PRESS RELEASE: 'DANCE ME – MUSIC BY LEONARD COHEN' PRESENTED BY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL & ROBOMAGIC LIVE WILL RECEIVE ITS UK PREMIERE AT SADLER'S WELLS FROM 7 – 11 FEB 2023

[Jan McNulty]

 

PRESS RELEASE                                                                           

Midday, Monday 14 November 2022

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• DANCE ME – MUSIC BY LEONARD COHEN PRESENTED BY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL & ROBOMAGIC LIVE WILL MAKE ITS EXCLUSIVE UK PREMIERE AT SADLER’S WELLS FROM 7 – 11 FEBRUARY 2023 AFTER THRILLING AUDIENCES ACROSS CANADA, THE US, AND EUROPE.
   
• THREE INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED CHOREOGRAPHERS ANDONIS FONIADAKIS, ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA AND IHSAN RUSTEM HAVE PUT MOVEMENT TO COHEN’S LEGENDARY SONGS WHICH WILL BE BROUGHT TO LIFE BY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL’S 14 PERFORMING ARTISTS.

 

 

 

Robomagic Live, in association with Ballets Jazz Montréal, will present Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen at Sadler’s Wells in London for its exclusive UK premiere from 7 – 11 February 2023. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday 17th November at midday on www.robomagiclive.com/dance-me

Dance Me is inspired by the rich and profound work of Montréal-based poet, artist and songwriter, Leonard Cohen. Conceived by the Artistic Director at the time, Louis Robitaille, approved by Cohen himself, and realized by the strong, bold dramaturgy of Eric Jean, this homage to the famed artist evokes the grand cycles of existence, as described in Cohen’s reflective music and poems.

 

Three internationally renowned, contemporary dance choreographers have been entrusted with putting movement to Cohen’s legendary songs: Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Ihsan Rustem. Their powerful and profound choreographic world reflective of Cohen’s singular work.

 

 

 

 

Surrounded by a team of celebrated designers, Dance Me combines scenic, visual, musical, dramaturgical, and choreographic elements to pay tribute to Montreal’s greatest ambassador. Dance, music, lighting, scenography, and videography all come together in this special one-off UK date.

 

Alexandra Damiani, Artistic Director of Ballets Jazz Montréal said:

“Ballets Jazz Montréal is thrilled to be performing Dance Me - Music by Leonard Cohen for the first time in London. Back in 2008, Leonard recorded his 18th album in London, and it went on to become a huge success. To be performing this iconic dance show that pays homage to this beloved songwriter, in a city that held such importance to him during his lifetime, only magnifies how meaningful this invitation is for the company.”

 

Robomagic Live is proud to bring Ballets Jazz Montréal’s Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen to the UK. Robomagic Live Founder, Rob Hallett, adds: “It is great to continue my long association with Leonard Cohen’s music by presenting this unique interpretation of his music for the London premiere of this beloved show.”

 

Songs that will feature in the show include: Suzanne (1967), So Long, Marianne(1967), Famous Blue Raincoat (1971), Lover, Lover, Lover (1974), Hallelujah(1984), First We Take Manhattan (1988), Tower of Song (1988), Everybody Knows(2001), Here It Is (2001), Dance Me to the End of Love (Live in London, 2009), Boogie Street (Live in London, 2009), Nevermind (2014), Steer Your Way (2016), It Seemed the Better Way (2016), String Reprise / Treaty (2016), and A Thousand Kisses Deep (poem).

 

Robomagic Live Founder Rob Hallett brought Leonard Cohen back to the stage in 2008 in what went on to become one of the most rewarding phases of the legendary songwriter's career. Cohen’s Grand Tour became a huge global success, playing 372 shows in 30 countries.

 

Robomagic Live is the leading independent full-service promoter of live entertainment in the UK and Europe. Founder Rob Hallet has worked with the likes of Prince, Duran Duran, Leonard Cohen, and the Sex Pistols. Robomagic Live has produced events such as the Free Larry Hoover Benefit featuring Ye and Drake, Nile Rodgers’ FOLD Festival and the Essence Festival in South Africa.

