Ballet BC unveils a 2026-27 40th season with works by Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Imre and Marne van Opstal, and more
Principal dancers from The National Ballet of Canada perform a guest duet and artists-in-residence Margaret Grenier and Starr Muranko share a creation after their five- year collaboration with the troupe
Ballet BC Dancer Kaylin Sturtevant. Photo by Marcus Eriksson
BALLET BC will celebrate its 40th season with full evenings of works by choreographers Crystal Pite and Imre and Marne van Opstal, a world premiere by artistic director Medhi Walerski, and much more.
In today’s 2026-27 season anouncement, the company revealed it will open its season November 5 to 7 with the return of the Netherlands’ van Opstals in a double-bill full evening that includes a world premiere as well as their 2022 work I’m afraid to forget your smile, featuring the Vancouver Chamber Choir in the group’s first collaboration with the company. The siblings debuted the surreal, erotically charged Heart Drive at Ballet BC in 2022.
In March 2026, two distinct programs feature five offerings: the North American premiere of Undertainment by the legendary William Forsythe; a world premiere from Walerski; the return of Obsidian by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber; plus a capsule creation by Ballet BC artists-in-residence Margaret Grenier and Starr Muranko, as well as David Dawson’s On the Nature of Daylight, a special guest duet starring principal dancers from the National Ballet of Canada—part of the Sharing the Stage initiative.
The season closer is a celebration of the work of Vancouver dance star Pite, May 6 to 9, featuring, for the first time here, her large-scale Angels’ Atlas, with a 36-dancer cast bolstered by guest artists from Vancouver’s Arts Umbrella and Modus Operandi. The celebrated large-scale work, which debuted at the National Ballet, was the subject of a documentary that screeed at VIFF in 2022. The program also features her critically acclaimed pieces Solo Echo and The Statement.
In other news, Smith and Schraiber, who recently premired FOR GLASS, will continue their relationship with Ballet BC by creating three new works across the next five seasons.
And Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet will also return to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in December for a seven-performance run of its Nutcracker.
Elsewhere, the dancers of Ballet BC will choreograph, produce, and perform their annual Take Form—with an expanded four performances across two weekends at the intimate Olympic Village Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre.
And the company’s eight-dancer young company Ballet BC Annex will perform three works on tour across the province: an adaptation of Last Flower, a work originally commissioned from Vancouver’s Out Innerspace for the main company in 2024, plus a world premiere by Canadian choreographer Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe, and a new creation from Ballet BC company artist Michael Garcia in his choreographic debut for the company.
During its 40th season, the company will also tour around the world, performing on stages such as Festspielhaus St. Polten in Austria, The Soraya in Los Angeles, CA, and Vivo Performing Arts in Boston.
Subscriptions to Queen Elizabeth Theatre performances are on sale now at balletbc.com, as well as single tickets for all Nutcracker performances, and Take Form. Single tickets for all Queen E. performances are on sale August 5. 
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