Message from the Chair
The mission of the Alberta Ballet, in sum, is to create, engage and educate our community about Ballet and act as ambassadors for our art and country. The 2007/2008 season fulfilled this vision in spades! By the end of this season, the Company had traveled thousand of miles on three continents (which included surviving a typhoon!), and had been seen by millions of viewers on television and the large screen. Its creations were nominated for prestigious national and international awards. It had collaborated with many of the major arts organizations in Alberta. The Company was on the cover of Joni Mitchell's new CD Shine which was distributed in Starbucks worldwide. And…it received a standing ovation from our Governor General, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean. This Company has put Alberta on the map … and not just for having great cowboys!
The Board of Directors are pleased to advise that all of this was done while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Once again it has ended the year with a balanced budget thanks to:
- Record breaking subscription sales this season and sold out performances;
- A very successful farewell tour of Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker;
- Operational and touring support from Canada Council for the Arts, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Cities of Edmonton and Calgary;
- Incredible sponsors and philanthropic supporters including the Women's Guild of Creation;
- Community support for our special events including the Dance on Air Galas – honouring the Moores and the Mandels – and the House and Garden Tour including the tremendous efforts made by their organizational committees; and
- The tireless dedication of the Board's Finance Committee led by Gerard McInnis of Ernst and Young.
We are very excited that Darryl Lindenbach has joined our team as our new Executive Director at the end of the season. Mr. Lindenbach brings artistic management skills, vision and strategic strength to our Company. We also welcome new senior directors to our team who are helping to bring greater administrative strength to the Company. The Board focused its efforts on governance at its annual retreat and on an ongoing strategic basis. Our new team members are a reflection of this new governance direction.
I want to sincerely thank our hard working Board of Directors who helped keep Alberta Ballet's mission and vision on track during times of administrative transition. Special thanks also goes to our long standing Director of Operations, Production and Touring, Harry Paterson and our Box Office & Customer Service Manager, Audrey Burke for their ongoing commitment and efforts expended on behalf of Alberta Ballet.
The Board would like to recognize some of its retiring members after years of dedication including Stephen Murgatroyd, our Human Resources Committee Chair who worked tirelessly to find just the right Executive Director, David Wachowich, Q.C., our Development Chair, who led this crucial committee for this Company and Jeff Kovitz, Q.C. who has recently been appointed as Chair of the Banff Centre's Board. Finally, we say goodbye to our former dancer and recent board member, Patrick Canny, who is moving to Australia with his wife, and former dancer, Amanda!
Having just hosted the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Peter Pan, we have a great season ahead. Christopher Wheeldon's A Midsummer Night's Dream is just around the corner and The Nutcracker, 2008's $1.5 million new production – one of the largest productions ever mounted in Alberta – is well underway and sure to amaze audiences this holiday season! Thank you for your support of the arts in Alberta, we'll see you at the Ballet!
Justice Kristine Eidsvik Chair,
Board of Directors
Message from the Artistic Director
Six years ago in 2002 I arrived in Calgary to take over the Artistic Directorship of Alberta Ballet. A great legacy was left by those who preceded me and I decided that I would like to put my unique mark on a very young company. I had a vision of what I wanted to see this company become and with that unwavering conviction and the strong support of my Board of Directors, the dancers who gave their all and staff who worked tirelessly, we have achieved some very remarkable results. Who would have dared dream that we would be nominated for 11 Rosies for our collaboration in The Secret of the Nutcracker and The Fiddle and The Drum and winning in seven of those categories? Who would have ever thought that in 6 short years we would be nominated for a Gemini Award and for the most prestigious choreographic award in the world, the Benois de la Danse, for which we performed on stage at the prestigious Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in May 2008.
Alberta Ballet has emerged from being considered as a nice little provincial dance ensemble into an exciting and vibrant ballet company of international reputation. We are talked about and written about. We have artists of all disciplines approaching us in the hopes of working with us in the future. I am aware that we still have many challenges as a result of this growth but we now have the strongest team I have ever had the privilege of being a part of and the best is yet to come!
