Ballet Edmonton

Originally from Montreal, Canada, dancer and choreographer Dorotea Saykaly danced with Compagnie Marie Chouinard from 2006-2014, performing lead roles such as Prélude à l’Après Midi d’un Faune and touring internationally. In 2014 she relocated to Sweden to join the  Goteborg Danskompani, where she has worked with renowned choreographers such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Damien Jalet, Alan Lucien Øyen, Marcos Morau and Sharon Eyal.

She choreographed her first stage solo, UNraveling which was awarded at the Warsaw Zawirowania Competition in 2016. Since then, she has created stage works such as; Rosy Retrospection (2018) for SkanesDansteater as the Inaugural choreographer for the 3D National Collaboration; DOUBLE BLINDED (2019) for the 3D festival at the Goteborg Danskompani; and her second solo, SHE (2019) which premiered at Festival Quartier Danse at Place des Arts in Montreal. 

Dorotea’s work moves fluidly from the stage to film to visual arts. She has collaborated choreographically with the Swedish photographer duo Cooper & Gorfer on their international exhibit UTOPIA. She has co-created, choreographed and performed in the awarded screendance short films PAINTED (2012) and Brief Candle (2013), both featured in film festivals internationally. Her most recent film SHE (2021), co-created with Emil Dam Seidel, has been awarded Best Experimental film with SIFF, Honourable Mentions with Around Film Festival Barcelona and just had its North American premier at the Fotografiska Museum NYC in April 2022.

Dorotea has appeared in the films Cyrano by Joe Wright with choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and ANIMA by Paul Thomas Anderson with choreography by Damien Jalet and was the lead role in CHANGE for the #Girlsinvest campaign by Philippe Templeman, also choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

She is the inaugural recipient of the Emily Molnar Emerging Choreographer Award and has created the new stage work RELIC for Ballet BC company in Canada which premiered in May 2022.

Born in Mococa-SP, Brazil, Diego Ramalho’s beginning in dance was in breakdance and Brazilian capoeira. He enrolled in formal ballet training at Kleine Szene Studio de Dança in Santo André SP, Brazil, in his teens. In 2013, Diego was a member of Coastal City Ballet Company in Vancouver, BC, where he performed in full-length ballets such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Cinderella, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as worked with contemporary choreographers such as Wen Wei Wang, Joshua Beamish, and Erica Trivett. Diego joined Ballet Edmonton in 2018 and is exploring his choreographic voice under the mentorship of Wen Wei Wang. 

Wen Wei Wang began dancing professionally in China in 1978. In 1991 he came to Canada, where he was invited to join the Judith Marcuse Dance Company, followed by positions with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and Ballet BC. In 2000 Wen Wei received the Clifford E. Lee Choreography Award and the Rio Tinto Alcan and Isadora Awards for Choreography. In 2003, Wen Wei formed his own company, Wen Wei Dance. Wen Wei Dance has presented his work across Canada and at the International Dance Festival in Vancouver, the Dancing on the Edge Festival, the Canada Dance Festival, and the International Contemporary Dance Festival in Colombia, South America. The company has also been invited to perform at the Venice Biennale Festival in Italy, the Beijing National Performing Arts Center, and the Shanghai Grand Theater with the Beijing Modern Dance Company in China.

Wen Wei has choreographed twelve full-length works for his Vancouver-based company Wen Wei Dance and created original works for Alberta Ballet, Ballet Jőrgen, Ballet BC, Ballet Kelowna, North West Dance Projects, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, Arts Umbrella, and Simon Fraser University. He has also choreographed the dance sections for the Vancouver Opera and the San Francisco Opera for their piece Nixon in China. In 2013, Wen Wei was awarded the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award and recently worked with the China National Center for the Performing Arts for its production of Hamlet.  Wen Wei assumed the role of Artistic Director of Ballet Edmonton in 2018.

Ballet Edmonton is a contemporary ballet ensemble of company dancers under the leadership of celebrated choreographer and Artistic Director Wen Wei Wang. The company creates and commissions original work each season from a variety of choreographic voices. Ballet Edmonton’s vision is driven by a passion and curiosity to explore new ideas. We offer audiences original, inspired contemporary dance that reflects our Artistic Director’s adventurous, curatorial vision. Our repertoire is primarily Canadian, with new creations by nationally recognized and emerging choreographers with distinctive styles. Ballet Edmonton is committed to advancing the work of female and diverse creators to ensure our artistic product reflects the world in which we live. We contribute to the evolution of ballet in Canada by expressing the unique narratives of the artists whose creations we help bring to life.

Ballet Edmonton has commissioned new creations by Canadian and international choreographers, including Andrea Peña, Serge Bennathan, Shay Kuebler, Gioconda Barbuto, Rachel Meyer, Josh Beamish, Diego Ramalho, and Karissa Barry.

A leading presenter of dance in all forms, DanceWorks develops and promotes seasons of high quality, culturally pluralistic dance programming created by professional dance artists. DanceWorks’ programming supports cross racial solidarity, holding space for BIPOC artists and those who identify as 2SLGBTQIAP. Work that addresses social justice issues, and challenges racism against Indigenous, Black, and Asian peoples is valued and encouraged. DanceWorks advances opportunities for the Disability Community within the dance milieu. Based in Tkaronto/Toronto since 1977, DanceWorks cultivates meaningful engagement with dance artists through outreach, education and animation initiatives.