THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA/LE BALLET NATIONAL DU CANADA

The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest dance company and one of the world's top international ballet organizations. Ongoing programs include our annual series of performances at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto consisting of full-length and mixed-length repertoire. The 2023/24 season included live performance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts with 10 productions presenting 91 performances to over 168 000 audience members. The Ballet is committed to making the arts more accessible and connecting with different communities to promote movement imagination creative expression and an appreciation for the arts. The National Ballet of Canada’s public dance and fitness programme continued both live and online classes attracting 15 000 students of all ages throughout the season. The Ballet continued its commitment to offer a main-stage Relaxed Performance of a full-scale ballet production providing members of the d/Deaf and Disability communities a safe welcoming and inclusive environment at the Four Seasons Centre with important accommodations including an ASL Interpreter and Audio Description for the Blind/Partially Sighted community. Each year the National Ballet partners with high-needs schools and social service and support agencies to make spectacular productions like The Nutcracker available to those who otherwise would not have access to a live performance through it's Share the Magic programme. Tickets are distributed to children and families through our partner schools and various agencies representing Toronto's underserviced neighbourhoods which include the Children's Aid Society and Make a Wish Foundation among many others. Since its inception in 1986 Share the Magic has brought the joy of dance to 100 000 audience members at absolutely no cost.

The 2023/24 season introduced brilliant new productions and creators to the repertoire. Together we are creating momentum for an exciting future that builds on the extraordinary legacy of this company. New works included the world premiere of Choreographer Helen Pickett’s Emma Bovary set to an original score by Peter Salem. Helen’s work was joined by esteemed Canadian Choreographer James Kudelka’s Passion set to Beethoven’s Concerto for Piano in D Op. 61a which was acquired to celebrate Principal Dancer Piotr Stanczyk for his retirement. The Winter Mix featured the technical purity of Serge Lifar’s Suite en Blanc and the contemporary voices of Canadians William Yong and Emma Portner a diverse triple bill that showcased the company’s versatility. Finally to conclude the season we presented the North American premiere of Don Quixote by Carlos Acosta with a new arrangement of Ludwig Minkus’ score We shared the artistry of the National Ballet with an annual engagement at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa featuring a double bill of the recently premiered Emma Bovary and Crystal Pite’s Angels’ Atlas. Aside from our beautiful main stage productions it was an eventful year. In August Sharing the Stage featured free performances by the National Ballet and three guest companies dance classes and onstage artist conversations with over 3 500 people attending the performances and approximately 1 200 enjoying the dance classes at Harbourfront. Community engagement and outreach is an integral part of our identity enabling us to build meaningful connections within our communities and reach diverse audiences who may not otherwise experience the beauty of ballet. It fosters the next generation of artists and audiences and is crucial for the sustainability of our art form and our role as a community cornerstone. This year we expanded our community engagement programming: • 1 600 students participated in a week-long YOU dance Residency • 21 000 students tuned in for our national livestream representing 147 school boards in 177 cities • 1 300 guests attended the Relaxed Performance of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland • 3 000 children and their families experienced the Nutcracker and Don Quixote free of charge with our Share the Magic program • Creative Action provided 1840 hours of free studio time to 52 partners • 850 new Canadians and refugees attended live performances through a special partnership with CANOO