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This dance could save your life; The National Ballet of Canada takes on world’s best in Toronto
Aaron Vincent ElkaimEthan Watts and Hannah Fischer in rehearsal for The Eleventh International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize.
The brightest young ballet stars from across the globe are gathering in Toronto this week to compete for the Erik Bruhn Prize in a one-night-only spectacle.
The National Ballet of Canada’s artistic director Karen Kain selected corps members Hannah Fischer and Ethan Watts to represent the company in Tuesday night’s competition. Fischer and Watts will be competing against dancers from four renowned European and American ballet companies.
Both 20 years old, the pair already have an impressive repertoire of work with the National Ballet. Earlier this month, Fisher and Watts were the leads in Carousel. They have also danced in Swan Lake, Nijinsky and The Nutcracker, amongst other productions.
But with endearing modesty, Fischer and Watts are still wondering why they were singled out to represent the company. “I wish I knew the answer to that,” laughs Watts.
“Karen believed enough in us? She wanted to give us an opportunity?” wonders Fischer.
In a world where careers can fly by as quickly as a fouette turn, the Erik Bruhn Prize was founded to celebrate, support and distinguish young ballet talent. In addition to global exposure, winners take home a $7,500 cash prize.
Watts and Fischer will have two opportunities to wow the judges: first with a classical pas de deux, then followed with a contemporary piece commissioned specifically for the competition. Choreographer Robert Binet created a unique piece for Fischer and Watts titled “The Wild Space Between Two Hearts.”
“It keeps moving, it’s a lot of high energy,” Watts says. Fischer adds: “It is high impact with a lot of running.”
Judges also award a prize to the top contemporary choreographer of the evening.
“I’ve tried to capture the way Hannah and Ethan move naturally,” Binet says. “They both move with such volume, such huge movement and such freedom.”
The competition offers a rare chance for ballet dancers to perform pieces created specifically for them.
“It is awesome. How often does that happen?” Fischer asks.
It doesn’t, typically. Classical ballets comprise a large portion of company’s seasons, and the supplementary modern ballets are typically choreographed before roles are cast.
“Robert sees how we dance in the studio, so it’s tailored for us,” Watts says. “It feels how you want it to.”
The piece was completed quickly, in just two weeks last October, but everything happened organically. “We didn’t push for it,” Fischer says “It just happened.”
Although their contemporary submission was sorted early on, rehearsals went slightly awry last week with a last-minute change to their classical performance. The duo were originally set to dance Balanchine’s “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,” until they were refused performance rights. Instead, the pair will perform a section from The Sleeping Beauty’s third act.
“That was a shocker,” Fischer says. “Stuff happens, but its all good. We still feel ready.”
Erik Bruhn was a prolific dancer and choreographer, and eventually director of the National Ballet of Canada until his death in 1986. Each company participating in the competition Tuesday is of special significance to Bruhn’s career.
They include the National Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Hamburg Ballet and, for the first time, the Boston Ballet.
“He was a big believer in the evolution of ballet,” Watts says. “He liked cultivating new ways of movement and new dancers. That’s why he created this.”
Before his death, Bruhn bestowed a portion of his estate for a prize awarded to the dancers who, in his words, best “reflect such technical ability, artistic achievement and dedication as I endeavoured to bring to dance.” The artistic directors of the five international companies compose the judging panel. Each judge ranks the performances (except their own company’s), and the scores are combined to determine a winner.
“This is a lot of pressure, more than a normal performance obviously,” Fischer says.
But for Watts and Fischer, the experience and exposure gained from simply participating will leave them gratified, regardless of Tuesday’s results. “I feel accomplished already,” Watts says.
“Winning is just the cherry on top,” Fischer adds.
The 11th international competition for the Erik Bruhn Prize takes place March 24 at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto. Visit national.ballet.ca for information and tickets.
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