ENDS

 

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen

7 – 11 February 2023

Sadlers Wells, London

www.robomagiclive.com/dance-me

 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Tuesday 7th February 2023 at 7:30 pm

Wednesday 8th February 2023 at 7:30 pm

Thursday 9th February 2023 at 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm

Friday 10th February 2023 at 7:30 pm

Saturday 11th February 2023 at 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm

 

CREATIVE TEAM

Ideation Louis Robitaille

Dramaturgy and Stage Direction Eric Jean

Choreography Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Ihsan Rustem

Music Direction Martin Léon

Sound Design Alexis Dumais

Set and Prop Design Pierre-Etienne Locas

Set Technical Direction Alexandre Brunet

Lighting Design and Production Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, Simon Beetschen

Video Design HUB Studio - Gonzalo Soldi, Thomas Payette, Jeremy Fassio

Costume Design Philippe Dubuc

Costume Production Anne-Marie Veevaete

Assistance Stage Direction Elsa Posnic

Sound Engineer Guy Fortin

 

Artists Alyssa Allen, Gustavo Barros, Yosmell Calderon Mejias, John Canfield, Diana Cedeno, Astrid Dangeard, Hannah Kate Galbraith, Shanna Irwin, Ausia Jones, Jordan Lang, Austin Lichty, Marcel Mejia, Andrew Mikhaiel, Eden Solomon

 

World Premiere December 5th, 2017, Danse Danse, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Length 80 minutes

 

Ballets Jazz Montréal would like to thank the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation for the support given to the creation of the show.

Dance Me was supported by the CCOV - Centre de Création O Vertigo.

ABOUT BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL

Founded in 1972 by Geneviève Salbaing, Eva Von Genscy and Eddy Toussaint, Ballets Jazz Montréal is a contemporary dance repertory company which, under the artistic direction of Alexandra Damiani, creates, produces, and presents on local, national, and international stages.

 

Among the artistic directors of the company who have greatly marked its evolution, company founder Geneviève Salbaing, driven by her visceral love of dance, led Ballets Jazz Montréal with passion and determination for over 20 years. Upon his appointment as artistic director in 1998, Louis Robitaille, reoriented the company towards an audience curious to discover new choreographic forms. In June 2021, Alexandra Damiani took over the artistic direction of Ballets Jazz Montréal and will carry out the company's mission and vision into the future.

 

The company engages internationally renowned choreographers to develop their own research in line with Ballets Jazz Montréal's identity and generates a repertoire that is both exclusive to the company and accessible to all audiences. The company’s impressive roster of talented and influential choreographers includes Crystal Pite, Aszure Barton, Mauro Bigonzetti, Andonis Foniadakis, Itzik Galili, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Barak Marshall, Benjamin Millepied, Ihsan Rustem, Anne Plamondon and Juliano Nunes, to name a few. As an ambassador of Quebec dance to the world, Ballets Jazz Montréal offers an artistic product that is explosive, original, accessible, and noted for the excellence of its performance.

 

All of Ballets Jazz Montréal’s work bring an element of humanity, fearlessness, and emotion in addition to the highly technical skill that each dance requires. Additionally, each piece is nuanced, multi-layered and often multidisciplinary – combining other artistic disciplines such as theatre, video, and music. With accessibility and quality as key values, the company successfully integrates pleasure and humanity into their strong, expressive, and demanding pieces. Moreover, the distinct personalities and high calibre of its performers further add to the quality that is expected from the company and play a key role in maintaining the company’s reputation and influence in the dance world. 

 

Through their productions, performances, and educational activities, Ballets Jazz Montréal encourages discovery, stimulates imagination, and shares their passion for this discipline to all its audiences – both local and abroad. With more than 2,600 performances in 68 countries and an audience of over 2.8 million, Ballets Jazz Montréal is considered one of the world's leading ambassadors of Quebec dance and artistic vitality.

 

In 2016, the Prix Rideau Hommage was awarded to the company and its artistic director at the time, Louis Robitaille, in recognition of BJM's impact and continued presence on Quebec stages.

 

In 2020, the company received the Prix de la danse de Montréal for the category of international dissemination presented by CINARS.

 

In the 2021-2022 season, the company celebrated 50 years of creating, exploring, boundary pushing, and connecting with its audiences.

ARTISTIC TEAM

Artistic Director Alexandra Damiani

Ballet Master Andrew Murdock & Ching Ching Wong

Artistic Coordinator Andrew Mikhaiel

Principal Artist Yosmell Calderon Mejias

Artists Alyssa Allen, Gustavo Barros, John Canfield, Diana Cedeno, Astrid Dangeard, Hannah Kate Galbraith, Shanna Irwin, Ausia Jones, Jordan Lang, Austin Lichty, Marcel Mejia, Andrew Mikhaiel, Eden Solomon

 

BIOGRAPHIES

ALEXANDRA DAMIANI – ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Appointed Artistic Director of Ballets Jazz Montréal in the spring of 2021, Alexandra Damiani has been a major player in the dance community for over two decades. During her 10 years with New York's Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (2005-2015), first as Ballet Mistress and then as Artistic Director, Damiani had the opportunity to work with and present a wide selection of contemporary dance choreographic languages by such internationally renowned choreographers as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Crystal Pite and Hofesh Schecter. Damiani also presented the company in major cities and international festivals, including at the Lyon Biennale in France and Sadler's Wells in London.

