Winds of change

Wolf’s Court is part of the National Ballet Of Canada’s new summer season, and is presented with two other celebrated short ballets; all of the choreographers in the mixed program are gay.

Originally premiered in 1997, James Kudelka’s much-loved The Four Seasons has toured to New York, San Francisco and Detroit, among other places. Set to Vivaldi’s well-known suite of baroque concerti, the piece is a blend of classical and modern dance that movingly portrays the four seasons in one man’s life. Former National star Rex Harrington, who created the lead role, is coaching the next generation of dancers in the intricacies and drama of the piece.

New York-based, British-born choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s bristling and dynamic work Polyphonia premiered with the NYC Ballet in 2001. A cast of eight dancers perform a series of 10 vignettes set to the stylistically varied piano pieces of György Ligeti. The work traverses a wide array of formal strategies creating a tapestry of movement that won Wheeldon the prestigious Olivier Award in 2002. This is the National’s company debut of Polyphonia.

Chris Dupuis

Chris Dupuis is a writer and curator originally from Toronto.

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