Ballet BC: Bliss

Tonight marks the opening performance of BC Ballet’s season closer, Bliss, created by the company’s Resident choreographer José Navas.

Donald Sales and Alexis Fletcher. Photo credit: Chris Randle.

This has been my first year seeing virtually every performance by the company and I must say that it’s been an absolutely transcendent experience. I admire BC Ballet’s ability to break down old categories and assumptions of what ballet is and risking to deliver fresh, relevant dance to contemporary audiences.

Bliss is the first full-evening work by Navas for BC Ballet, who has very little experience with choreographing en pointe. In fact, in 2010, when BC Ballet first signed on the Montreal-based contemporary dancer and artistic director of Compagnie Flak as resident choreographer, he had never created a piece en pointe at all. His first short work, the bliss that from their limbs all movement takes, was spectacular, innovative and received a lot of accolade from both audiences as critics.

I’m looking forward to Bliss, an extended re-working of the short piece, and seeing what new ways Navas has the dancers move and what old traditions and categories he shatters with those pointe shoes.

Bliss runs today until Saturday, May 12, 2012. Ballet BC will return in November for the 2012-2013 season. Follow them on Twitter for updates and information over the summer.