Ballet 麻豆精选 is about to pirouette itself into a new era in Canadian ballet by commissioning a female choreographer for a full-length piece, for the first time in Canada in over 40 years.
According to Simone Orlando, CEO and artistic director of Ballet 麻豆精选, the last time a Canadian ballet company commissioned a full length piece from a female choreographer was in 1977.
鈥淚 was thinking about it, when was the last time I had seen a full-length work, by a woman, presented by a Canadian ballet company, and I couldn鈥檛 remember,鈥� said Orlando.
Ballet 麻豆精选 is a relatively small company and until recently, has not been able to commission a full-length feature, but it is now gaining resources.
Orlando has made the conscious decision to uplift other women, Black, Indigenous, marginalized, and people of colour as Ballet 麻豆精选 grows. She ensured there was diverse representation when comissioning the company鈥檚 first full feature.
鈥淚 knew that I wanted this work to be created by a woman,鈥� said Orlando.
The feature, Macbeth, was choreographed by Alysa Pires and will be presented on May 6 and 7 at the 麻豆精选 Community Theatre.
Pires said Ballet 麻豆精选 is leading the way by giving those who are marginalized the opportunity to be showcased.
Orlando got her first job as a choreographer at Ballet 麻豆精选 and worked her way up to become CEO. She has used her position to hire and shine the spotlight on other talented under-represented people.
鈥淥ne of my initiatives here, as artistic director, has been to provide opportunities to women, not only as choreographers but also working on a production team in stage management and in lighting design,鈥� said Orlando.
She said that in the ballet world, women aren鈥檛 often seen in roles outside of performing. She explained that women at professional ballet schools are typically directed to focus on performance with the goal of becoming professional dancers, while men are given other opportunities, like exploring choreography.
鈥淢y goal has been to change that, 鈥� said Orlando.
Things are shifting, she said. Ballet schools now offer courses for people of all gender identities to participate in learning choreography and other skills associated with ballet and performance.
As choreographer of Ballet 麻豆精选鈥檚 first full-length piece, and the first female comissioned to create a full piece in over 40 years, Pires said that she thinks the next hurdle the ballet world needs to overcome is opening the door for women of colour and other marginalized groups to have a space in professional ballet productions.
鈥淢y personal goal is to use my privilege and the space that I occupy now to turn around and bring other people with me, especially other women and folks of colour that haven鈥檛 had these opportunities yet,鈥� said Pires.
