The first ballet I have ever had the privilege to attend was the Alberta Ballet's offbeat production, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, featuring the music of Vancouver's own Sarah McLachlan. It was enough to convince me that I should absolutely go more often.
I first came to appreciate Sarah McLachlan as a teenager. I was hard into industrial music and discovered that one of my favorite bands at the time, Front Line Assembly, was involved in a project called Delirium. Delirium is a bit of softer industrial trance that sometimes involves McLachlan's expressive voice. Her work with Delirium showed her ability to use her talent with other artists of very different styles to make something brilliant. So when I heard that the Alberta Ballet was performing an all-McLachlan show, I trusted that she was involved in something interesting.
Expect a wonderfully bizarre dreamscape that mixes heartfelt and powerful narratives with tongue-in-cheek silliness, and even a few pieces where you aren't exactly sure where they fall on the spectrum of silly - serious. The control these men and women have over what their bodies are doing at every moment is enthralling, and they have a real ability to tell a story through movement.
Photo By Don Lee
So check out the ballet. Check it out if you have ever wanted to hear a group of tiny ballerinas all scream in unison, or if you are interested in watching a ballerina dressed like an ice cream cone make a lewd gesture to ballerinas not dressed like food. Go in with an open mind and enjoy this slice of quirky and joy-filled art. They have one more show coming up in Banff on November 23rd.
Next up for Ballet BC is The Nutcracker, which I can only imagine will be just as eccentrically beautiful.