 

Originally from France, Damiani is a multidisciplinary artist who has been lending her expertise to the world of film, television, and advertising for many years. Her credits include participating in Darren Aronofsky’s cult film Black Swan in the role of ballet mistress and working alongside Tanisha Scott on Cardi B’s performance for the 2019 BET Awards. Damiani is also passionate about training the young dancers of tomorrow and has excellent connections with highly regarded institutions like Jacob’s Pillow and The Juilliard School.  

 

Damiani trained in classical dance at the Geneva Dance Center, and later in the French capital with teachers from the Paris Opera Ballet. After winning the Bayonne competition in France, she received a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the US. She began her career as a dancer-performer in New York where she danced as a soloist with Donald Byrd/The Group and with the company Complexions, directed by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. Her career continued in Montréal with the company RUBBERBANDance and later with the Ballets Jazz Montréal under the direction of Louis Robitaille (2002-2005).

 

LEONARD COHEN

Leonard Norman Cohen, poet, novelist, singer, songwriter (born 21 September 1934 in Montréal, QC; died 7 November 2016 in Los Angeles, California). Leonard Cohen was one of the most iconic Canadian artists of the 20th century. A sage, mystic, bohemian and romantic, he built an acclaimed body of literary work and a revered career in pop music. In his poetry, novels, and music, he constantly probed the human condition, exploring themes of love, loss, death and his commitment to his art. As a poetic and unlikely pop star, his narrow-ranged, gruff voice, which deepened and darkened with age, and his reliance on simple, singsong melodies were complimented by the intense imagery and depth of his lyrics. A Companion of the Order of Canada, he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the US Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Folk Music Walk of Fame. He also received the Glenn Gould Prize, the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature, eight Juno Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and numerous other honours.

ERIC JEAN – CREATION & STAGE DIRECTOR

Eric Jean is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most esteemed and outstanding stage directors of his generation. His appointment in 2004 as general and artistic director of Théâtre de Quat’Sous, and his ensuing success are a reflection of the trust and confidence he has established in the theatre milieu, which quickly saw him as a bold, unique artist who has made a significant artistic contribution to Quebec theatre. 

 

A prolific and inventive director and an occasional actor, he is greatly appreciated for his commitment to up-and-coming artists, both as a teacher and at the professional level. 

 

Where Jean has truly made his mark and reputation, however, is in his creative approach. Using structured improvisations as his point of departure, he also works in conjunction with playwright and set design, gradually piecing together his stage plays. Striking examples of this, which he calls “writing as action”, are of course his renowned Hippocampe, written in collaboration with Pascal Brullemans, and his 2009 staging of Chambre(s), co-written with Pascal Chevarie. Not only was Hippocampe the recipient of the 2003 Prix de la critique, but the director was also nominated for the prestigious Siminovitch Prize in 2004, one of five finalists. 

 

Other notable productions were Corps étrangers/Cuerpos extranos (2005), a piece co-written with Pascal Brullemans and first created in Mexico before being presented in Quebec. Opium_37 (2009-2011) was written in collaboration with Catherine Léger, after which he staged Luc Tartar’s play for adolescents, S’embrasent (2009-2017). This was followed by Le ventriloque (2012) by Larry Tremblay, Survivre (2013) by Olivier Kemeid, Testament by Vickie Gendreau (2014), Variations sur un temps by David Ives (2015) and Le Joker (2016) by Larry Tremblay.  

 

ANDONIS FONIADAKIS, CHOREOGRAPHER

Andonis Foniadakis grew up in city of Ierapetra, in the south part of the island of Crete, in Greece. He began his dance training with Niki Papadaki at the local dance school, in his hometown. From 1990 to 1992, he studied at the State Dance School of Athens and before his graduation he received the prestigious Maria Callas scholarship to continue his studies in Rudra Bejart Lausanne, in Switzerland until 1994.

