Performing in Wolverhampton this month, Canadian contemporary dance company Ballet British Columbia continually pushes boundaries with a diverse repertoire. Its artistic director, Medhi Walerski, recently shared his excitement at showcasing ‘a very special show’ to Midlands audiences...

Internationally renowned Vancouver-based Ballet BC are touring the UK with a double bill featuring work by leading choreographers Johan Inger and Crystal Pite. The tour, presented by Dance Consortium, opened at Sadler’s Wells in London and takes in seven venues, including Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

And Ballet BC Artistic Director Medhi Walerski is promising audiences a very special show.

“The last time the company was in the UK was in 2018, and we were nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Dance Production,” he says. “This time, we’re bringing the best of the best - two world-renowned choreographers who have a longstanding relationship with Ballet BC. I’m very proud to bring Passing, which has been created by Johan Inger for the company, and a new version of Crystal Pite’s Frontier. It’s a beautiful relationship with two master choreographers. We’re also bringing a little bit of Vancouver, because Crystal is from there!

“I love being able to commission and share this calibre of contemporary dance. And it’s great to be reconnecting with a UK audience. It’s going to be a pretty epic performance.”

Created by Swedish-born Johan Inger for the Ballet BC 2022/23 season, Passing featured the full company of 20 dancers.

“Passing is a monumental work,” says Medhi, who took the helm at Ballet BC in 2020, after a dancing career with Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet du Rhin and more than a decade at Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT). “It takes audiences on a very human and emotional journey. It talks about love, birth, death and everything in between. Johan was inspired by a real-world catastrophe, the volcanic eruption in the Canary Island of La Palma, and he is inspired too by our relationships to one another. The work is pretty theatrical. It shows the versatility of our company, and it’s really rewarding for the dancers to perform it, as it reveals some of their special talents.”

As a dancer with NDT, Medhi performed in the second iteration of Crystal Pite’s Frontier, so he was keen for the four-time Olivier-nominated Canadian choreographer to re-imagine the work with Ballet BC.

“Frontier talks about the unknown and the characterisation of dark matter,” Medhi explains. “There are two worlds in the piece - the world of the visible people, and then the shadows. Crystal always finds it pleasing to work with this parallel: what we know and what we don’t know, what we see and what we don’t see, and the universe between the two of them.”

Frontier features the full Ballet BC company with an addition of four dancers from London-based Rambert School - a process which has meant the performers learning the work on opposite sides of the Atlantic. 
“We were looking for versatility in the dancers - people who can quickly absorb physical language which might be different from what they’re used to; people who can really embody the essence of Crystal’s choreographic style, and who have the ability to quickly dive into a process.”

After decades as a dancer & choreographer, Medhi is enjoying the challenge of being an artistic director.
“It needs multiple hats! One of my responsibilities is to curate programming, but I’m also very involved in the studio. I am present when the artist creates, and I remount and rehearse the works. I very much enjoy having the ability to switch between administration, marketing, programming and production, as well as always being directly related and connected to the dancers.”

Medhi performed in the UK in 2008 with Nederlands Dans Theater. The tour was supported by Dance Consortium, which brings together venues in the UK and Ireland to present top international dance companies to local audiences. He is grateful for their support for Ballet BC: “It’s essential to have Dance Consortium support the tour, enabling us to be on the road for five weeks. This allows us to grow, to keep presenting the work, and to share what we do and what we love with more people. It’s pretty incredible to not just come for a one-off show but to go all over the UK.”

French-born Medhi knows the UK well. His partner is British, so he spends many Christmases with family in Dorset. He also lived in London for a year before taking over at Ballet BC.

“I love the UK, I love socialising, I love the sophistication. I see people going out after work to pubs or to see a show; the connection to culture is really amazing. I always look forward to having access to the culture. I love wandering around, looking at the architecture and going to art galleries and shows - and I like Marks & Spencer’s cookies!

“Many of our dancers have never been to the UK. So when I told them ‘we’re going to the UK, and we’re going to open at Sadler’s Wells,’ they were so excited. It’s a place that welcomes state-of-the-art companies, so to be invited to perform there is pretty spectacular.”

And Medhi is eager for British audiences to experience Ballet BC, whether for the first time or on a return visit.

“I remember when I was touring the UK as a dancer, the audiences were very enthusiastic. They have a deep knowledge of dance. They really appreciate it, and they have an opinion. It’s refreshing to have feedback and hear people dare to say what they really think.

“With this tour, I can promise that audiences are going to see incredible dancers on stage, because the calibre of our dancers, their versatility and their generosity, is outstanding. That’s why we have choreographers coming from all over the world to work with them. And audiences will also see these beautiful works by two of the greatest choreographers of our generation.”

Ballet BC perform at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on Friday 6 & Saturday 7 June

By Diane Parkes