Behind the scenes with the cast of the National Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty
Behind the scenes with the cast of the National Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty
By Emily Landau | June 17, 2015
By Emily Landau | 06/17/2015
(Image: Daniel Neuhaus)
In 1972, the sneering, stately Russian dance icon Rudolf Nureyev joined the National Ballet of Canada to stage a sumptuous new production of Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty . For the title character—a deceptively strenuous role whose player usually wears through five pairs of slippers per night—he chose a gawky young ballerina: Karen Kain , who later became Canada’s most beloved ballet superstar and the company’s artistic director. Nearly half a century later, Kain has created a new generation of ballet superstars: she recently promoted 17 dancers to soloist and principal positions, and many of them are performing in a remount of Nureyev’s grand opus this week. Here, a look at the glittering new brigade of ballet talent, behind the scenes at a recent performance of The Sleeping Beauty .
318173 Second soloist Hannah Fischer dances the role of the blue fairy, with Brendan Saye as a cavalier. Fischer recently won the company’s coveted Erik Bruhn Prize. (Image: Daniel Neuhaus) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-1-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-1.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-1.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/culture/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty/slide/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-1/ national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-1 0 0
(Image: Daniel Neuhaus)
318174 Second soloist Emma Hawes waits in the wings. (Image: Daniel Neuhaus) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-2-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-2.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-2.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/culture/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty/slide/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-2/ national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-2 0 0
(Image: Daniel Neuhaus)
318175 Jordana Daumec, recently bumped to first soloist, and Emma Hawes prepare for their entrance. (Image: Daniel Neuhaus) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-3-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-3.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-3.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/culture/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty/slide/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-3/ national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-3 0 0
(Image: Daniel Neuhaus)
318176 The fairies dance in the ballet’s prologue. (Image: Daniel Neuhaus) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-4-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-4.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-4.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/culture/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty/slide/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-4/ national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-4 0 0
(Image: Daniel Neuhaus)
318177 Principal character artist Rebekah Rimsay plays the benevolent Lilac Fairy. (She danced the evil witch Carabosse in a previous performance). (Image: Daniel Neuhaus) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-5-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-5.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-5.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/culture/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty/slide/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-5/ national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-5 0 0
(Image: Daniel Neuhaus)
318178 Jeannine Halter, a student at the National Ballet School, dances the role of a fairy. She’ll be joining the company full-time next season as an apprentice. (Image: Daniel Neuhaus) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-6-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-6.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-6.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/culture/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty/slide/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-6/ national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-6 0 0
(Image: Daniel Neuhaus)
318179 The Naiads wait to make their entrance. (Image: Daniel Neuhaus) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-7-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-7.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-7.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/culture/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty/slide/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-7/ national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-7 0 0
(Image: Daniel Neuhaus)
318180 Meghan Pugh makes her debut as the Pussycat. (Image: Daniel Neuhaus) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-8-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-8.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-8.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/culture/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty/slide/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-8/ national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-8 0 0
(Image: Daniel Neuhaus)
318181 Newly promoted principal dancer Naoya Ebe prepares to take the stage as Prince Florimund. (Image: Daniel Neuhaus) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-9-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-9.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-9.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/culture/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty/slide/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-9/ national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-9 0 0
(Image: Daniel Neuhaus)
318182 First soloist Francisco Gabriele Frola studies from backstage in preparation for his debut as Prince Florimund. (Image: Daniel Neuhaus) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-10-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-10.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/culture/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty/slide/national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-10/ national-ballet-of-canada-sleeping-beauty-10 0 0
(Image: Daniel Neuhaus)
Beautiful production We are very lucky to have this kind of talent in our city
This post originally said that Rudolf Nureyev selected Karen Kain “from the corps” in 1972. In fact, she was already a principal dancer by that time.