 

As a dancer Andonis has collaborated with Bejart Ballet Lausanne (1994-1996) under the direction of Maurice Bejart, Lyon Opera Ballet (1996-2002) under the direction of Yorgos Loukos, Saburo Teshigawara / Karas Co. (2004) under the direction of Saburo Teshigawara, as well as, with his own dance company “Apotosoma-Andonis Foniadakis”. During the years of his professional engagement with these companies he has performed choreographic works of Maguy Marin, Jiri Kilian, William Forsythe, Dominique Boivin, Nacho Duato, Mats Ek, Maurice Bejart, Ohad Naharin, Frederic Flamand, Bill T Jones, Herve Robbe, Tero Saarinen, Lionel Hoche, Joachim Schlomer, John Jasperse, Saburo Teshigawara etc.

 

As a freelance choreographer he has collaborated with The Royal New Zealand Ballet, Geneva Ballet (Switzerland), Lyon Opera Ballet (France), Bern Ballet (Switzerland), Ballet de Lorraine (France) Luzern Ballet (Switzerland) Gauthier Dance Company (Germany), Ballets Jazz Montréal (Canada), Martha Graham Dance Company (USA) Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (USA), Aterballetto (Italy), Ballet du Rhin (France), Sydney Dance Company (Australia), Florence Ballet (Italy), National Dance Company of Wales (England), Dansgroep Amsterdam (Netherlands), Cia Sociedade Masculina Brazil Bale da Cidade of Sao Paulo (Brazil), Helsinki Dance Company (Finland), National Ballet of Greece, National Theater of Northern Greece, Greek National Theater (Greece), Codarts (Netherlands), Benjamin Millepied Dance Company (USA), Washington Ballet (USA), Bejart Ballet Lausanne (Switzerland), Ballet Junior Geneva (Switzerland), Hellenic Dance Company (Greece), CNSMD Lyon (France), Copenhagen International Dance Festival  (Denmark).

 

He has been director of the Greek National Ballet for the season 2016- 2017 and has programmed the seasons 2016-17 and 2017-18. He is currently the resident choreographer of the Greek National Ballet.

 

Foniadakis has been commissioned to choreograph for 3 operas: The Theatre des Champs Elysees - Castor et Pollux, Opera National du Rhin - Les boreades by Rameau GRAME, Lyon - Il canto della pelle by Claudio Ambrosini.

 

He has collaborated as moving coordinator for the film NOAH by Darren Aronofsky. In 2012 he received the Danza and Danza Award for the “Best Choreographer 2012” in Italy, for the creation Les Noces in Maggio Danza - Florence Ballet.

 

As well he has collaborated with Palais de Tokyo as Choreographic Curator for the exhibition Prec(ar)ious Collectives that took place in Athens Greece as parallel event of the Documenta 14, in 2017.

 

In addition to creating and performing, Andonis is teaching seminars based on his personal dance technique. He has been teaching in the State Dance School of Greece, DAN.C.CE studios and Baile de Barrio in Athens, DOCK11 in Berlin, CND and CNSMD in Lyon, Dansgroep  Amsterdam, Henny Jurriens.

 

ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA, CHOREOGRAPHER

Colombian-Belgian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (1973) completed her dance education at the Royal Ballet School of Flanders in Belgium. In 2003, after a 12-year dance career, where she danced as a soloist with the Scapino Ballet, she decided to focus her energy solely on choreography. In that same year, she was hailed “rising star of the Dutch dance scene” (NRC newspaper) and only 7 years later the Temecula Performing Arts Examiner wrote: “Ochoa is truly a masterful choreographer with an edge for what dance can and should be in this constantly changing industry”.

 

Annabelle is an award-winning and sought-after choreographer who has created works for more than 40 companies around the world such as the Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Dutch National Ballet, Djazzex, Ballet de Genève, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Gothenburg Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, BalletX, Ballets Jazz Montréal, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Ballet National de Marseille, Saarbrucken Ballet, Jacoby & Pronk, Chemnitzer Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, Morphoses Wheeldon Company, Whim W’Him, IncolBallet de Colombia, Finnish National Ballet, Compania Nacional de Danza Madrid, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Scottish Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Ballet Nacional Dominicano, Ballet Saarbrucken, Augsburg Ballet, Ballet Austin, Atlanta Ballet, Grand Rapids Ballet, Ballet Moscow, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, West Australian Ballet, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, Ballet Nacional Chileno, Ballet Staatstheater am Gartnerplatz Munchen, Ballet Manila, Daniil Simkin Intensio Project, Cincinnati Ballet, Silicon Valley Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, English National Ballet, Ballet Black, and New York City Ballet.

