Connection drives us as humans, and that sense of relationship and closeness is being explored through dance in Ballet Kelowna’s upcoming program, Ex Animo.
“The common thread between the pieces is this idea of human connection and the idea of relationships,” said Simone Orlando, Ballet Kelowna’s CEO and artistic director.
Three different pieces make up the Valentine’s Day weekend performances, each with choreographers who have worked with Ballet Kelowna before, including Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe, Robert Stephen and Alysa Pires.
The new work from sinkʷə is called payɛčot yɛχət, which means I’ll always remember in Ayajuthem, the language of the Homalco, Klahoose, K’omoks, and Tla’amin First Nations.
Stephen’s In the Light of the Waking Sun was first commissioned by the Okanagan Ballet Company in 2022. It returns with a message of finding hope during challenging times.
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“It was an audience favourite, it’s very joyous and uplifting,” said Orlando.
Pires returns to work with ballet Kelowna for the first time since being commissioned to choreograph Macbeth. The new work is called Vestiges and features bold and lively movement.
This piece she has revisited, and expanded upon it, creating a beautiful lyrical composition.
Ex Animo will take over the Kelowna Community Theatre on Feb. 14 and Feb. 15.