Jean Giguère, Co-Chair, Manitoba Culture Days Task Force, Past Chair Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Christine Melnick, Minister of Immigration and Multiculteralism, Gillian Hewitt Smith, Executive Director - Institute for Canadian Citizenship & Nicole Verin-Treusch, RWB Groups Manager

Premier Greg Selinger

RWB will now be helping to introduce new Canadians to the Winnipeg arts and culture scene through their participating in the Cultural Access Pass program! This federal initiative provides a one-year complimentary admission to more than 1000 of Canada’s cultural treasures across the country as a gift to new citizens.

RWB was added to the list earlier this week along with 11 other Manitoba attractions, and we’re very excited to start showing new Canadians our rich cultural history with our season-ending show, Pure Ballet.

We’re pleased to offer free admission to CAP members for performances of Pure Ballet for Friday and Saturday night’s performances at 7:30 pm and May 13 at 2:00 pm. To get your tickets, come to the RWB ticket wicket located at Centennial Concert Hall, 555 Main Street, 1 hour before each performance with your CAP membership card and photo identification. For more information, please visit http://www.icc-icc.ca/en/cap/events.php#offers.

Former RWB Principal Dancer, Ballet Master Jaime Vargas shares why Carmina Burana is one of his most loved ballets.

RWB sat down with Peter Quanz to discuss his upcoming piece, Luminous as part of RWB's fourth and final show of the 2011-12 season. Playful, intimate and poignant, this gorgeous new work examines relationships at different stages of life through a series of duets that range from adolescent love at first site to the deep emotion of a mature relationship and the connection that lasts even after death.

“I was given a quote from Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient that says ‘we die containing a richness of lovers and tribes.’  Ondaatje believes that the people we have in our lives influence us and change our outlook, change our personality, change our character and develop who we are,” said Quanz. “[For Luminous] I set up a series of duets where each dancer performs with two different people and by doing so they show different qualities of themselves.”

We've announced our new season! It is a family friendly, fairy tale fantasy! Much anticipated is Twyla Tharp's The Princess & The Goblin which premieres this fall and will be followed by the much loved holiday classic, Nutcracker. Magical love story, Sleeping Beauty and the big hit Moulin Rouge the Ballet will round off the season in the spring.

Yesterday's Season Launch event detailed some of The Princess & The Goblin's stunning costumes, designed by RWB's very own Anne Armit. The fashion show was enthusiastically received and the buzz continues!

Lastly, our cover girl Amanda Green strutted out in the Ballet Chic cover dress, designed by local Metis fashion designer Andréanne Dandeneau.

Photo Credit Michelle Blais