Fresh air, fresh faces RWB kicks off annual al fresco series with new principal, second soloists By: Jen Zoratti Posted: 5:35 PM CDT Monday, Jul. 22, 2024

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This article was published 22/07/2024 (752 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s 85th season begins in earnest Wednesday night with Ballet in the Park, the company’s annual al fresco showcase at Assiniboine Park’s Lyric Theatre.

This week’s performances will also mark the first time longtime soloist Stephan Azulay will step out as a newly minted principal dancer, while Amanda Solheim and Joshua Hidson have been called up from the corps de ballet to second soloists. Aidan Vaudreuil also joins the company as an apprentice.

Being promoted to the company’s top rank came as a shock for Azulay, 31, who has been a company member since 2017.

“I don’t know if it really will ever set in,” the London, U.K.-born, Sydney, Australia-raised artist says with a laugh. “Obviously, I’m very honoured to be promoted and very grateful to the ballet. But day to day, it doesn’t change too much.

“Everyone does everything,” he says. “The rank’s obviously important and the respect’s important but, at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean that you’ll do all the dancing and no one else will. That’s just not how we work.”

It’ll be an auspicious season for Azulay overall, both as a dancer and a choreographer.

In May 2025, Azulay will make his mainstage choreographic debut with Bolero, which will be featured in a mixed-repertoire program alongside Mark Godden’s Angels in the Architecture and Itzik Galili’s Hikarizatto. Set to Maurice Ravel’s iconic score of the same name, Bolero — which incorporates farruca, a form of flamenco — first debuted in 2022 at Fast Forward, the RWB’s black-box theatre showcase.

Azulay will debut two new works at Ballet in the Park: the fitting Summer, set to Vivaldi, and Kick, Kick, Snare, a rigorous 26-minute piece set to music by American jazz fusion outfit Snarky Puppy that he had roughly two weeks to create, making for a hit-the-ground-running start to the season. (“It’s like being shot out of a cannon,” Solheim says.)

“I wanted to create something that was friendly for Ballet in the Park and exciting for the dancers,” Azulay says. “Do I wish I had more time? Absolutely. It’s been a big push for them and for me. But I do think by the time we get to next week, it’ll be a lot less crazy, and I think they will really enjoy it. I hope the audience enjoys it, because it’s fun to watch.”

Hidson, too, is dipping a toe into choreography. He’ll debut a cute new piece at Ballet in the Park for pre-jazz dance students in the recreational division, set to the music of Elvis Presley.

The King is perhaps an unlikely musical muse for a 24-year-old, but Hidson prefers the oldies.

“My friends kind of make fun of me because I’m never up to date on the most recent song,” the Edmonton native says with a laugh.

Presley’s music lit up his choreographer brain.

“Every time Burning Love came on, I was just like, ‘This would be such a good junior jazz piece,’” he says. “It’s so much fun. I could see it. There would be couples, and they would just be dancing and having a great time.

“They’re at the diner getting their milkshakes, the boys are in their leather jackets, the girls are in their dresses.”

Hidson, who joined the company in 2019, is excited to start a new chapter as a second soloist.

“It’s really nice to be recognized for the work you put in,” he says. “This is going to be my sixth season with the company, so it’s really exciting. I feel very fortunate not only to have been given the opportunities to dance some of those soloist roles, but also to have that recognition and be able to share that joy with my friends and family.”

Solheim, too, is looking forward to sinking her teeth into meatier roles as a second soloist.

“I have wanted this for a long time,” says the 25-year-old, who also joined the company in 2019. “And it means so much to get some feedback and get some recognition from artistic staff. And knowing that I can take some more leadership roles. I’m excited to keep going, keep growing, and it gives me a bit more artistic freedom, because I feel so solid in where I am right now.”

Solheim, originally from Surrey, B.C., has had a taste of solo roles, including those of Sugar Plum Fairy in Nutcracker and Fairy Godmother in A Cinderella Story.

But it was her turn as Moira in a 2022 production of The Handmaid’s Tale that awakened something in her.

“It was more acting, and deeper and darker,” she says. “And I loved it.”

This week’s shows will mark Elena Tupyseva’s first Ballet in the Park as the RWB’s executive director. Originally from Moscow, Tupyseva joined the organization last fall, helming the company alongside longtime artistic director André Lewis, who will be departing in 2025.

Tupyseva’s a fan of site-specific work, so when she came to RWB she says she was surprised — “in a positive way ” — that Ballet in the Park not only existed but is such a well-attended tradition.

“Ballet in the Park is such a great opportunity to start the season, to reconnect with the community, and also it’s great that it’s a free event. A lot of newcomers or people who move to the city can come and enjoy good weather and good art,” she says, adding that the event is an excellent opportunity for students in the professional and recreational divisions of the RWB School to share the stage with the company in front of an audience.

In addition to Azulay and Hidson’s pieces, Ballet in the Park audiences will be treated to a dusting of Christmas in July with an excerpt from Nutcracker. The evening will also include the Don Quixote pas de deux performed by students from the Anna McCowan-Johnson Aspirant Program; Quit Clowning Around, a solo piece by up-and-coming choreographer/aspirant Grace Frazer-Sneddon; and Used to Know, an award-winning work by recreational division principal Nicole Kepp, featuring dance ensemble students.

Register for a free ticket at rwb.org and receive updates about the show; this does not guarantee you a seat at the general-admission performance. Show your ticket at the RWB information tent to receive a limited-edition button and automatically be entered to win a season subscription.

jen.zoratti@winnipegfreepress.com