 

Ms Lopez Ochoa is a versatile choreographer who also creates for theatre, opera, musical theatre, and fashion events, such as the celebrated Dutch fashion designers Viktor & Rolf’s project in the Van Gogh Museum. She belongs to the theatre-dance collective “De Fantasten” for whom she successfully co-directed five full-length productions that have been performed in numerous theaters and festivals throughout the Netherlands.

 

In 2009, she created Zip Zap Zoom for BJM, which was included in the “10 best dance moments of the year” by the Pittsburgh Gazette, The Boston Globe and the Montréal Gazette and was cited as one of the 10 best dance highlights of the year in San Diego and Chicago.

 

Her work has received numerous awards. In 2016, Broken Wings, created for the English National Ballet was nominated for a National UK Dance Award in the category of Best Classical Premiere. In 2015, Sombrerisimo, created for Ballet Hispanico, was given the Villanueva Award in Cuba. In 2012, A Streetcar Named Desire was nominated for the prestigious Olivier Award (UK), named Best Classical Choreography by the Circle of Critics of the National Dance Award (UK), and was awarded Best Dance Production 2012 by the South-Bank Sky Arts Awards. In 2007, Annabelle was elected to participate in the New York City Ballet Choreographic Institute. In 2002, Replay received first prize the audience prize at the Borne Choreographers Competition, and in 2001, Clair/Obscur received third prize at the Hannover Choreographic Competition.

 

IHSAN RUSTEM, CHOREOGRAPHER

Ihsan Rustem was born in London, where he trained at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. 

 

Rustem began his professional career at the age of 17, joining Matthew Bourne's Adventures in Motion Pictures, followed by engagements with the Ballett Theater Munich (Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz) and Introdans in the Netherlands. In 2007 Ihsan moved to Switzerland as a Soloist with the Bern Ballet and later a founding member of the Tanz Luzerner Theater.

 

During this period, Ihsan originated roles in creations by Wayne McGregor, Hofesh Shechter, Alexander Ekman, Matthew Bourne, Stijn Celis, Patrick Delcroix, Cayetano Soto, Felix Landerer, Guilherme Bothello and worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Jiri Kylián, Paul Lightfoot / Sol Leon, Hans van Manen and William Forsythe, amongst others.

 

In 2010 Sarah Slipper invited Ihsan to Portland, Oregon USA, where he created State of Matter for the Northwest Dance Project, a piece which went on to win both the 2012 Sadler’s Wells Global Dance Contest and the Audience Choice Award at the 25th International Competition for Choreographers Hannover. 

 

In 2015 Ihsan was appointed Resident Choreographer for NWDP and continues in this position today. He is the former Artistic Director of the Dance Art Studio Balletschule Luzern, Switzerland and currently serves as its Artistic Advisor.

 

Rustem was the 2014 recipient of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's International Commissioning Project and a winner of Whim W'him's inaugural Choreographic Shindig in 2015. His sixth original work for the NW Dance Project, Carmen, won Dance Magazine's 2017 Readers' Choice Award for Best Collaboration. He was a featured choreographer for Russia's TV show 'The Bolshoi Ballet.'

 

To date, Ihsan has created works for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 2 (USA), Northwest Dance Project (USA), Istanbul State Ballet MDT (Turkey), Tanz Luzerner Theater (CH), Kazan State Opera and Ballet (Russia), Whim W'Him (USA), Ballet Regensburg (DE), Ballett Koblenz (DE), Würzburg Ballett (DE), Salt Contemporary Dance Company (USA) National Youth Dance Company (UK), Aksanat Istanbul, Cinevox (CH) and the Palucca Schule Dresden (DE). 

 

ARTISTS

YOSMELL CALDERON MEJIAS (PRINCIPAL ARTIST)

Russian-born Yosmell Calderon graduated as a dancer and teacher of both contemporary and folk dance from Cuba's National School of Dance (ENA) in Havana in 2005. He also received a diploma from the University of Arts (ISA) in 2014. Yosmell has collaborated with such outstanding figures in the world of dance as Rafael Bonachela, Mats Ek, Itzik Galili, Carlos Junior Acosta, Jan Linkens, Juan Cuz and Ana Laguna. He has performed as a principal dancer for Danza Contemporanea de Cuba and the Pal Frenak Company, as well as in over 22 works by Cuban and foreign choreographers, touring major festivals and theatre venues around the world. Yosmell is a choreographer for the Cuban National Ballet School and its performances at the International Ballet Festival of Havana. Thanks to his background in Olympic gymnastics, he also choreographs for circus performances. Yosmell joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in July 2016 and was promoted to principal artist in 2019.

