Ballet B.C. brings Verona to Vancouver with new Romeo + Juliet

A new take on the timeless tale oftwostar-crossed lovers fromVerona, Italy,is coming to Vancouver'sQueen Elizabeth Theatre this week.

The production called Romeo + Julietis the premiere of a new choreographyspecially commissioned byBallet B.C.

"This might sound very dramatic but I really believe Romeo and Juliet shaped my life," saidMakaila Wallace, a long-time dancer with Ballet B.C. whose daughter's middle name is Juliet.

Wallace plays the role of Lady Capulet the mother of Juliet, who is played byEmilyChessa. Romeo is played byBrandon Alley.

Thenew choreography created byFrench dance artistMedhiWalerskiisset to the much-loved scoreofSoviet-era composerSergeiProkofiev.The ballet adaptation ofWilliam Shakespeare'slate16thcenturytragedy opens Thursday withdancers fromBallet B.C. andGranvilleIsland'sArts Umbrella school.

Wallace first saw Romeo and Julietat the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as a teenagerand the event had a deep impact on her.

"I literally cried for like four hours after the performance ended ... the music ... It just overwhelmed me," said Wallace.

Wallace said it's incredible how well the play, driven bycharacter and dialogue,translates into a dance production something she said Walerskihas done masterfully with his new interpretation.

While developing the ballet early on, Walerskihad the dancers pair off and perform theatricalexercises. He gave the dancers the task of improvising Romeo and Juliet's famous death scene from the end of the play. The experience was emotional for everyone involved.

"I was just crying," saidSylvain Senezwho plays Juliet's father Lord Capulet.

"That music was so inspiring."

In 1938, Prokofiev's ballet adaptation ofRomeo and Julietfirst premiered in what is now theCzech Republic. The score he composed for the performancehas been largely celebrated and utilized ever since.

"It's the music, the composition," saidWalerski, when explaining his inspiration for his new choreography.

"Just what Prokofiev wrote, it's genius and it's so profound and it's so beautiful. It's something that really reaches your heart and soul, deeply."

Ballet B.C.'s production ofRomeo + Julietopen Feb. 22, at 8:00 p.m.

With files from North by Northwest