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Wildflowers embody beauty, freedom and a little bit of grit. Wen Wei Wang explored these themes in his piece of the same name, Wildflowers, his final choreography as artistic director of Ballet Edmonton, debuting May 3 and 4 in Triffo Theatre.
Wang was inspired by Navigations, a piece of music from local composer John Estacio that will be performed live on stage by the High Level Trio, right alongside the dancers. “It’s powerful, beautiful, complex music,” says Wang.
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As the music inspired his choreography, the dancers’ movements reminded him of the hardy yet delicate plants we so often overlook. “Wildflowers have that kind of freedom. It’s real. They don’t need people. They don’t need nurturing. It doesn’t matter how hard life is, how hard the weather is,” he says. “They survive, just like us.”
Wildflowers will premiere alongside A Figure’s Edge, which explores struggle and its physical embodiment, by Connor McLeary. The evening will be rounded out by a revisit of Le Quattro, a piece Wang choreographed to Max Richter’s recomposition of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.
After Wang wraps up the season, he will return to his home base in Vancouver and focus on his own dance company of two decades running, Wen Wei Dance. Born and raised in China, Wang first visited Vancouver in the late 1980s to dance as part of a cultural exchange, then came back to attend Simon Fraser University in 1991. He was with Ballet BC for seven years before starting his company in 2003.
Wang joined Ballet Edmonton in 2018, driving its transition from Citie Ballet to the company as we know it. What started out as a tentative two-year plan became a six-year journey, half of which was impacted by the pandemic.
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“We had just started building momentum and it crashed,” he says. “I was worried about the dancers. I was worried about the company, how we could come back.”
After a half-season of closure, they couldn’t wait any longer. For a physical discipline like dance, bodies need to be conditioned. Masked classes and solo rehearsals bridged the gap towards normalcy. In early 2021, the company released a pre-recorded performance, half-ballet, half-documentary of the moment in time. One pandemic-related disappointment was the lost opportunity for the company to dance at a summer festival in Harbin, Edmonton’s sister city in China.
But while there were losses, there were also huge wins. One of Wang’s biggest highlights as artistic director was Ballet Edmonton’s performance last year in the opera house at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa — a coup for any small company. “We had a standing ovation. We sold 85 per cent of tickets,” he says, proudly.
After guiding the company through turmoil to triumph, Wang feels the time is right for him to step down. Simply put, he is tired. In a company of this size, an artistic director is hands-on and can be responsible for creating or remounting five to six pieces per year, in addition to big commitments like touring. “I’m turning 60 years old,” he says. “When you get older, a stress level too high is really hard on the body.”
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“The company needs to grow, needs somebody with more energy, younger,” he says. “It’s not just for me. I think it’s good for Ballet Edmonton.”
Kirsten Wicklund, who also hails from the Vancouver area and has crossed paths with Wang for many years, will be stepping up to the helm at the end of the season. “I think she’s a good fit for the company, and I think it’s exciting to see the next few years, where Ballet Edmonton goes,” says Wang.
As for his next steps, he is looking forward to choreographing and performing a piece for his milestone birthday. “It’s my last solo work,” he says. “We don’t see many mature artists. I feel Iike I can still do it, I can still offer it. I still want to perform on stage, my last one before I get really old.”
“I want to enjoy that moment.”
Ballet Edmonton’s Unir
When: May 3 & 4
Where: Triffo Theatre in Allard Hall (11110 104 Ave NW)
Tickets: $45 for adults, $35 for students and seniors, $20 for children under 15 balletedmonton.ca
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