A REVIEW OF 2007-2008
Alberta Ballet was featured at the Banff Centre's high profile 60th Anniversary Gala –July 2007. Kelley McKinlay and Nicole Caron, both Banff alumni, performed our Romeo and Juliet balcony Pas de Deux. We then went on a Tour to Quebec at the prestigious St-Sauveur Festival in August 2007. This tour highlighted our company's varied strengths with George Balanchine's Who Cares?, to the music of Gershwin and our own Carmen. This festival brings Montreal's cultural elite to its venues. It was a perfect way to keep our profile alive in eastern Canada, re-enforcing our belief that we are truly a "national" ballet company.
In September, The National Ballet of Canada presented Giselle. This, over time, broadens our audience's appreciation of classical ballet repertoire in all its forms.
Also in September the company had a three week tour of China. We presented the identical St.-Sauveur program with resounding success in five large cities. We have been invited to return.
October launched Alberta Ballet's World Premiere of Kirk Peterson's Othello with music by the late Jerry Goldsmith. This marked the beginning of our Shakespeare Cycle. The ballet received ecstatic reviews and standing ovations and was nominated for the most prestigious international choreographic award the Benois de la Danse in Moscow.
Our four city tour of The Nutcracker by Mikko Nissinen began in December 2007. This was the final year presenting this production, after 8 years of loyal service. We had record attendance due to innovative marketing strategies to the audiences who loved this production as part of their holiday celebrations every year. It is Alberta Ballet's prime profile building opportunity in 4 different communities (Victoria, Edmonton, Calgary and Spokane), it is our most powerful link to a young audience development for our future and it is also the prime opportunity to develop our younger company dancers as they get the chance to perform numerous soloist roles on stage over the course of our 30 performances. More than 75 students in each community, performed with us on stage during the course of this rugged 5 week tour. We also employ 4 different orchestras and many local ballet teachers. Hundreds of volunteers join us which helps us build our relationship with each community during these high profile events.
One Yellow Rabbit's High Performance Rodeo in January 2008 was one of the most exciting collaborations this company has ever been involved in. Our own Yukichi Hattori choreographed to Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells for 4 pianos. This is a unique collaboration performed at the Grand Theatre in Calgary, between One Yellow Rabbit, The Honens International Piano Competition, the Bergmann Piano Duo and Alberta Ballet.
The revival of Dangerous Liaisons in February 2008 wasmuch appreciated by audiences in Calgary and Edmonton since the premiere occurred during the renovation year (2004/05) for the Jubilee Auditoria. Many did not see it that year and weremost eager to experience this production, which earlier toured across Canada receiving rave reviews in Montreal and Winnipeg.
The subscription season came to a close with a powerful collaborative production between Alberta Ballet and The Edmonton Opera performing Grand-Maître‘s creation of W.A. Mozart's Requiem and Edmund Stripe's Piano Concerto #2, Opus 102 music: Mozart and Shostakovich. This production was a logistical challenge. We had 120+ singers, 4 soloists, a guest pianist, 32 dancers, 2 orchestras and all the essential designers and people behind the scenes. Bringing Requiem into our season demonstrates that Alberta Ballet has the ability to bring in the large audiences while at the same time, pushing our art form forward.
Alberta Ballet dancers ended their season contract with our Annual Educational Northern Tights' Tour to Edmonton and Northern Alberta. These tours are seen by 10 schools in Northern Alberta and in Edmonton. They are highly anticipated projects that bring the art form directly into the schools and serve educational and outreach purposes equally. The repertoire is chosen specifically for these children and we usually perform excerpts from our family oriented repertoire.
The tour of The Fiddle and The Drum to Toronto in performance with The National Ballet of Canada and the Luminato Festival took place in June 2008. This tour was very prestigious and historic for us. We were invited to perform our own unique creation, in collaboration with Joni Mitchell, in Toronto, on stage with the National Ballet of Canada. Our success in Toronto was astounding with standing ovations at every performance. Looking back at this inspirational year with all of its many challenges on every front I marvel at how great our artistic growth really was. We accomplished enormous growth, with the steadfast support and unending dedication from a team that inspires me every day I am here at Alberta Ballet.
Jean Grand-Maître
Artistic Director
Message from the Executive Director
It has been just five short months since I had the pleasure of assuming the role of Executive Director of one of the finest arts organizations in this country.
