Finally! Despite all the problems that this virus has caused, also in the arts community, the Ballet Eddy Toussaint is proud to simply say that it’s still alive! We would like to thank the City of Laval and its various programs, which have contributed to our survival.

Another thank you goes to our ballet mistress Natalia Korotkova, who took over the fetish ballet of Mr. Toussaint, The Dying Swan, taken from the Carnival of the animals by Saint-Saëns, that is to say the ballet that Mr. Toussaint saw when he was six years old, played by Janine Charrat of the Paris Opera, in his native Haiti. He was so impressed to see a woman’s body turn into a bird that day; at that very moment he knew he would become a choreographer.

It wasn’t easy, but it’s with great pleasure that we announce to our audiences that we are back with programming that we are sure everyone will enjoy.

We haven’t been idle. Fortunately, during this pandemic we were allowed to work as professionals. Since it was not possible to establish physical contact between the dancers, we used the classical repertoire and that of the company to teach all possible and imaginable solos, which allowed our dancers to acquire extensive practical and historical knowledge of ballet.

First artistic event: we are celebrating the 75th birthday of our artistic director and founder, Mr. Eddy Toussaint himself, as well as his 50th career anniversary. The gala dated in October at the Maison des Arts de Laval. Tickets will go on sale soon at the company’s head office at 3671 boulevard Saint-Martin Ouest (for more information, see balleteddytoussaint.org). On the program, the public will have the chance to appreciate a variety of solos that our dancers have had time to perfect, as mentioned above. In addition, they will be able to discover two new additions to the repertoire: Ave Maria, Mr. Toussaint’s latest creation and a pas de trois, staged by ballet master Timothy Tompkins: La Ventana, by choreographer Auguste Bournonville and created in the 1800s, which stands out with a particular style: the Bournonville method (a Danish method of ballet).

In December, it’s with pleasure that we resume the show The Nutcracker, choreographed by Eddy Toussaint and which has been enjoyed by the public every year for more than four years. For those who haven’t seen it already, we would like to point out that this is a completely new and different choreography from The Nutcracker that all other companies in Canada present. The emphasis was placed much closer to theatre and Hoffman’s tale, which inspired the choreographer, but did not prevent him from going even further: Clara is taken not to the Kingdom of Sweets, but to another planet. It allows the choreography to evolve and change. And this year, a new part will be added to it. Without giving too much detail, this is an excerpt from The Nutcracker that had never been presented before and which, of course, bears the signature Toussaint. This year, we are offering a renewed formula to allow our audience to reserve their seats in advance by pre-selling performances this month.

Therefore, the Ballet Eddy Toussaint, having as its mission to make known classical dance and the dance of today, will continue to put on stage beauty, discipline and history. For more information, please contact the Ballet Eddy Toussaint team at (514) 383-9204.