FASHION Magazine

By Alexandra Breen

When it comes to encapsulating the pathos and fervour of a melodrama like Onegin, based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel Eugene Onegin, experience can be your best weapon. Just ask Xiao Nan Yu (a.k.a. Nan), a dancer for The National Ballet of Canada who first took on the role of Onegin’s Tatiana at age 22, just before climbing the ranks of the company to become a principal.

“It was a fast promotion,” she says before diving into a rehearsal. “I felt pressure to live up to their standards and questioned whether I did enough to deserve it.” Years of critical acclaim later, the 36-year-old is reprising her cherished Tatiana role this month (March 19-23) opposite McGee Maddox at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto.

Go behind the scenes with Evan McKie »

Being a ballet dancer is just about as intense as it gets. Despite making it all look like a hop, skip and a jump on stage (no pun intended), behind the scenes, it’s hours upon hours of gruelling practice. And while we’re sure not everyone goes full on Black Swan crazy, we know it takes plenty to get it into “it was perfect” territory. For a peek into that world, we caught up with the National Ballet of Canada’s principal guest dancer, Evan McKie, while he practiced for two of his upcoming roles.

As a principal dancer with Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet and a guest artist everywhere from Paris to Tokyo, Toronto can count itself lucky that McKie has returned to the National Ballet after his triumphant guest residency back in 2011. Currently a Principal Guest Artist with the National Ballet of Canada, McKie is starring as Prince Siegfried in the classic Swan Lake and later this month as Vladimir Lensky in the Russian narrative ballet Onegin. With two major productions to simultaneously prepare for, McKie has to ensure his body is in prime condition at all times. No cheat days for this danseur.

See the ballet dancers on the street »

On stage, the connection between ballet and fashion has always been clear. From the tutus to the tiaras, costumes are like cinematic tools, laying the groundwork for dance masterpieces to unfold. Off stage, the connection is just as present: “As a ballet dancer you develop a strong instinct for aesthetics,” says National Ballet of Canada principal dancer Heather Ogden. “The line of a leg or the angle of your arms is really important. We are very body aware and you learn what looks good on you and I think that applies to fashion too.” Last month, photographer David Pike visited the National Ballet to capture dancers in everyday gear while in rehearsal for the current production of Swan Lake. The grande dame of ballet is amongst the most difficult to perform for the principals, soloists and corps, which would explain comfort being of the utmost importance for all the company’s dancers. “I have to be able to move, and I have to like the way my body looks in whatever I’m wearing,” says second soloist Dylan Tedaldi. With that in mind, let’s view this batch of ballet street style as a lesson in how to look good all winter long.

See the Mad Hot Ballet: Dangerous Love photos »

On Wednesday night, Canada’s best ballet dancers and their most glamorous fans filled the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts to bask in the sultry Spanish glow of Mat Hot Ballet: Dangerous Love. The National Ballet of Canada’s annual benefit gala took its theme from the current production of Carmen, showcasing a few highlights within a dazzling gala performance. Featuring four showy snippets from various pieces, it included Summer Pas de Deux, an excerpt from The Four Seasons, Enketi, choreographed by principal dancer Guillaume Côté and the astoundingly fouette-filled Grand Pas de Deux from Don Quixote performed by Piotr Stanczyk and guest artist Svetlana Lunkina.

Go behind the scenes with Carmen »

Last night, The National Ballet of Canada premiered its latest masterpiece, Carmen. Finally being shown in its entirety since its partial debut in 2006, Davide Bombana’s re-imagining of Bizet’s classic tragedy is an electrifying mix of raw sexuality and awe-inspiring dance. Stripped of the original’s bombastic flamenco associations, Carmen is one minimalist wow from start to finish. At last night’s opening performance, real-life husband and wife team Guillaume Côté and Heather Ogden played the passionate on-again-off-again lovers Don Jose and Carmen. As you can imagine, their chemistry was off the charts, especially with otherworldly leaps through each others legs, arms and so on.

See photos of The National Ballet of Canada in action »

Ballet costumes are much like a magician’s magic trick. Sitting in the audience, you see flawless and breathtaking garments masterfully secured on the dancers as they pirouette across the stage, but backstage, these costumes tell an entirely different story.

Although a magician is never supposed to reveal their secrets, The National Ballet of Canada allowed let us in on a few tricks of the costume trade as we got up close and personal with the costumes from Emergence and The Four Seasons—which runs through March 24 at the Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts in Toronto.

