Ballet Edmonton

Option 1: Triple Bill

Works by: Kirsten Wicklund, Ethan Colangelo, Béatrice Larrivée

Running Time: approx 2 hours (two intermissions)

Ballet Edmonton invites you into an evening of bold contemporary ballet, uniting three distinct all Canadian choreographic voices—Kirsten Wicklund, Ethan Colangelo, and Béatrice Larrivée—each pushing the possibilities of form, physicality, and imagination.

• Wicklund’s “Meteorite” is a kinetic inquiry into sheer energy, friction, and fearlessness. Rooted in a sensory approach to classical ballet, Wicklund embraces form, directionality, and explosive physical dynamics while inviting dancers into entirely imagined worlds. With pointe work as a catalyst for risk and elevation, Meteorite becomes a charged encounter—where pressure expands, and improvisation meets classical precision.
• Colangelo’s “Night Breath” offers a compelling dialogue on structure and freedom. His work bends time and space through intricate patterns, tension-filled momentum, and his signature blend of fluidity and sharp architectural design. The result is a visceral, psychological exploration of group dynamics and the fragile balance between clarity and chaos.

1. Larrivée’s “String Theory” invites audiences to sense the invisible patterns that hold everything together. The piece unfolds into a vast, vibrating world where forces shape us collectively, rather than as individuals. Dancers navigate a space where language dissolves into the tension between control and rupture, inviting both fearlessness and surrender. In these infinite vibrations, audiences experience unity, reactivity, and the profound depth of shared human connectivity, offering a powerful finale to the evening. Together, these works create a multifaceted portrait of contemporary ballet today: daring, immersive, and fully alive—an evening where energy, structure, and invisible forces collide on stage.

Option 2: Double Bill

Works by: Kirsten Wicklund & Emily Leriche

Running Time: approx 1 hr 40 min (one intermission)

This double bill brings together two powerful choreographic voices—Kirsten Wicklund and Emilie Leriche—for an evening where contemporary ballet becomes both an emotional engine and a dream-space.

• Wicklund’s “Hush, hush.” pulses with urgency and intuition, blending virtuosic ballet technique with raw contemporary energy. Featuring the full ensemble of Ballet Edmonton dancers, the work charges forward with a surging sense of unity co-existing with commotion. Meditative duet worlds weave in and out of iconic organ works by Arvo Pärt.
• Leriche’s “Terrific, and Everywhere” pulls audiences into an introspective, surreal world where the mind fractures, loops, and echoes. Guided by Wolff Bergen’s evocative soundscore, Leriche crafts a landscape suspended between memory and imagination. Her text—“Stay, stay here,” you say, “It is true, but it is happening.”—anchors the work in a place where inner worlds slip toward the edge of reality. With the full company, she shapes movement that is tender, unsettling, and resonant, inviting us into the echo chamber of thought, longing, and perception. Together, Wicklund and Leriche offer an evening of contemporary ballet that is immersive, emotionally charged, and richly sculpted—two choreographers redefining the contours of how dance can speak.

Option 3: Overgrown

(NEW) Work by: Kirsten Wirklund

Running Time: approx 90 minutes (live orchestra or recorded options)

“OVERGROWN” is a full-length contemporary ballet by choreographer and Artistic Director Kirsten Wicklund, developed with Ballet Edmonton and premiering at the National Arts Centre with the NAC Orchestra. The work reimagines J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, exploring the human desire to escape, the seduction of eternal youth, and the inevitable pull of time and nature. Rather than retelling the story literally, it creates a dreamlike world where imagination erupts, fractures, and ultimately confronts reality.

At the heart of OVERGROWN is a collaborative artistic team blending choreography,composition, dramaturgy, lighting, and scenography into a unified vision. Wicklund’s choreography, rooted in classical ballet and contemporary physical exploration, moves through ferocity, fragility, ritual, and wildness, shaped by Ballet Edmonton’s ten versatile, creation-driven dancers. Their collaborative authorship transforms the dancers into active agents sculpting and resisting the world around them.

The score is a major new orchestral commission by Norwegian composer Daniel Herskedal,whose cinematic, multi-layered music draws on Nordic landscapes to deepen the work’s emotional resonance and propel the narrative. Dramaturgically and choreographically, Wicklund is supported by Peter Smida, with artistic consultants Justine Chambers and Livona Ellis ensuring the work remains rigorously examined and open to new interpretations.

Lighting designer James Proudfoot shapes the visual world, moving from stark minimalism to feral, overgrown landscapes. Scenography, developed with the Banff Centre, experiments with fabric, scale, color, and texture, creating a stage where objects transform, spaces distort, and nature reclaims human-made structures.

Together, this team crafts a richly integrated universe where innocence collides with inevitability, fantasy unravels, and the wild, tender, and unsettling truths of growing up are embodied in movement, orchestral sound, and transformative design. A commercial recording of OVERGROWN will support its ongoing presentation across Canada and internationally, ensuring the work’s innovative vision reaches audiences beyond its premiere.