Ballet Kelowna will be presenting Reprise at the Kelowna Community Theatre

Photo: Contributed

Ballet Kelowna is reviving three of its most successful Canadian commissions.

The ballet will be presenting Reprise at the Kelowna Community Theatre on February 18 and 19, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.

The collection of returning fan favourites showcases a range and versatility of Ballet Kelowna’s company of artists.

The program features the technically brilliant, classical work Within the Golden Raga, choreographed by Kunal Ranchod; the contemporary work, infused with sultry Argentine tango, Cuatro Estaciones, choreographed by Ballet Kelowna’s own Artistic Director and CEO Simone Orlando; and MAMBO, choreographed by Alysa Pires.

“We are delighted to present Reprise this winter, as a symbol of our gratitude for those who have and continue to support Ballet Kelowna in our mission to present the highest-caliber of dance to the Okanagan and across Canada,” says Simone Orlando, artistic director and CEO of Ballet Kelowna.

“The works selected for our mixed program not only demonstrate the technical and stylistic versatility of our dancers, but are also three of our most popular commissioned works, each receiving wide acclaim and immediate standing ovations upon their winter premieres in 2020, 2019 and 2018. We look forward to reviving this A-list program for our dedicated audiences and for those newly experiencing Ballet Kelowna.”

Opening the program is the return of Within the Golden Raga from Montreal choreographer Ranchod, which premiered in February 2020.

A classical yet inventive balletic piece, featuring fast petit allegro sections, complex pointe work, and intimate duets, Ranchod’s first commission for Ballet Kelowna is a spiritually-informed study of connection to people and place, inspired by the duality of his Indian heritage and Canadian upbringing.

Audiences will then be transported to Buenos Aires, Argentina with the remount of Orlando’s evocative Cuatro Estaciones, which premiered in February 2019.

The tango-infused work, which features group formations and seductive duets, is influenced by composer Astor Piazzolla, whose original compositions revolutionized the traditional Argentine tango by incorporating elements of jazz into a new style known as neuvo tango.

Set to Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, layered with Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, this contemporary work earned rave reviews from audiences upon its premiere and has since toured across BC.

Closing the evening is contemporary work MAMBO by Pires, which premiered in Kelowna in February 2018, followed by presentations at Beijing’s China International Performing Arts Expo and Toronto’s Fall for Dance North Festival in September and October 2018, respectively.

In addition to Reprise, Ballet Kelowna will present both Cuatro Estaciones and MAMBO as part of their inaugural tour to Atlantic Canada and Quebec in 2022.

Tickets and information at balletkelowna.ca