Alberta Ballet is stepping into a storybook this week as Once Upon a Time - A Thousand Tales takes the stage at the Jubilee Auditorium.
It runs from Sept. 11 to 13 in Calgary and Sept.19-20 in Edmonton.
The production brings together Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin, Swan Lake and more in a sweeping fantasy led by the White Rabbit.
It's designed by Roberta Guidi di Bagno, whose atelier in Rome created what artistic director Francesco Ventriglia calls "exquisitely done" sets and costumes. "It's really, really beautiful. So really an occasion not to miss to start the season."
"It's a lot of fun, you know, lots of fairy tales into one story," adds Ventriglia. "There are a lot of princesses in the ballet. So I hope all the girls will dress up. And then we have the three musketeers, and we have a puss in boots. So it will be a lot of fun."
It was first staged at the Dubai Opera last year when Alberta Ballet became the first Canadian company to perform at the iconic venue. Ventriglia says he wanted Albertans to see it too.
"Our public can see what we did overseas and as well feel so proud that we're exporting Alberta brand, Canada brand for art and culture internationally," he said. "We want to be a local international company. Our brand needs to be recognizable everywhere."
The sparkle onstage is matched by serious support behind the curtain. Alberta Ballet has teamed up with Peak Health and Performance to launch Peak Dance with the new season, a wellness program tailored specifically for its dancers.
"The partnership with Peak means a lot," says Ventriglia. "From when we started this collaboration, we have witnessed a decrease of injuries of almost 90 percent. The dancers, they feel protected, safe. They feel followed into the process."
He calls it a change in the culture of dance, providing full rounded support.
"I'm asking my dancers 100 per cent, I want to give them an environment and offer them 150 per cent," Ventriglia explains. "So then I'm entitled to ask, but equally my dancers feel safe and strong to try for more, to search for more, to be better artists every day."
Chiropractor Dr. Alex Lauder, who leads the program, explains the comprehensive approach.
"We took an integrated team of practitioners that work at our clinic that include chiropractors, physiotherapists, massage therapists, and instead of having the dancers come to us at the clinic, we're going to them so that we can help treat their injuries on site -- but most even importantly to help prevent injuries from happening in the first place," he said.
Lauder calls those first critical minutes after a fall or misstep the "golden period," when clinicians can tell if something is truly hurt or not.
Having that care embedded in rehearsal halls and theatres, he says, has transformed the way Alberta Ballet's athletes manage their health.
"These dancers are incredible artists and incredible athletes... at the end of the day we just really like teach them to take care of themselves physically, mentally, socially and to diversify the way that they move," Lauder said.
For the dancers, having that care close at hand is a game changer.
"Having Peak on site is so incredibly helpful. It allows for, we just need constant feedback and constant reassurance... and having them there just allows us to pop in quickly, have conversations with them," says dancer Allison Perhach. "It keeps it really open and communicative, which is so key."
This marks Ventriglia's second season with the company, and he says the vision keeps expanding.
"Last season was the beginning. It was for me as well, the learning and understanding. But look, we ended with an international tour in Dubai Opera, the first Canadian ballet company to perform at Dubai Opera House," he said. "It was incredible and the dancers had such a great time. Two performances sold out. It was so fun."
Now, the stage is set for what he calls "a season that is really nothing less than a huge dream." Alberta Ballet will debut its first new Nutcracker in 15 years, designed for Calgary and Edmonton audiences with live orchestras. In October, four Canadian women choreographers will premiere new works to honour the legend of Nijinsky.
For Valentine's Day, Romeo and Juliet will arrive with sets and costumes by Oscar-winner James Acheson (Dangerous Liaisons, Restoration, The Last Emperor). In March, Paris Opera étoile Benjamin Pech restages Swan Lake with brand new designs. And in May, the season closes with Notre Dame de Paris, costumed in designs by Yves Saint Laurent.