 

ALYSSA ALLEN

Alyssa Allen is from Los Angeles, where she attended the Orange County School of the Arts and the Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy. From 2011–2015, she performed with and was a founding member of Westside Dance Project, under the direction of Jessie Riley. In 2015, she was the Grand Prize winner in non-classical dance for the Music Center Spotlight Awards and performed her solo at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In 2019, Alyssa earned her BFA as a member of the inaugural class at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, under the direction of William Forsythe and Jodie Gates. Upon graduation, Ms. Allen joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, where she spent three seasons. In 2021, she was awarded best actress by The Chicago Blow-Up Film Festival for her role in the film The Sky Was Different by choreographer Jonathan Fredrickson. Over the course of her career, she has performed works by Crystal Pite, Jiří Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Jermaine Spivey, Johannes Wieland, George Balanchine, William Forsythe, and Aszure Barton, amongst others.  She is honored to join Ballets Jazz Montréal for the company’s 2022-23 season. 

 

GUSTAVO BARROS

Brazilian-born Gustavo Barros began his professional path as a dancer in his hometown of Goiânia under the direction of Gisela Vaz. He then went on to join some of Brazil’s top contemporary dance companies, such as the CIA de Dança Deborah Colker and Balé da Cidade de São Paulo. Gustavo continued his career in Germany where he danced for Ballethagen and Staatstheater Augsburg. In the course of his career, Gustavo has performed works by many renowned choreographers such as Ihsan Rustem, Stephen Delattre, Itzik Galili and Cayetano Soto. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

 

JOHN CANFIELD

Originally from Virginia, John Canfield grew up training at local dance studios before moving to Canada to attend Canada's National Ballet School in Toronto. Upon graduating in 2014 he joined the Alberta Ballet, where he danced for five seasons, working directly with choreographers Aszure Barton, Jean Grand Maitre, Anne Plamondon, Yukhichi Hattori and Wen Wei Wang, among others. In 2020, John joined Cas Public as a dancer, performing the work of Helene Blackburn for one season. In addition to his involvement with a number of private movement research programs across Canada, John has also attended Springboard Danse Montréal as well as Creative Gesture at the Banff Centre for the Arts. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2021.

 

DIANA CEDENO

Panama-born Diana Cedeno began her dance training at the Academia de Danzas Steps. Upon completing her training, she continued exploring contemporary dance and ballet at the Boston Conservatory. Diana has had the opportunity to attend various intensive programs and festivals such as The Juilliard’s Summer Intensive, VIM VIGOR, Springboard Danse Montréal, Opus Ballet and b12 in Berlin. She has also worked under the direction of distinguished choreographers such as Shannon Gillen, Catherine Coury, Loni Landon, La Intrusa, and Darrell Moultrie, among others. Diana joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

 

ASTRID DANGEARD

Born in Paris (France), Astrid Dangeard studied dance at Steps on Broadway and with the Verdon/Fosse Legacy in New York as well as acting at the Cours Cochet in Paris. She played Iris Kelly in Fame, The Musical at the Casino de Paris (2019 dir Ned Grujic) and has worked with Chet Walker, James Kinney (BCEFA Easter Bonnet 2018 and 2019) and Alex Frei. In 2020, she joined Ballets Jazz Montréal where she’s had the privilege of dancing works by Andonis Foniadakis, Aszure Barton, and Ausia Jones. She has collaborated with Emma Kate Nelson, Rémi Esterle (argentine tango) and composer Martin Léon.

 

SHANNA IRWIN

Shanna Irwin grew up in New Jersey where she began training as a competitive dancer. She switched her focus to ballet when she was accepted into The New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble under the direction of Nancy Turano. She spent her summers training with World Dance Movement- Italy, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Vancouver’s Arts Umbrella. Shanna then went on to continue her studies at Marymount Manhattan College under the direction of Katie Langan. She began touring with Complexions Contemporary Ballet during her senior year and graduated with a BFA in Dance in May 2014. Shanna completed five seasons with Complexions and joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2019.

 

AUSIA JONES

Ausia Jones was born in Dallas, Texas and graduated from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance with a focus on choreography. Throughout her career, she has had the honour of performing works by William Forsythe, Robert Battle, Cayetano Soto, Azure Barton, and Jiri Kylian, among others. Her many awards include the Young Arts winner in both choreography and dance. During her time at USC Kaufman, Ausia received training at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Orsolina Forsythe/Pite, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. She joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020. 

