“Dancers from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet graced the runway modelling newly designed costumes for a brand new ballet to be presented next season.Artistic Director André Lewis announced the company will offer the Canadian premiere of The Princess & The Goblin, choreographed by the legendary Twyla Tharp.”It’s a big thing,” enthuses Lewis about working with Tharp. “This iconic lady has created for some of the greatest dancers, some of the largest companies in the world.  She’s coming to Winnipeg, working with our dancers and she’s very keen on doing this. It’s significant. For a dancer it allows them to stretch physically and artistically.”Lewis also feels it is important to create new work. “Creation is at the crux of what any arts organization should be about. It’s significant to us as artists.”

The ballet is based on a Victorian fairy tale by George MacDonald and tells the story of a princess who tries to rescue children who have been kidnapped by the Goblin. It is a co-production with Atlanta Ballet. The world premiere took place in Atlanta in February and was well received by both audiences and critics.”The production features original costumes by Anne Armit and a special dress for the princess created by Andréanne Dandeneau. “I wanted to create something with natural fibres, something very organic. The creative process evolves all the time and at the end we ended up with this beautiful gown.”Also on next year’s bill are the perennial favourites NutcrackerandThe Sleeping Beauty, last presented in 2008, and a reprise of the incredibly popularMoulin Rouge – The Ballet which was created especially for the RWB in 2009. Moulin Rouge – The Ballet toured extensively through the United States to great acclaim. More than 100,000 people have now seen the production.”