For the past 41 years, Alberta Ballet has challenged, cultivated and entertained audiences around the globe – and this past year was no exception. With a season that included the wildly successful film and a live Toronto run of Joni Mitchell's The Fiddle and The Drum, the sold-out world premiere of Tubular Bells, our multi-disciplinary collaboration of Mozart's Requiem and another year of artistic excellence at the School of Alberta Ballet, it was a landmark season for Alberta Ballet.
Off stage, the strong Alberta economy continued to present challenges for the arts, but thanks to a dedicated team, we are pleased to report that financially we finished the year in a break-even position. Total subscription sales are up 16%, and for the first time we surpassed the 5,000 subscriber mark reaching 5,122 and our single ticket sales continue to be extremely strong in both cities. Our farewell tour of Mikko Nissinen's Nutcracker sold out in both cities, with an extra night added in Calgary, and the world premiere of Mozart's Requiem experienced a first in Alberta – the scalping of tickets to the ballet!
The non-profit arts sector is unpredictable and unique. It is one which you must fully embrace in order to be successful. "Good enough" does not cut it and I am grateful to be part of a company that views excellence as not only achievable, but a necessary part of everyday life. Over the past year, we have worked to build a team second to none. A team representing a variety of talents, that is not afraid to ask "why" and is committed to seeing Alberta Ballet continue to grow as a leading Canadian arts organization.
As we wrap up this year there are many people to thank. Thank you to our funders, supporters, staff, board and volunteers; our talented artistic leaders; Jean Grand-Maître and the School of Alberta Ballet's Murray and Nancy Kilgour; our dancers and artists for the dedication and passion you bring to our lives on a daily basis; our dedicated Board of Directors for your insightful leadership and thank you to you, our audiences, for continuing to demonstrate why the arts are important.
The future of a successful organization lies in its people. You have helped change the face of ballet in Canada and I can't wait to see where you will help us take it next.
Darryl Lindenbach
Executive Director
Message from the School Principal
The start to our 2007-2008 school year was an exciting time for our students, as 3 of our graduates joined Alberta Ballet on their China tour. We were also proud to see 4 of our graduates join other ballet companies, including Jörgen Canada and Ballet Victoria.
Our administration staff has seen a remarkable growth and influence with a new financial assistant, Lissa Bell; a new school manager, Chris George; and a new full time teacher, Aram Manukyan. Aram's background in character dance and classical ballet has been an immense addition to our curriculum. Our administrative staff also did a lot of work preparing for both the summer and our new fall season, putting in place a new online registration system. We believe this systemis gong to be of great benefit.
Our students continue to gain experience dancing in a number of Alberta Ballet performances including Nutcracker, as well as corps de ballet roles of both Snowflakes and Waltz of the Flowers. The School had a number of other presentations and performances including the annual Nutcracker Brunch events and our Christmas Demonstration with our Professional Division students performing at the Nat Christie Centre for parents and invited guests. Alberta Ballet held auditions for the production of The New Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Alice in Wonderland. Many of our students have been chosen and committed to the creation of choreography during the summer and fall period.
I was fortunate to visit Japan during the Easter break. There I taught a number of classes, coached variations, held a lecture and information seminar, auditioned students, and was interviewed by a number of influential dance magazines to promote the School.
During our second termwe were fortunate to have Ballet Mistress Desiré Jean Samaai and company dancer Laëtitia Clément teach, giving our students wonderful insight into today's professional dancer. Teachers prepared students in both divisions for exams and also prepared BA Dance Program students for their graduation performance. Over 100 of our students participated in these exams, along with 4 teachers to improve their teaching skills.
Over 320 students fromages 8 - 21 were prepared in a variety of dance styles for the annual school performance. Held over two nights at Calgary's Jubilee Auditorium, it was a success due to the efforts of somany dedicated people. This was also the first time the school found a corporate sponsor for this performance with The CORE Group.
With the end of this termwe geared up for our summer schools; Dance Camps for very young children, our Junior Summer School for older, serious students and our Senior Summer School held over three weeks in August. Our special guest teacher Catherine Batchellor, formerly of San Francisco Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet and BirminghamRoyal Ballet couldn't have been a better choice. What an asset to our summer!
I would also like to say howmuch I have appreciated the work of the Board School Committee over the year. They have been involved, committed and supportive. On behalf of the School of Alberta Ballet, we thank you for your support and look forward to another exciting year.
Murray Kilgour
Principal
