By Robin J. Miller For decades, ballet companies, especially in North America, have depended on The Nutcracker for their bread-and-butter, knowing it would draw vast crowds every Christmas and make it possible to present other, often more challenging fare the rest of the year. Thanks to pandemic restrictions, many companies cancelled their 2020 Nutcrackers months
by Michael Crabb After the long summer drought, the wave of often overlapping performances that engulf the Toronto dance scene each fall can be overwhelming. However, as the wave recedes, certain images and impressions remain memorably fixed. Some are very specific, others more the result of cumulative impact. Into the former category falls Bill Coleman’s
by Michael Crabb On July 1, Karen Kain marked her 10th anniversary as artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada, the longest-serving in that role besides founding director Celia Franca. Kain joined the National Ballet as a corps member in 1969 and was promoted to principal rank two years later. In October 1997, at