Ballet to present triple header in St. Albert

  • 2025-01-21
Ballet Kelowna will be travelling to St. Albert this February, present a triptych of works touching on a variety of cultural identities.

The stage show will kick off with Cameron Fraser-Monroe’s dance piece taqəš, pronounced taw-KESH. The piece is based in the Coast Salish tradition of Grass and Hoop Dance, follows the traditional Indigenous story “Raven Returns to Water” and is set to songs by award-winning composer Jeremy Dutcher. This will be followed by MAMBO, a colourful dance work by Alysa Pires. The soundtrack includes Latin, jazz and swing music with artists like Dean Martin, Perry Como and Sarah Vaughan among the inspiration. The work received acclaim from both audiences and critics after performances in Toronto and Beijing

The final piece will be The Cowboy Act Suite, which gives the whole night its name. Also choreographed by Fraser-Monroe, the piece incorporates work by Mohawk singer-songwriter Tom Wilson and presents a deconstructed version of the traditional “Cowboys and Indians” stories. The three-part performance is a rare touring show by the Kelowna-based ballet company. Dance shows like this often use eye-catching poster printing and social media clips to help drum up local interest.

The Ballet Kelowna performance of The Cowboy Act Suite and Other Works will take place on the evening of February 28 at The Arden Theatre in St. Albert.