Royal Winnipeg Ballet second soloist Liam Saito. (PHOTO: DOMINIQUE REY & LAINA BROWN)
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is debuting a new immersive performance experience this fall, pairing live ballet with cocktails, jazz and conversation in a speakeasy-inspired setting.
The Studio Series runs September 24-27 and is designed as a shorter, more atmospheric way to experience ballet, according to the RWB.
The inaugural program features George Balanchine‘s Who Cares?, a ballet set to the music of George Gershwin, including familiar tunes such as “The Man I Love,” “My One and Only” and “I Got Rhythm.” Dancers will be accompanied by jazz musicians and a vocalist from the University of Manitoba‘s Desautels Faculty of Music.
For the September 24-26 Founders’ Studio performances, audiences are invited to arrive early for live jazz, complimentary snacks and a cash bar before a 25-minute performance, followed by an informal talkback with the dancers and creative team.
Those performances take place at the RWB Founders’ Studio, 380 Graham Avenue. The series concludes with a 2 p.m. matinee on September 27 at the Desautels Concert Hall at the University of Manitoba.
Tickets start at $40, with limited seating available for the Founders’ Studio performances.
Tickets are on sale now at rwb.org.
