi Moodie

    Jody Korchinski

    Joel Finkbeiner

    John & Marilynne Gillespie

    John & Barbara Feldberg

    John & Sheilagh Langille

    John & Susan Hokanson

    John C. Bonnycastle

    John Laurence

    John Mac Mullan

    John Masters & Carol Larsen

    Joni Hughes

    Joni Rynsburger

    Joy Higgins

    Joyce Lester

    Joyce Shietze

    Judith Anderson

    Judith Hannon

    Judith McLeay

    Judy Chan

    Judy Cosco

    Julia Boberg

    Julie Moylan

    Juliette Lemieux-Gordon

    Kamala Pepper

    Kara Levis

    Karen Titanich

    Kari Smith

    Karol Dabbs

    Katherine Bilson

    Katherine Weaver

    Kathleen Popp

    Kathryn Glendinning

    Kathryn Lennon

    Kathy Campbell

    Kathy J. McMillan

    Kathy Ruth R. Morgan

    Kathy Smart

    Katie A. Hayes

    Katrina Whiteman

    Keith & Cindy O'Neill

    Kelly Bourassa

    Kelsey Snow

    Kerri and Sean Barr

    Kevin Allen & Gordon Sombrowski

    Kevin Stecyk

    Kim Chaudhry

    Lana Bistritz

    Larry Clausen

    Laura Graham

    Laura Knop-Wright

    Laura Prather

    Laurel McKay

    Laurie Bayda

    Laurie Roszell

    Lawrence Gervais

    Lea Kramer

    Leigh Garvie

    Leigh McAdam

    Leo Hofmann

    Leona Gibb

    Leonard Arcovio

    Leslie A. O'Leary

    Leslie and Gerald Giacomelli

    Leslie Anne A. Percy

    Leslie Dort

    Leslie Pidcock

    Liana Harper

    Linda Davis

    Linda De Bathe

    Linda Kaye K. Crawford

    Lindsay Hyndman & CorinneBleakley

    Lindsay Salloum

    Lindsey Walsh

    Lisa Cuthill

    Lisa Denesiuk

    Liz McGregor

    Liz Tonken

    Lois Field

    Lorelei Tauber

    Lori Goetjen-Lienau

    Louise Klatzel-Mudry

    Lucie Thirnbeck

    Lucy Ruiz

    Luigi Raimondi

    Lyn Johnson

    Lynn & Vern Hult

    Lynn Sparks

    Lynne Fawcett

    Madelyn Lang

    Magdalena Mateuszczyk

    Maggie Mitchell

    Malcolm and Theresa Grainger

    Marco Simonelli

    Marga Betz

    Margaret Dudley

    Margo L. LaValley

    Marguerite Paulsen

    Maria Binnion

    Marilynne Gillespie

    Marion Tompkins

    Marjorie Kornelsen

    Martin & Theresa Trotter

    Martin Andersen

    Marueen Senior

    Mary C. Macdonald

    Mary-Anne Rowe

    Matias Grum

    Maureen G. Mannix

    Mel Mirasol

    Melanie O. Houley

    Melanie Zimmer

    Mengmeng Lu

    Michael Sherman

    Michele L. Gunn

    Mihaela lordache

    Miri Kim

    Mitch & Susanne Williams

    Mona & Scott Rose

    Ms. Dale Lamont

    Monique Courcelles

    Nan Schuurmans

    Nancy Aust

    Nancy Scrymgeour

    Nancy Thorpe

    Nancy Tice

    Naomi Degenhardt

    Natalie Choules

    National Bank Trust

    Nicole Butler

    Nicole Herrero-Langlais & JoseCarlos Herrero

    Noel Xavier

    Nora Stovel

    Norma Younger

    Oksana Tcherbak

    Olive Rynsburger

    Osten-Victor Fund

    Outi McEachern

    Patricia Cisakowski

    Patricia Culver

    Patricia Peabody

    Patricia Seamans

    Patti McKendrick

    Paul & Christina Marlett

    Paula Magdich

    Penelope Weir

    Penny Smith

    Peter & Dorothea MacDonnell

    Peter Andrekson & Veronica Prokop

    Peter & Ethel Stapleton

    Randall Anderson

    Rebecca Tucker

    Rena Tsunomachi

    Renate Palmer

    Rhonda Sim

    Richard & Aurora Musto

    Richard and Mary Shaw

    Richard Mah

    Richard Ostrowski

    Robert & Jean Ann Rooney

    Robert Arts & Pam Fitzgerald

    Robert Rosen

    Robin & Tino Di Manno

    Robin Grouette

    Rod & Betty Wade

    Roderick & Jean McKay

    Roger Mapp

    Ron Westcott

