Heather Ogden brings Balanchine's Apollo home to Vancouver after two decades away
The National Ballet star, who trained at Richmond Academy of Dance, will dance the lead muse role in the iconic 1928 ballet as Ballet Vancouver launches its first full season.
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National Ballet of Canada principal dancer Heather Ogden will perform in George Balanchine's Apollo when Ballet Vancouver launches its inaugural full season. For Ogden, it's a long-awaited return to the city where she began her dance training.
Ogden started at Richmond Academy of Dance and moved east at 17 to pursue her professional career. "The National Ballet used to do tours of Western Canada every two years," she said. "I must have done maybe four of those tours." Since then, she's danced in Vancouver only a handful of times. "I'm very excited to be back," Ogden said. "And all of my friends and family and supporters are very happy that I'll be back."
She'll dance Terpsichore, the muse of dance and song, in Balanchine's 1928 masterpiece. The ballet follows the young god Apollo as he encounters three muses—Calliope (poetry), Polyhymnia (mime), and Terpsichore—before leading them to Mount Parnassus. Apollo ultimately singles out Terpsichore for the ballet's famous pas de deux.
Ogden learned the role from two celebrated dancers: former National Ballet dancer Yseult Lendvai and Suzanne Farrell, one of Balanchine's most celebrated ballerinas and muses. "She was Balanchine's main muse, or a very big muse of his, and she passed the role on to me," Ogden said.
Balanchine's work remains timeless partly because of his distinctive physical vocabulary, marked by geometric shapes and dynamic athleticism. "He liked dancers who were very dynamic, a little bit more athletic," Ogden said. "So you'll see these very long lines and much higher legs and kind of like extreme movement." A signature Balanchine moment involves taking off for a pirouette with the back leg straight rather than bent.
Set to Stravinsky's score, Apollo is regarded as a turning point in Balanchine's career and in ballet itself. The season opener also includes the Black Swan Pas de Deux from Swan Lake, choreographed by Marius Petipa, and Slice to Sharp, a high-energy work for eight dancers by Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo. Ballet Vancouver made its debut in April with After the Rain & Other Works. Dancer and choreographer Joshua Beamish founded the company to restore Vancouver audiences' access to professional classical, neoclassical and narrative ballet, and to give classically trained dancers the opportunity to build careers in the city.
The details
Who is dancing the lead muse role in Apollo?
Heather Ogden, a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, will perform the role of Terpsichore, the muse of dance and song.
What other ballets are in the season opener?
The Black Swan Pas de Deux from Swan Lake, choreographed by Marius Petipa, and Slice to Sharp, a high-energy work for eight dancers by Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo, round out the program.
Who founded Ballet Vancouver?
Joshua Beamish, a dancer and choreographer, founded Ballet Vancouver to restore professional classical ballet access to Vancouver audiences and create career opportunities for classically trained dancers in the city.
