After their successful tour of Carmen last spring, Ballet Victoria returns to the Sid Williams Theatre on March 30 with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Other Works, a uniquely West Coast interpretation blending music, poetry, visual art, and dance.
Buoyed by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons score, new and exciting choreography from Ballet Victoria’s artistic director Paul Destrooper weaves classical music with First Nation legend as the audience follows two ravens through the seasons of a mystical relationship.
“It’s the spirituality and mythology of the West Coast,” Destrooper says. “It’s a story about relationships.
“In autumn, there’s the harvest and feasts in the tradition of the potlatch. The chill of winter follows the honeymoon stage and there’s some fighting. Then spring brings nature and love back to life. In summer, all the women give birth and families build,” he explains.
Inspired by the work of four First Nations visual artists — LessLIE, Rande Cook, Tom Hunt, and Dylan Thomas — Destrooper’s choreography sees each season personified by a dozen costumed dancers and their seasonal colours contrast with the white and black ravens, depicted by Destrooper and Sandrine Cassini.
The paintings of the four First Nations artists, all from Vancouver Island, are projected in an introductory montage ahead of each season. The multi-layered performance is rounded out by Lieut.- Gov. Steven L. Point’s narration of haikus by Victoria poet Linda Rogers.
Founded in 2002, Ballet Victoria has transformed over the last three years into a first-class professional arts organization. Under the artistic direction of Paul Destrooper, the company has become a cultural asset to Victoria and the province, receiving accolades in national and international media.
Destrooper has created works, taught and coached for professional companies and schools including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Northwest Professional Dance Project, Ballet Kelowna, Ballet BC and the Okanagan Summer Dance Intensive. Destrooper’s choreography focuses on ballet as an Art of Light — shaping light with movement to reflect musicality and trigger emotion.
This is the only North Island stop on Ballet Victoria’s tour of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Other Works.
Ballet Victoria’s performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Other Works at the Sid Williams Theatre on March 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Courtenay. Tickets can be purchased at the Sid ticket centre, by phone 250-338-2430 or online at www.sidwilliamstheatre.com.
— Sid Williams Theatre
