Tuesday, February 21, 2006


In 1992 when John Alleyne became the artistic director of Ballet BC I swear I might have seen some ballet version of the Maypole dance. I was appalled. Soon after, Alleyne would mix more contemporary stuff with classical ballet and I could see the elder patrons leave the Queen Elizabeth Theater in a tiff. But Alleyne stuck to his guns (quietly) and now we have a cutting edge modern dance company in which ballet really only exists in its name. Going to an Alleyne, Ballet BC performance is always exciting. Part of the attraction is that Ballet BC, and much of the independent dance scene of Vancouver feature new music. Alleyne has commissioned local composers to write music for many of his ballets. There are few venues for this kind of music and hearing it while watching dancers dance is a double delight.
New Music
Ballet on a Streetcar