    Roseanne Penner

    Rosemarie Brown

    Roxanne McCaig

    Ruben & Heather Nelson

    Ruth Aronetz

    Saida Vuk

    Samy Salloum

    Sandra Alton

    Sandra F. Lucas

    Sandra Folkins

    Sandra Yates

    Sandy & Bill Evans

    Sarah Burghardt

    Sarah Cooper

    Sarah Palmer & Tom Plunkett

    Savannah Ribeiro

    Scott Olson

    Sean English

    Shannon Stevenson

    Sharon Hanwell

    Sharon Martens

    Sharon McNaughton

    Sharon Pawlyk

    Sharon Watkins

    Shawna Guiltner

    Sheahan Keinick

    Shelagh Lobay

    Shelley Smith

    Shirine Lund

    Shirley Allder

    Spayco Clinic

    Simone T. Bussieres & Richard Speiss

    Stacey Tomlinson

    Stephanie Ho Lem

    Stephanie Lawrence

    Stephen Marsters & Steven Gallent

    Sue Hindle

    Susan Andrews

    Susan MacDonald

    Susan-Jane Sudyk

    Sylvia Duffus

    Tadeusz Baczkiewicz

    Tania Dunlop

    Tannis Morgan

    Tara Mathison

    Tara Weiss

    Tennille Boessenkool

    Terrie Faber

    Terry Palmer

    Tessa Hornbeck

    The Fabbrici Foundation

    Theresa Yearwood

    Therese Kracher

    Thomas & Kathryn Grell

    Thomas Fath & Jo-Ann Kolmes

    Tricia Hyndman

    Trudy Feldmeyer

    Trudy Velichka

    Valerie & Tony Barlott

    Valerie Beauchamp

    Valerie MacLeod

    Valerie Robertson

    Valerie Seaman

    Vicki Giles

    Victor Dantas

    Vivian Manasc

    Walter & Irene DeBoni

    Wendy Gnenz

    Yolanda Van Wachem

    Yuko Mase

    Yulia Herasimovich

  • Anonymous

    Alberta Ballet Foundation

    Benevity

    Calgary Foundation

    CanadaHelps.org

    Edmonton Community Foundation

    Fabbrici Foundation for the Arts

    GiftFunds Canada

    Heather Bala Edwards Foundation

    Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by Altalink

    Shaw Family Foundation

    Seaver Family Flow Through Fund and the Calgary Foundation

    Viewpoint Foundation

    Baker Tilly Catalyst

    Palmer Family Foundation

    Farrell Engineering Sales Inc.

    Osten-Victor Fund

    Callow & Associates Management Consultants Inc.

    AltaLink, A Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company

A whole community is working behind-the-scenes,
helping us inspire you with dance!

  • CHAIR
    Daryl S. Fridhandler, Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP (Calgary)

    VICE CHAIR
    Jana Neal, SFG Investments (Calgary & Southern Alberta) &
    Heather Klimchuk, Advocacy, Connections & Communications Consulting (Edmonton & Northern Alberta)

    CORPORATE SECRETARY
    Frank Molnar, Field Law (Calgary)

    TREASURER
    Jana Neal, SFG Investments (Calgary)

  • Denise Clarke, One Yellow Rabbit (Calgary)

    Lawrence Gervais, Phoenix Energy Services Inc. (Calgary)

    Wendy Gnenz, MNP (Edmonton)

    Alyssa Kim, Finning International (Edmonton)

    Agnieszka (Aggie) Mikulski, TIPP Consulting (Edmonton)

    Sarah Palmer, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Calgary)

    Noel Papadopoulos, Papas Group (Edmonton)

    Heather Rae, HRJ Consulting (Calgary)

    Ellie Siebens, EPL Consulting Ltd. (Calgary)

    Eric Toker, Modern Flowers (Calgary)

    Bob Willows, Willows Construction (2001) Ltd. (Winfield)

    Noel Xavier, Edmonton Community Foundation (Edmonton)

  • CHAIR/PRESIDENT
    Alfred Sorensen

    SECRETARY/TREASURER
    Peter A. Johnson

    DIRECTOR
    Chandra Henry

    DIRECTOR
    Daryl Fridhandler

    DIRECTOR
    Jana Neal

 BOARD OF DIRECTORS (2023)

2023/24 GOVERNMENT FUNDERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS