Ballet 琉璃神社鈥檚 season is coming to an end this Friday with Livestream No. 2, an evening of dance dedicated to frontline health-care workers, choreographed by Vernon-raised Cameron Fraser-Monroe.

The digital premiere of Fraser-Monroe鈥檚 powerful and compelling taq蓹拧 will be featured alongside the world premiere of Stolen Tide, a poignant new ensemble piece by Seiji Suzuki, and the return of Guillaume C么t茅鈥檚 riveting Bolero starting at 7:30 p.m., May 21.

鈥淭his performance goes out to health-care workers across the country,鈥� said Ballet 琉璃神社鈥檚 artistic director and CEO Simone Orlando of the free or by-donation event through Unicorns Live.

鈥淵ou are the unsung heroines and heroes of this epic fight against COVID-19 and your dedication, commitment and courage deserve our deepest gratitude and admiration. We offer Livestream No. 2 as artistic respite from the stresses that so many have been experiencing. We are excited to reveal two inspirational new works along with an electrifying audience favourite.鈥�

Fraser-Monroe brings his classical ballet training, knowledge of traditional Coast Salish, grass and hoop dance, and experience as a contemporary dancer to taq蓹s虒, which means 鈥渢o return something鈥� in Ayajuthem, the language belonging to the Homalco, Klahoose, K鈥檕moks and Tla鈥檃min Nations.

Set to the compositions of Polaris prize-winner Jeremy Dutcher, taq蓹s虒 follows the traditional story 鈥淩aven Returns the Water,鈥� centred around Raven and Frog.

鈥淚t is very important that First Nations peoples tell our own stories,鈥� said Fraser-Monroe, a member of the Tla鈥檃min First Nation in Powell River.

鈥淲hile our stories do not have morals, they do communicate our ways of life, and I found messages about water, greed, community and justice to be relevant today.鈥�

Stolen Tide showcases eight of the company鈥檚 artists in a live study of the impact of a traumatic event while Bolero celebrates the strength and resilience of women.

鈥淭o our donors, funders and sponsors, our heartfelt thanks,鈥� said Orlando. 鈥淵ou have made it possible for us to employ our artists and deliver virtual programming this season. While continued support is still needed to help us move toward recovery, I am proud of the great strides we have made this year in expanding our digital presence and reaching new audiences.鈥�

For more information and to register for access, visit balletkelowna.ca.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

newsroom@vernonmorningstar.com
Like us on and follow us on .