Most girls have wanted to be ballerinas at least some point in their lives and I am definitely one of those girls. As a frequent ballet-watcher with a personal stride much less elegant than I probably imagine, it’s a marvel to see those beautiful moves up on the stage when done by the professionals. The choreography, the orchestra and the beautiful costumes and stage always seem to elevate the experience to larger-than-life standards. And by that I mean far out of reach. So when the National Ballet of Canada asked me to guest star in a performance of their annual production of The Nutcracker, I was all like “me?”

Cameo appearances are a longstanding tradition in worldwide productions of The Nutcracker, and in the National Ballet of Canada’s version, former guest stars at the have included Margaret Atwood, Mats Sundin, Rob Ford and Kurt Browning. Guest stars play two frantic Russian Petrouchka dolls who shoot a cannon into the audience in Act I to begin the famous battle scene. Frantic I can certainly pull off, but it all seemed a little intimidating to say the least, not to mention all those way famous names in the mix. To help calm the freak fest brewing inside, I wrangled Danielle Suppa, an old friend and fellow ballet enthusiast who you might remember from this video.

If you haven’t already exhausted FASHION’s extensive gift guides, there are plenty of store openings, pop-up shops and sample sales to peruse for presents this weekend. And what sweeter way to end a day of shopping than with a romantic ballet and a winter patio party? From Toronto to Edmonton, here’s what we’re up to this weekend.

See our list for December 7-9, 2012 »

See all the Christmas gifts
for kids »

Christmas is the time when the younger ones in our lives declare what they want to see under the tree. And if you’re sick of hearing “puppy!” year after year it’s time to take back the reigns from Santa and plan creative gift ideas for kids all by yourself. While our selection of holiday gift ideas represents a wide range of ages from tiny toddlers to teenagers, they are all products that will make them look forward to your gifts for years to come.

If you want to head down the clothing route for girls, step away from the cutesy pink dresses and choose a studded and totally trendy Topshop headband—which is sure to make the other girls in class envious. And leave it to Marc Jacobs to create a high fashion version of the swappable and coveted Silly Bandz that all spell out his name—a fun and new take of the popular rubber accessory. And when you’re young, the $16 price tag means nothing, but the designer name says it all.

Looking to add some pizzazz to your fin de semaine? Look no further. We’ve got sample sales and pop up shops, a mega classic-rock dance party and a fashion-themed night at the museum. In the mood for a little vertigo? Skyfall, the latest installment in the Bond franchise, opens tonight—a perfectly good occasion to bust […]

The post The Weekend To-Do: We’re catching Vancouver’s Mugler exhibit, re-visiting Alice in Wonderland at the ballet, mixing and matching in Saskatoon and more! appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

What to read, see, hear and do this fall »

MUSIC »
Legends of the Fall: From Azealia Banks to the xx, we break down the next-level sounds of the season.
By Sarah Liss

MOVIES »
Chic Flicks: This season’s film forecast.
By Alexandra Breen

THE ARTS »
Beaton, Baroque & Beyond: Captivating art and performance on the horizon.
By Caitlin Agnew

THE T.V. »
Screen Grabs: Reality shows are retreating, dramas are breeding and ensemble casts are back to reclaim the prime-time throne. Here is a preview of the best in fall television.
By Siofan Davies

See the photo gallery »

The tutus were out in full force for the official opening of the National Ballet of Canada’s twofold exhibitions celebrating the company’s first 60 years. 60 Years of Designing the Ballet and the Tutu Project debuted with a glitzy reveal at Toronto’s Design Exchange, with everyone from the ballet’s own dancers like Greta Hodgkinson, Tina Pereira and former prima ballerina Victoria Tennant to Jeanne Beker and Vawk’s Sunny Fong raising a glass in toast. The first exhibit, a look back at some of the most notable costumes and sets curated by the company’s former costume designer Caroline O’Brien, came complete with ultra-lifelike dessert tables and a magical blue sleigh from The Nutcracker and several costumes for the wishful dancers to try on and pose with (we indulged, obviously). The second, an assembly of 60 specially designed tutus—one to celebrate each year in business—was displayed throughout the room. Guests seemed to take their toast quite literally, with Kara Alloway in a voluminous Mary Katrantzou lampshade skirt, Karolyne Ellacott in an actual tutu dress and several other attendees sporting pulled-back ballet topknots.