A Port Theatre Spotlight Series Presentation
Ballet Kelowna – taqəš, Bolero, and MAMBO
Pre-show chat in the Harmac Room with Cameron Fraser-Monroe
taqəš, Bolero, and MAMBO features a stunning lineup of signature works from Ballet Kelowna’s contemporary ballet repertoire. With Cameron Fraser-Monroe’s powerful and compelling taqəš [tawKESH], Guillaume Côté’s mesmerizing Bolero, and Alysa Pires’ vivacious audience favourite MAMBO, this high-energy program promises to please a wide range of spectators.
Cameron Fraser-Monroe brings his classical ballet training, knowledge of traditional Coast Salish, Grass, and Hoop Dance, and experience as a contemporary dancer to taqəš [tawKESH], which means “to return something” in Ayajuthem, the language belonging to the Homalco, Klahoose, K’omoks, and Tla’amin Nations. Set to several songs by Polaris Prize-winning composer and singer Jeremy Dutcher, taqəš follows the traditional story “Raven Returns the Water,” centred around ῤoho (raven) and walθ (frog).
Next, National Ballet of Canada Choreographic Associate Guillaume Côté brings strength and fragility to a fascinating interpretation of the beloved Bolero by Maurice Ravel, one of music’s most famous and identifiable melodies. A “riveting tour de force” (Dance Magazine), Bolero (2012) features breathtaking lifts and virtuosic choreography.
Rounding out the program, audiences will be treated to Ballet Kelowna commissioned MAMBO (2018) by Alysa Pires. The work gained worldwide acclaim after performances at Beijing’s China International Performing Arts Expo and Toronto’s Fall for Dance North Festival in 2018. Pires’ “crowd-pleasing MAMBO” (The Globe and Mail) is a colourful joie de vivre set to a vibrant soundtrack of Latin, swing, and jazz standards by musical legends such as Dean Martin, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney, Sarah Vaughn, and more.
