Returning to Chilliwack with a beautiful tapestry of contemporary and classical dance, Ballet Kelowna presents, Innovation, at the Cultural Centre on Saturday, March 22. This ground-breaking composition is a celebration of what Ballet Kelowna’s Artistic Director David LaHay describes as “highlighted moments” in the Canadian dance legacy. It promises to be a magnificent performance overflowing with prestige, home-grown talent, and of course… Innovation.
Ballet Kelowna’s goal is to present audiences with a mixed repertoire of styles, and this performance features conceptual ingenuity and ability to blend diverse influences into a remarkable and unique experience. LaHay promises that Innovation will include treasures of Canadian dance such as an extract from the pivotal “Quatre études de Rythme” by Vancouver choreographer Kay McDonald, some Mozart, and a delightfully funny work by one of Ballet Kelowna’s former stars, that LaHay says “will have the audience laughing and having a great time!” A milestone production for this incredible and vibrant B.C. dance group, Innovation, marks two decades for the troupe, and so will feature a reinterpretation of their first commissioned piece, the well-loved and touching “I Remember You.”
This nod to the past will be complemented by a taste of the contemporary, and Innovation will also feature a brand-new choreography by LaHay, produced to a jaunty jazz score by prominent Okanagan musician Neville Bowman. The final section of Innovation, and also LaHay’s concluding choreography as Artistic Director of Ballet Kelowna, this toe-tapping segment has LaHay really excited.
“It really lets the dancers be creative, let loose, and have a whole lot of fun. It’s an amazing way to close the performance, and the audiences absolutely love it!”
Transforming spectacular compositions into a visually powerful feast of emotion and energy will be a dynamic group of dancers, and combined with this prestigious repertoire of choreographers, Innovation promises to challenge contemporary ballet and leave you astounded with its originality and powerful intimacy.
Ballet Kelowna’s Innovation, March 22, Cultural Centre, Main Theatre, 7:30 p.m. $32/29/27, 604-391-SHOW (7469) or boxoffice@chilliwackculturalcentre.ca
