After the end of the 2007/08 season and an intense run of performances that were demanding both in quality and quantity, I was ready to enjoy my vacation. This time, I was truly looking forward to a ballet-free summer. But three days into my naïve dream, I received an urgent email from the English National Ballet inviting me for Etudes, a ballet we had just finished performing here in Toronto.

It all happened so quickly that on the fourth day of my vacation, I found myself sitting on an Air Canada plane bound for London marveling at how my summer took such an abrupt turn. Little did I know that I was signing up for more than I expected. Nevertheless, my excitement was driving me forward.

After a few days of rehearsals, adjusting from my jet lag and getting familiar with a slightly different version of Etudes, I found myself ready for the dress rehearsal. Since my first show would be the next day, I thought there was nothing wrong with giving it my all. After a nice relaxing dinner, I was properly dressed to attend the opening night performance to better prepare myself for my show the next day.

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After watching David Dawson and Wayne Eagling’s ballets, I went backstage before Etudes. Five minutes before their curtain, I found my alternate looking green with food poisoning. A few minutes after that, while listening to the opening music of Etudes, I was pulling up my tights with one hand and attempting to apply make-up with the other. My muscles were still somewhat warm from the rehearsal that day so warming up was easier than expected and I was surprisingly calm when I took my first step onto the Royal Festival Hall stage.

The energy and adrenaline from both the dancers and the audience made the whole opening night one unforgettable experience. When I left the theatre that night, I was relieved and satisfied but quickly the reality of dancing in all of the six shows was hitting me.

To make a long story short, I ended up dancing six performances in four days with three different partners. Some shows were better than others and although I could elaborate on everything that could’ve gone better I’m exhilarated about once again defying the odds and proving to myself that sometimes the body and mind are much stronger than we believe they can be.

As this whole week was very unplanned, it ended up being an amazing interruption.
Now sitting on the plane back to Toronto, I am again planning my little vacation while reminiscing on all the excitement that such a short period of time could offer.

Zdenek Konvalina’s performance with the English National Ballet received rave reviews, including:

“Czech-born Zdenek Konvalina… takes the stage and tells us that here is what he loves best: the dance - clear, gleaming, fired by enthusiasm and authority. A spiffing debut.” - The Financial Times, UK, 2008

“The principal trio, Glurdjidze, Cesar Morales and a stylish last-minute guest, Zdenek Konvalina from Canada, dazzle with bravura in the irresistible, brilliant climax.” - The Times, UK, 2008

[Video: Zdenek Konvalina with Artists of the Ballet in Etudes by Monica Guddat]

It was a beautiful sunny day and the end of the 2007/08 season. The day started out as they always had, with a breakfast shake full of healthy stuff, then I rushed to ballet class. My friends asked how I felt. I was feeling “normal”. There was no anxiety, nervousness or even any excitement about this special day. This was the day of my last performance with The National Ballet of Canada.

I started performing with the company in February of 1991 with Rudolf Nureyev’s The Sleeping Beauty. Now, I’m transitioning to another career teaching Pilates.

While getting ready for the final performance, I received well wishes from my friends and colleagues ranging from a kiss and a hug to bottles of wine and champagne. Thirty minutes from the top of the second detail, we were paged for warm-up over in the PA system. I had a few seconds of being still within my mind and after saying a few “karmapa chenno” chants I was off to the Rehearsal Hall. In spite of the excitement around me, I felt calm and grounded, the best balance I could have before a show. While we warmed up, the music was at full volume with a mix of hip-hop and funky tunes. Everybody was pumped for the last show. We joined in a circle and everybody exchanged “merdes” and hugs and kisses, a tradition before each show. We went to our places excited and ready to have a great time. Then the curtain rose.

My last show with the company came and went. It was like a bubble in water; it formed, floated to the surface and disappeared. I lived every second of it, as I always do. This is what makes live art very special. As I went out for the last curtain call, Principal Dancer Heather Ogden turned around and gave her flowers to me. I felt gratitude and love. I felt right and ready.

I am writing this blog from the beautiful town of Banff, Alberta in The Banff Centre for the performing arts surrounded by glorious mountains. I was invited to teach Pilates to Apprentices who are getting ready for their first jobs in professional ballet companies.

When I get back to Toronto, I will teach Pilates for Pro Arte Danza’s three week intensive summer program while also teaching at The Studio Pilates at Church and Wellesley. I am looking forward to the challenges of building a clientele and I am making myself available to the general public for Pilates sessions. [Je-an's classes can be booked through the website above].

I was also appointed by our Artistic Director Karen Kain to the position of Resident Pilates Teacher for the National Ballet. I am happy to be able to support the dancers with Pilates in the place I grew up and the place I call home.

[Photos by Tanya Howard. Top: Je-an Salas outside the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts. Above, from left to right: Robert Glumbek (after winning the Clifford E. Lee Choreography Award), Mandy-Jayne Richardson, Je-an Salas and Lindsay Fischer].

For the first two weeks of July since 2005, I have been teaching a creative movement kids’ camp called Creating Dances. It’s a wonderful, multi-faceted program that allows kids to put together a show at the end of a two-week period comprised of dance, music and artwork of their own making, all with a little help from professionals in each field.

This year, the musician I worked with was National Ballet Orchestra Principal Violist Angela Rudden and the Visual Artist was none other than my husband, Theo Edmands, which was definitely a bonus because we could confer at home about our project ideas.

There are two groups of approximately 20 children each, one aged 7-8 and the other in the 9-12 age group. This was my first year teaching the younger kids and although they were a lovely group, a room of 24 seven year olds will certainly keep you on your toes!

It is crucial to keep them attentive and interested at all times, and it certainly took some trial and error to figure out what works and what doesn’t. For example, yelling QUIET! as loudly as you can is not as effective as pretending to “velcro” your mouth and nearly any group of words can be compelling when turned into a catchy chant- I recommend this.

The theme of our show this year was “my favorite things” and it was great to see, as in years past, how much the kids can learn in such a short period. On day two, they had trouble keeping in a straight line but by day 14 they put on a ten-minute show complete with dance steps, music and sets. The parents loved it and the kids and I were extremely proud of the performance.

[Photos: Top, Alejandra Perez-Gomez by Sian Richards. Middle and bottom, Children enjoying the Creating Dances summer camp by Setareh Sarmadi]

Greta Hodgkinson writes about the days leading up to her and Etienne Lavigne’s wedding on July 4, 2008.

I can’t believe the season has finally finished. The past month has been one of the most stressful times for me and Etienne. Not only were we performing a demanding schedule, we were also trying to plan our wedding. After a year and a half of being engaged, it’s now only 10 days away!

There are still a million details to be looked after and I’m getting more excited by the minute. There is the rehearsal dinner, gift baskets and our final music choices still to be decided on. We have speeches to draw up, readings to go over and bridal party gifts to buy. There’s also the seating chart to plan, rings to pick up and, if there’s time, maybe Etienne and I will try and choreograph a little something for our first dance! In addition, our families will be arriving early next week, making ours a very full house.

So now that the stress of the season is behind us, a whole new kind of pressure is mounting. I feel like it’s the performance of my life but I’m not the least bit nervous. Everyone says that something will inevitably go wrong on the day so to just try and soak it all in and enjoy ourselves. That’s the one thing I am absolutely sure to do.

[Photo: Etienne Lavigne and Greta Hodgkinson on their wedding day by T. H. Jackson Huang]