FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2023
Ballet Jörgen brings The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition to Saskatoon.
“…this is more than a new adaptation, it’s a complete reimagining. And it succeeds brilliantly. … From the seeds of a timeless classic ballet, grows a timeless Canadian ballet, as homegrown as maple syrup and back bacon,” – The Kitchener-Waterloo Record.
Toronto – Saskatoon: Ballet Jörgen will bring its critically praised production The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition to Saskatoon on November 20.
Choreographed by Artistic Director Bengt Jörgen, The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition was created in partnership with the McMichael Canadian Art Collection featuring dramatic 30-foot backdrops based on landscapes by famous 20th-century Canadian artists including Tom Thomson and Franklin Carmichael.
The performance will include 14 aspiring young dancers from eight Saskatoon area dance schools performing as part of the Company’s Local Participant Program. Participants were selected through an audition and have rehearsed weekly since mid-September. Five Nutcracker participants also performed in Ballet Jörgen’s Saskatoon performance of Anne of Green Gables – The Ballet in September as part of the Local Participant Program.
The November 20 performance will also include Adrianna Cote. Originally from Saskatoon, Adrianna is a 2022-23 Ballet Jörgen Mentorship Student who first performed with the Company as a Local Participant in 2016 in the Saskatoon performance of Swan Lake. Adrianna is a recent graduate of Ballet Jörgen’s George Brown College Dance Performance diploma program and has also attended the Company’s Summer Dance Academy.
Ballet Jörgen is committed to making the arts accessible to all Canadians and has been programming dance across Saskatchewan since 1996. In the past four years it has partnered with Dance Saskatchewan to significantly increase performance, education and community activities as well as expand annual programming across the province. So far in 2022, Ballet Jörgen has performed in Yorkton, Saskatoon, Assiniboia, Langenburg and Nipawin and will return to Saskatoon in March 2023 with Cinderella.
The Nutcracker in Saskatoon is made possible with support from BMO Financial Group and The Richardson Foundation. The Western Canada Local Participant Program is funded by Scotiabank.
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Ongoing critical support is provided by The Ontario Arts Council, The Canada Council for the Arts and Toronto Arts Council.
About Jörgen Dance
For 35 years Jörgen Dance has brought the joy of dance to countless individuals, families, and communities across Canada and beyond. While we are firmly rooted in our history as an exceptional professional ballet company, we have grown to be so much more! Today we offer a wide range of training and community programs across many dance styles to ensure dance is truly accessible for all Canadians. Whether you are looking to attend a performance, learn to dance, or engage with the arts for the first time; there is something for you under the Jörgen Dance umbrella. You will be welcomed, educated, entertained, and be a respected member of our in-person and virtual community. As an organization we genuinely believe in our motto Dance for All. Ballet Jörgen is the 2011 winner of The National Arts Centre Award for Distinguished Contribution to Touring – the first Ontario Performing Arts Organization to win this award.
For more information, photos, and/or to request an interview, contact:
Casey Spector, casey@balletjorgen.ca 416-961-4725