National Ballet of Canada dancers took barre in a very unusual location earlier this week: Toronto’s Union Station. Principal Heather Ogden led a group of company members through typical combinations to the delight of several surprised commuters. The event celebrated the Toronto Transit Commission’s We Move You ad campaign, which features photos and videos of […]

Go behind the scenes at our cover shoot with Jurgita Dronina, principal at The National Ballet of Canada.  

Jurgita Dronina is doing fouetté turns with her back to me. Facing the far wall, she builds momentum with the precise placement of each demi-rond-de-jambe. She apologized ahead of time, explaining with a self-deprecating smile: “I can’t spot in the mirror. I’m always telling my partners, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll turn fine onstage.’ ” On this […]

Although her parents were professional dancers, Fischer has come into her own with roles like the Queen of the Wilis in Giselle. Sian Richards, Courtesy NBoC As the Tall Woman in Balanchine’s “Rubies,” long-limbed Hannah Fischer injects a saucy mischievousness into the choreography’s almost jazzy angularity. As the Principal Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty’s prologue, […]

NBoC bounces back from last season, when 16 dancers were out due to injury. Company class at National Ballet of Canada. Photo by Aleksander Antonijevic, courtesy NBoC. When National Ballet of Canada’s Jenna Savella made her entrance in Alexei Ratmansky’s Piano Concerto #1 in Toronto last May, she created the kind of drama you least […]

Deadlifting 140 pounds gives her a noticeable edge in the studio.   Meiss builds explosive power by jumping on and off a 24-inch box. Photo by Sian Richards, Courtesy NBOC.   As a student, Chelsy Meiss was told that to become a professional ballet dancer, she should never lift weights. “ ‘No one likes an overly […]