The Alberta Ballet presented one of the world’s favourite ballet teams. The Balletboyz, founded by Michael Nunn and William Trevitt have been hailed as making dance accessible and inclusive for all audiences. The group came to prominence through their popular television shows in the United Kingdom.

The Balletboyz thrilled Edmonton audiences this weekend with two performances of Life. The all-male dance troupe showcased a provocative look at life and death in this elegant and unique performance.

I knew that a performance entitled, ‘Life’ would be profound and moving—yet, I wasn’t sure what to expect. How could dance convey the beauty and chaos that is life? Well, Balletboyz didn’t disappoint in delivering a seamless storyline.

Life, is divided into two separate acts. First on—Rabbit. Act one opened with the audience feeling both quizzical and intrigued as dancers emerged in rabbit-head costumes. Despite the challenges of wearing a rabbit headdress, the dancers flawlessly staged every motion. The choreography was inspired directly from the score; the two powerful mediums of visuals and sound instantly reeled the audience in as the story began to unfold. Rabbit captured love, loneliness and the beauty of the circle of life. A dancer sat peacefully on a swing as the story of Rabbit came to life around him. The imagery of dancers with Rabbit heads felt very Lewis Carroll-esque. It was ethereal and breath-taking. The rabbits barrelled across the stage with a sense of grace one would think impossible whilst wearing such costumes.

Fiction utilizes both music and spoken word as a soundtrack. This act explores the fictional death of the creator, Javier De Fruto. The stage is rather bare, the only props used are rehearsal barre. As the dancers are told the story of the death, they react comically. It was interesting to see the dancers moves directly match the rhythms of the spoken words. Despite the focus of death, this half was much lighter and approachable for all audiences. It was great to see the Rabbit’s unmasked and get a full visual of each performer. Fiction, ends with Donna Summer anthem blasting—De Fruto’s imagining himself rising from the dead.

The dual storyline really set this performance apart from other shows. It was original in a way that I can guarantee another ballet will not compare. How could it be possible to? Dancing rabbits? Need I say more?

Outstanding technical execution, and storytelling combined made this ballet one of the most dazzling performances I’ve seen. The Jubilee Auditorium joined in the spirit and offered attendees a chance to become a Rabbit at a photobooth set up during intermission.

Wonderful performance—catch this Rabbit if you can!

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Contributor Lisa Lunney |

Locale Calgary | Edmonton |

Topic Alberta Ballet |Theatre |