Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, has announced that the remaining 2020/21 season will be cancelled due to the ongoing uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic and in recognition that a return to large gatherings in the near future is unlikely.
The Winter Season in March will be cancelled and the world premiere of Swan Lake in June will be postponed to the 2021/22 season. The full 2021/22 season will be announced in spring 2021.
Kain said,
Although this news is not unexpected, the decision to cancel the remainder of the 2020/21 season was made with a heavy heart. I am particularly disappointed that we must once again postpone the world premiere of my new production of Swan Lake which will now be presented in the 2021/22 season but the health and safety of our artists and audiences continues to be our foremost priority. We will return to the stage when it is safe to do so stronger than ever and until then, we will continue to share the artistry of our dancers virtually and, when possible, in socially distanced live performances.
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano’) about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.