 

HANNAH KATE GALBRAITH

Born in Nelson, New Zealand, Hannah Kate Galbraith began her dance training at the Rebecca Bignall Academy of Dance and Southern Ballet Christchurch. She then studied at the Tanya Pearson Academy in Sydney, Australia, under the direction of Lucinda Dunn. At the age of 17, she moved to New York City to study at the Ailey School as a scholarship student under Milton Myers, Ana Marie Forsythe, Caridad Martinez, and Jacquelin Buglisi. In the course of her journey, she performed works by Alvin Ailey, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Cayetano Soto Ramirez, Ronald K Brown, and Dwight Rhoden. Hannah has performed with many renowned companies such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Futorian Dance. She joined the company in 2020.

 

JORDAN LANG

Jordan Lang was born and raised in Long Island, New York where he began dancing at the age of three. In 2015, Jordan began his studies at Marymount Manhattan College. While at Marymount, Jordan performed works by Alexandra Damiani, Adam Baruch, Darell Moultrie, Gabrielle Lamb, Jessica Lang, Jon Ole Olstad, Jo Stromgren, Larry Keigwin, Robert Battle, Trey McIntyre as well as participated in annual outreach programs. In 2018 and 2019, Mr. Lang attended Springboard Danse Montreal, where he performed works by Alejandro Cerrudo, Marco Goecke, and Micaela Taylor. In 2019, Jordan joined Ballet BC, under the direction of Emily Molnar. During his time with Ballet BC, he had the honor of performing the work of some of the great voices in contemporary dance including Crystal Pite, Medhi Walerski, Sharon Eyal, Johan Inger, and Aszure Barton. After two seasons with Ballet BC, Jordan moved back to NYC to work with choreographer Yin Yue. Jordan is thrilled to be officially joining Ballet Jazz Montréal for their 2022-23 season.

 

AUSTIN LICHTY

Born in Stratford, Ontario, Austin trained at the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program under the direction of Artemis Gordon and holds a BFA from the Toronto Metropolitan University. He has participated in Springboard Danse Montréal, Arts Umbrella International Summer Dance Intensive, and TransFormation Danse, summer programs. Throughout his professional development, Austin has worked with choreographers such as James Kudelka, Crystal Pite, Guillaume Côté, Emily Molnar, Lukas Timulak, and Amos Ben Tal. Austin joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

 

MARCEL MEJIA

Marcel Mejia is originally from Miami, Florida and graduated from the New World School of the Arts before attending George Mason University’s School of Dance under the direction of Susan Shields. He has performed works from world-renowned choreographers such as Lar Lubovitch, Nacho Duato, Andonis Foniadakis, Ivan Perez and Alejandro Cerrudo. Marcel also attended summer dance programs such as Springboard Danse Montréal in Canada, where he performed works by Johannes Wieland and Rachel Erdos, as well as at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, dancing original works by Tom Weinberger, Alex Ketley, and excerpts of Ohad Naharin’s repertory. Marcel has served on the faculty of the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet and as a volunteer dance instructor at the Lotus House Shelter in Miami, Florida. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2019.

 

ANDREW MIKHAIEL

Originally from Mississauga, Canada, Andrew Mikhaiel earned a BFA at Marymount Manhattan College, under the direction of Katie Langan. He has danced in work by Alexandra Damiani, Andonis Foniadakis, Anne Plamondon, Aszure Barton, Barak Marshall, Crystal Pite, Ihsan Rustem, Itzik Galili, Jo Strømgren, Juliano Nunes, Larry Keigwin, and Paul Taylor to name a few. Andrew is a member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) Honour Society, as well as the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (B.A.T.D). Andrew has taught and choreographed across Canada, United States, Finland, France, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Italy, and Israel. Andrew joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2017 and, as a result of his work ethic, team spirit, and dedication, became the company’s Artistic Coordinator in 2020, providing support to the Artistic Director and the entire artistic team.

 

EDEN SOLOMON

Eden Solomon grew up in Montréal, where she studied at l’École supérieure de ballet du Québec before continuing her education at Arts Umbrella and in the Performance Research Project in Vancouver. She also attended programs such as Springboard, the Creative Gesture (Banff Centre for the Arts), and Gaga intensives (SF, NYC). As a freelancer, Eden has worked with several choreographers, including Lesley Telford, Wen Wei Wang, Jasmine Ellis, Danielle Agami, and David Harvey. She has been a member of the TWObigsteps collective and collaborates with the multimedia collective Crack Cloud. Eden has also presented choreographic research in Vancouver. She joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

[Lynette H]

I'm not sure if Ballets Jazz Montreal have been to the UK previously - I don't recall seeing them before and I wondered if anyone had seen them or had any opinions on them ? 

