Elegant passing of the baton for RWB’s 2025-26 season
Cornerstone production The Sleeping Beauty chosen by Lewis, staged by Stowell
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/02/2025 (233 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
It’s a new season at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Curated by outgoing artistic director André Lewis, the upcoming 2025/26 season announced this week will be the first under RWB’s new artistic director Christopher Stowell.
“Joining such a prestigious institution is a true privilege. I’m thrilled to build on its incredible legacy by bringing my own artistic perspective and values to RWB in the years to come,” Stowell said in a media release.
David Cooper photo
Jaimi Deleau will perform in The Four Seasons in the mixed-repertoire program next spring.
“This season, crafted under André’s visionary leadership, sets a fantastic stage. Looking ahead, I am eager to deepen my connection with RWB’s artists and audiences through an exciting endeavour: staging my own production of The Sleeping Beauty next season.”
Stowell’s version of the classic ballet, choreographed after Marius Petipa to Tchaikovsky’s iconic score, will take the Centennial Concert Hall stage March 12 to 15, 2026.
The Sleeping Beauty — which tells the story of Princess Aurora, who is cursed by the malevolent Carabosse (whom Disney fans might know as Maleficent) but saved by true love’s kiss — was last presented by the RWB digitally during the 2021/22 season, owing to pandemic restrictions.
The 2025/26 season opens Oct. 9 to 12 with Hansel & Gretel from New Zealand choreographer Loughlan Prior. Set to an original score by Claire Cowan, this story ballet based on the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale goes from black and white to a riot of colour, thanks to sets and costumes by Kate Hawley.
Festive favourite Nutcracker will take up its annual Christmas residency at the concert hall Dec. 19 to 23, 26 and 27. Before that, it will spend a month on the road, taking holiday magic to Regina, Saskatoon, Ottawa and Vancouver.
Mainstage season concludes with a mixed-repertoire program April 30 to May 3, 2026, featuring James Kudelka’s The Four Seasons, choreographed to the Vivaldi masterwork of the same name, along with the Winnipeg première of Cameron Fraser-Monroe’s Segatem — which made its world première in New York City in the fall — and a new work from American choreographer Dwight Rhoden, founder of Complexions Contemporary Ballet in New York City.
The current season continues with Jekyll & Hyde March 6 to 9 at the Centennial Concert Hall.
jen.zoratti@winnipegfreepress.com
Jen Zoratti is a columnist and feature writer working in the Arts & Life department, as well as the author of the weekly newsletter NEXT. A National Newspaper Award finalist for arts and entertainment writing, Jen is a graduate of the Creative Communications program at RRC Polytech and was a music writer before joining the Free Press in 2013. Read more about Jen.
Every piece of reporting Jen produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Jen Zoratti is a columnist and feature writer working in the Arts & Life department, as well as the author of the weekly newsletter NEXT. A National Newspaper Award finalist for arts and entertainment writing, Jen is a graduate of the Creative Communications program at RRC Polytech and was a music writer before joining the Free Press in 2013. Read more about Jen.
Every piece of reporting Jen produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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