Hope Muir, Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, announced the details of the 2026/27 season. The season marks the company’s 75th anniversary, and features a mix of legacy works and world premieres, along with a reimagined version of The Erik Bruhn Prize.
“Celia Franca founded this company with a vision that was nothing short of audacious. To build a world-class ballet company in Canada in 1951 took extraordinary courage, conviction and imagination. That spirit of bold ambition still lives at the heart of The National Ballet of Canada today,” said Muir in a statement.
“It’s a great honour to introduce our 75th anniversary season, my fifth as Artistic Director. With this season, we endeavour to honour a legacy of storytelling, innovation and transformation, reflecting on our history and the artistic values that have shaped this company, while at the same time looking boldly forward.”
Subscriptions for the 2026/27 season are now on sale, and single tickets go on sale September 22, 2026.
A Share the Magic matinee launches the 75th season, where the National Ballet welcomes more than 1,600 community members to a free performance of Romeo and Juliet.
“Opening our 75th season with Share the Magic feels profoundly meaningful,” said Muir. “These free performances are an invitation, our way of saying The National Ballet of Canada belongs to everyone. We are committed to always aligning our mission with access and want audiences across the city to feel welcomed into what we do, to feel the joy of ballet without barriers.”
John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet played a key role in the artistic growth of the National Ballet. It was secured for the company’s inaugural performance at the O’Keefe Centre in 1964 by founding Artistic Director Celia Franca. It also marked the final production at that venue, before the company moved to the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in 2006.
Cranko is a wonderful storyteller, and he created Romeo and Juliet for Stuttgart Ballet in 1962. It features lyrical pas de deux, along with dynamic theatricality. Set to Sergei Prokofiev’s score, it features sets and costumes designed by Canada’s Susan Benson and lighting by Robert Thomson. It remains a timeless tale of love and courage.
After the Share the Magic matinee on October 31, the opening night for Romeo and Juliet will be a special gala to honour the company’s past and future.
This double bill features two works by leading dancemakers of contemporary ballet. Emergence was commissioned by then Artistic Director Karen Kain in 2009, and was the first full-scale commission for a classical company for Crystal Pite. The award-winning work marked a milestone in contemporary creation for the NBC at its inception, and has now become a staple internationally. In the work, Pite draws parallels between the hierarchy of a ballet company and insect societies. The stage becomes a hive of shifting patterns set to a soundscape by Owen Belton.
Artistic Director Hope Muir was the first to bring dancemakers Sol León and Paul Lightfoot to the National Ballet repertoire with Silent Screen in 2024. The work, set to Philip Glass’ Glassworks, garnered rave reviews. It’s a riveting work where dance and silent film merge, with large screens as a cinematic backdrop to the dancers.
Choreographer James Kudelka’s The Nutcracker makes a welcome return to the NBC. The production is colourful, and imbued with a sense of fun. It’s become a cherished holiday tradition in the city, with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, sets and costumes from Santo Loquasto, and lighting by Jennifer Tipton.
Echoes of Stravinsky opens the Winter Season, and showcases the artistry of The National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, led by Music Director and Principal Conductor David Briskin, who celebrates his 20th year with the company.
Students of Canada’s National Ballet School will perform Christopher Wheeldon’s Scènes de Ballet — the first time the school will share the program with the company. It will be followed by George Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto, created for New York City Ballet in 1972. The program concludes with Chamber by Medhi Walerski, renowned choreographer and Artistic Director of Ballet BC, and originally created for Nederlands Dans Theater in 2012. It features a score by Joby Talbot, inspired by the Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.
Dr. Coppélius marks the first full-length story ballet commission by Artistic Director Hope Muir. It represents a reimagining of the classic Coppélia, as choreographed by Val Caniparoli, a renowned artist experienced in classical narrative structure.
This new version revolves around the mysterious inventor, and offers a reflection on empathy and acceptance, set to a score by Léo Delibes and Ernest Guiraud. The production features an all-Canadian female creative team, with dramaturgy by Eda Holmes, set and costumes by Camellia Koo, and lighting by Bonnie Beecher.
Artistic Director Hope Muir has reshaped the International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize into The Erik Bruhn Festival of Emerging Artists: A Celebration of Young Talent for the 75th anniversary.
The Festival is an international showcase for the next generation of dance talent, and brings together young dancers from leading companies around the world. They’ll be afforded the opportunity to perform on a major stage, with the exposure that will generate. Rather than competition, the focus shifts to artistic exchanges and mentorship.
The dancers will perform a classical piece along with a new contemporary work that has been commissioned for the occasion. The Festival preserves the high standards of the original competition, while championing the young stars of tomorrow.
The Summer Season begins with a new work by Resident Choreographer David Dawson, the internationally recognized dancemaker’s first full-length commission for the National Ballet. It’s a trilogy of works that delve into beginnings and endings, love and loss, characterized by physical and spiritual expression. It’s an exciting new chapter for the company, and features a commissioned score by Grammy Award-winning composer Peter Gregson.
Nureyev’s The Sleeping Beauty was first performed by the National Ballet in 1972, and features extravagant design by Nicholas Georgiadis. It was a leap of faith for Founding Artistic Director Celia Franca, and a work that helped to establish the National Ballet’s reputation internationally. It’s an appropriate addition to the company’s 75th anniversary.
Today, the National Ballet is the only company in North America to perform Nureyev’s version of the story.
Early 6:30 p.m. Performances
To offer greater flexibility to those who’d prefer an earlier evening, the 2026/27 season will feature two 6:30 p.m. performances: Emergence & Silent Screen on November 17, 2026 and The Sleeping Beauty on June 22, 2027.
Family-Friendly Matinee
A special truncated matinee of The Sleeping Beauty is designed to appeal to people who are new to ballet, and to families in particular. It takes place on June 26, 2027, and features just one act in a matinee performance, with a reduced ticket price.
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.
