They’re bringing classical back.
The rise and mainstream sway of contemporary dance over the last decade has, in ways, come to take precedence over the traditional form – the classical ballet. But one Vancouver dance company maintains that the old-world underdog still packs a punch.
“I see audiences every time I go that are very enthusiastic,” says Li Yaming, co-founder and artistic director of Coastal City Ballet, when asked about the city’s reaction to classical performances. “There is room and a space for traditional classical ballet, and we feel we don’t have enough of it in Vancouver,” he adds.
It’s with that sentiment that Coastal City Ballet is bringing the classical love story, Giselle, back to Vancouver for the first time in 10 years. The story-driven production will be presented at the Playhouse on May 19 and the Surrey Arts Center on June 9.
Giselle tells the story of a young peasant girl betrayed by her nobleman lover. Unable to withstand the prince’s deception, Giselle dies of a broken heart, only to join the ranks of the Wilis – a corps of restless, vengeful spirits who have died before their wedding day. The spirits seek revenge by luring young men into their lair and forcing them to dance until they die. Giselle, however, finds a moment of redemption when she spares her betrothed from the grisly fate.
Since its Paris premiere in 1841, Giselle has become the epitome of ballet romanticism. And since the company’s launch in 2011, Yaming and partners have made a point of presenting classical performances like it annually. Both shows in last year’s presentation of Swan Lake sold out, prompting the company to look to another well known ballet for this year’s spring production.
“We want to continue to bring the story and the technique of the ballet to Vancouver,” said Yaming, who finds that traditional ballets, like Swan Lake and Giselle, contain a level of technical difficultly well suited for emerging dancers.
Coastal City Ballet aims to provide performance opportunities for emerging dancers from Canada and beyond. It has presented 11 productions to audiences in Greater Vancouver, Regina and Saskatchewan, to date, including six full-length story ballets.
Internationally renowned German choreographer Irene Schneider (Magdeburg Theatre Ballet School, John Cranko Academy) returns to choreograph Giselle. Schneider and Coastal City Ballet’s collaboration began in 2012 with Hansel and Gretel. Since then, they have collaborated on story-driven classics like a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coppelia, Cinderella and Swan Lake.
Despite its championing of the classical form, the repertory company does make a point of producing a range of productions from original story and contemporary, alongside its annual classical presentations.
Vancouver’s contemporary dance scene is a national leader, Yaming says, but he also encourages fans of modern dance to re-embrace the classical form that gave way to the contemporary craze. “They will be surprised,” he says.