 

They are at Sadler's Wells in February, 7th to 11th. The programme is Dance Me,  set to music by Leonard Cohen.  There are three choreographers involved, Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Ishan Rustem. 

 

I've liked much of Ochoa's previous work, and was a bit curious about this.  But I am rather put off booking because the tickets aren't sold by Sadler's Wells but are only available from an agency, Ticketek.  They seem to be fairly expensive, and their web site is very unfriendly. I have trouble getting the choose your own option to work. If you  select a price band it then offer you a ticket. Or maybe an error message.  The ticket seems to be put in the basket automatically. There seems also to be a hefty booking fee as well as a service fee.  Ticketek mainly sell tickets for rock concerts and the like. I can't see any phone number.

 

I feel rather wary of booking - if your plans change the box office staff at Sadler's can be very accommodating and helpful.  I hope this move to using external agencies doesn't become more common. Has anyone used this agency for anything else - any feedback ? 

 

 

[Jane S]

4 hours ago, Lynette H said:

I'm not sure if Ballets Jazz Montreal have been to the UK previously - I don't recall seeing them before and I wondered if anyone had seen them or had any opinions on them ? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have been here before - e,g, Sadler's Wells 12/94 - but I don't think I ever saw them.

[Sim]

4 hours ago, Lynette H said:

I'm not sure if Ballets Jazz Montreal have been to the UK previously - I don't recall seeing them before and I wondered if anyone had seen them or had any opinions on them ? 

 

They are at Sadler's Wells in February, 7th to 11th. The programme is Dance Me,  set to music by Leonard Cohen.  There are three choreographers involved, Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Ishan Rustem. 

 

I've liked much of Ochoa's previous work, and was a bit curious about this.  But I am rather put off booking because the tickets aren't sold by Sadler's Wells but are only available from an agency, Ticketek.  They seem to be fairly expensive, and their web site is very unfriendly. I have trouble getting the choose your own option to work. If you  select a price band it then offer you a ticket. Or maybe an error message.  The ticket seems to be put in the basket automatically. There seems also to be a hefty booking fee as well as a service fee.  Ticketek mainly sell tickets for rock concerts and the like. I can't see any phone number.

 

I feel rather wary of booking - if your plans change the box office staff at Sadler's can be very accommodating and helpful.  I hope this move to using external agencies doesn't become more common. Has anyone used this agency for anything else - any feedback ? 

 

 

I saw this company many years ago and enjoyed them, although I can't profess to remembering much about it now.  I also thought that the programme looks interesting, but if that's how you have to buy and pay for tickets I will skip.  

[San Perregrino]

On 16/01/2023 at 18:39, Sim said:

I saw this company many years ago and enjoyed them, although I can't profess to remembering much about it now.  I also thought that the programme looks interesting, but if that's how you have to buy and pay for tickets I will skip.  

 

FYI

Dance Me - Music By Leonard Cohen

7 - 11 & 14 February
Sadler's Wells Theatre in Angel

This mesmerizing jazz ballet 'Dance Me - Music By Leonard Cohen' comes to the UK for the very first time. Now offering 2-4-1 on tickets for 7^th & 8^th February shows or 25% off other select tickets with code: TIMEOUT25

[LinMM]

I’m fascinated that anyone could produce a ballet to Leonard Cohen music …..especially a company with the title Jazz in the title …though I did read Robomagic as Robotmagic first time!  As most of his music has a sort of hypnotic quality to it…. a sort of version of ultra slow whirling dervish comes to mind! 

[Emeralds]

Was almost about to consider going (I like Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s work) but I don’t do “external agency” tickets. I only book using the theatres’ websites or in person at a theatre box office. (I even consider Eventbrite “external”!) That’s a pity- wonder why the company has chosen to do this....it’s not going to help their box office income or to fill the auditorium. 

[Jan McNulty]

37 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Was almost about to consider going (I like Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s work) but I don’t do “external agency” tickets. I only book using the theatres’ websites or in person at a theatre box office. (I even consider Eventbrite “external”!) That’s a pity- wonder why the company has chosen to do this....it’s not going to help their box office income or to fill the auditorium. 

 

I can only guess that it is a "private hire" of the theatre even though the PR came from SW.

 

I've just had a quick look at Tiketek and the performances are very heavily booked if not sold out.  I do not know if the top level has been sold but that is showing as no tickets available for every performance I checked.

[Emeralds]

I guess those Time Out discounts were and are effective! 

Edited February 6, 2023 by Emeralds