I was really excited to perform veer with Keiichi Hirano at last summer’s MAD HOT II Gala. Even though we had worked tirelessly with Sabrina Matthews to have it prepared for the Seventh International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize in 2007, having the extra time to work on the many details of this extremely difficult six minute pas de deux made us stronger, more confident and even more excited to show the piece well. I was really sad when Keiichi suffered an injury during the last competition. Having worked so hard and so well as a team made it very difficult to continue without him. I was so happy with what we had already achieved that I didn’t feel the need to continue on in the competition, so the rest of the evening and winning the competition, was the biggest surprise I could have ever imagined.

This competition is such a special opportunity for young dancers to grow personally and artistically. My advice to this year’s competitors is to enjoy every moment of it and prepare as best as you can so that when the moment arrives you can feel proud of what you and your partner have accomplished, regardless of the outcome.

This year, I will be performing in another world premiere by Sabrina Matthews called DEXTRIS. I love Sabrina’s energy. She is really positive and can inspire me on a Monday morning. She knows what she wants out of her choreography and her dancers and when you get on her wavelength, her work is really rewarding. 

Tickets for the Eighth International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize and Innovation featuring Sabrina Matthew’s new work DEXTRIS are still available. national.ballet.ca

[Photos: Top, Tina Pereira and Keiichi Hirano in veer. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann. Above, Tina Pereira at the Awards Ceremony during the Seventh International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.]

Running from one studio to another, I find myself lost in thought about my new creation for The National Ballet of Canada. Walking into rehearsal, my mind is pulled back to the dancers and away from my recent Vivaldi conversation with Music Director & Principal Conductor David Briskin. DEXTRIS, the piece that I have thought about on and off for a year, is beginning to take shape. As the music begins in the studio, I visualize what almost 100 artists will look and sound like in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts – a double choir, five vocal soloists, a 65 member orchestra and 10 dancers.

I bump into my costume designer Caroline O’Brien just after lunch. She assures me everything is on track with the choir and dancer costumes. I begin to feel more at ease. With limited rehearsal time and only a few weeks left, every aspect must be carefully planned.

Fortunately, I have previously created works on almost all of the 10 dancers in my piece. Knowing their strengths and capabilities is a benefit I am not usually accustomed to. In my recent pieces in Germany, the US and Sweden, I was flown in to choose dancers with whom I never previously worked. Usually, I only have a couple jet lagged days to assess.

It is a busy time for the company. The dancers are rehearsing three new creations and a full length ballet simultaneously. Romeo and Juliet will open immediately after the Innovation programme. After double-checking which studio I am in for my next rehearsal, I review my strategy of how to build the stamina, strength and overall fluidity of the work. I feel anxious but thrilled to see what life this work will bring on stage.

[Photos: Top, Sabrina Matthews. Photo by Clay Stang. Middle, Sabrina Matthews in rehearsal. Photo by Carl Thorborg. Bottom: Sabrina Matthews in rehearsal with Jonathan Renna. Photo by Daniel Marshalsay.]

Heather Ogden and Guillaume Côté

Although we have been together for over two years, we have never been in the same city for Valentine’s Day! This year, we’re looking forward to spending the day together in our new house and we will have dinner at a nearby restaurant we love called Leslie Jones. As for gifts, that’s top secret. We are both big on surprises!

Marissa Parzei and Noah Long

Noah and I are planning on spending a simple Valentine’s Day. We’re going to go ice skating like we did on our first date. Since Noah has a Swiss background, we are having fondue for dinner - a cheese fondue with home cooked prime rib. 

Bridgett Zehr and Zdenek Konvalina

This year for Valentine’s Day, we will have a nice relaxing day. We will eat dinner at an elegant restaurant and finish the night by listening to some jazz.

Etienne Lavigne and Greta Hodgkinson

We will stay home and have a quiet dinner, just the two of us. Etienne is a fabulous cook and restaurants are way too busy on Valentine’s Day, so we generally don’t go out to celebrate. Having said that, Etienne has been known to surprise me every once in a while.

Keiichi Hirano and Tamara Jones

We are planning to celebrate this Valentine’s Day with a home cooked meal and a good movie. We like to keep our Valentine’s Day cozy and simple, since the pressure of this romantic day can sometimes be overwhelming!

Andreea Olteanu and Patrick Lavoie

This year, Patrick and I are going to celebrate Valentine’s Day by going to Blue Mountain for a night and spending the day at the Scandinavian Spa. If the celebrations continue back in Toronto, Scaramouche will be the restaurant of our choice. We were there for our wedding anniversary and we absolutely loved it. 

Two months of rehearsals with The National Ballet of Canada, a newly commissioned symphony from one of Russia’s leading composers, a first chance to show my work in what is essentially my home town – such is the stuff of which dreams are made!

I am currently rehearsing my new work, IN COLOUR. The ballet is roughed out and this week, we will put it all together for the first time. This is always a scary rehearsal for me because seeing all the separate pieces come together tests my planning. Will the tone of the work be varied enough and show the dancers in their best light? I feel that a choreographer has to balance their voice and intent with the individual gifts of the dancers. So far, it has all been a pleasure.

One section is called “Toss Tina”. It is the first time that there will be any colour on stage in the ballet and I wanted it to be a thrilling moment. There are a series of crashes in the music and I felt that Second Soloist Tina Pereira should enter the scene while propelled in the air. When I explained to the dancers what I wanted, they answered me with amused smirks; Tina was game. She planted a hand on two of the men’s shoulders and lodged her foot in one of their hands; she was fearless and ready to fly. Over time we built a large machine of men that serve to launch Tina high above their heads in a scorpion-like movement. The audience won’t miss the beginning of “Red”!

I created the central Pas de Deux on Corps de Ballet members Elena Lobsanova and Noah Long and Guillaume Côté and Bridgett Zehr will dance this part as well. Guillaume and Bridgett just danced this entire six and a half minute section this week, having only had an hour long rehearsal. I could not believe it when they ran through it with an audience of company members — it was as though they had both saved up and bottled the passion during their months of not dancing due to injuries and then started to spill it out for us to enjoy. Sometimes there are incredible performances in the studio when the dancers are most themselves and at work. It is my privilege to see these moments as IN COLOUR takes shape.

[Photos: Peter Quanz. Photo by V. Tony Hauser. Tina Pereira. Photo by Sian Richards. Peter Quanz in rehearsal with Artists of the Ballet. Photo by Tanya Howard.]