Six Reasons to See Ballet BC’s ‘TRILOGY’

Opening Ballet BC’s 2025-26 season is TRILOGY — a powerful triple bill happening this Nov. 6-8 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

The program features SWAY from artistic director Medhi Walerski, a world premiere by Sofia Nappi and the return of Shahar Binyamini’s BOLERO X. Here are six reasons to see these incredible feats of choreography and performance.

50 dancers onstage

In order to achieve BOLERO X — choreographer Shahar Binyamini’s artistic vision of 50 dancers onstage — Ballet BC needed to look beyond its full company of 20. Thanks to a special collaboration with Vancouver’s Arts Umbrella, an additional 30 dancers joined Ballet BC’s company artists at each performance to round out the monumental cast, who move in powerful synchronicity to Ravel’s instantly recognizable composition. The result will take your breath away.

Celebrate a fresh creative voice

Since diving deeper into choreography after a career as a dancer, Sofia Nappi has been busy. In addition to founding her own company, KOMOCO, in 2024, Nappi created stage movements for the opera Platée at Göteborg Opera and presented the creation Hara for Nederlands Dans Theater 2 as part of the Up and Coming Choreographers project. This past year, she premiered Duende for Leipziger Ballett and a new work for Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart. Now, Ballet BC is proud to present Nappi’s first world premiere with the company at TRILOGY.

A timely work from Medhi

When choreographer Medhi Walerski created SWAY in 2019, he was at a turning point. An Emily Dickinson poem titled “‘Hope’ Is the Thing with Feathers” brought inspiration for a new work for seven dancers, which continues to be a favourite of audiences. More than five years later, this poetic, polished ode to hope finds renewed meaning in today’s world, where both art and optimism feel more essential than ever.

Artistic freedom reigns

Deeply committed to creation, Ballet BC is known for providing choreographers with the freedom and autonomy to develop their vision without constraint — an increasingly rare opportunity. When Italian choreographer Sofia Nappi entered the Ballet BC studios for the first time in August, she knew she was interested in working with a big cast, but otherwise did not have a fixed idea of what the final product would be. Exploring concepts and phrases in collaboration with the dancers was a meaningful way to build the new work and connect to the reason she became a choreographer.

See Ballet BC’s newest talent

Ballet BC welcomes three new dancers to the company this season, all making their Ballet BC main-stage debut at TRILOGY. Originally from Vancouver, full-time artist Kylie Miller trained with Modus Operandi before joining the ensemble of Batsheva Dance Company in 2022. Emerging artists Stan Tonin and Kailey Worontsoff trained with Arts Umbrella and the Juilliard School, respectively, and spent time with Ballet BC’s Annex and 44 Summer Intensive programs. Join us in welcoming them to the stage!

New showtimes and class onstage

TRILOGY also introduces new ways to experience Ballet BC: matinee performances, earlier evening curtain times and the chance to see the company take class onstage. The company’s first matinee takes place Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m. — perfect for those with earlier bedtimes or longer commutes. That same morning, audiences can reserve orchestra seats to watch Ballet BC and Arts Umbrella artists take class onstage, a daily ritual shared by dancers around the world.

To learn more and save your seat, visit Ballet BC’s website.