Creative Team

John Cranko
Choreographer

Born in South Africa, John Cranko moved to London in 1946 to join Sadler’s Wells Ballet. Within four years, he was named Resident Choreographer and during this time, he created some of his finest early ballets, in London as well as for Paris Opéra Ballet and Teatro alla Scala.

In 1961, Cranko was appointed director of Stuttgart Ballet where he created many small choreographic jewels such as Jeu de cartes and Opus I, his symphonic ballet Initials R.B.M.E. as well as full-length ballets such as Romeo and Juliet, Onegin, The Taming of the Shrew and Swan Lake. Cranko’s gift for nuanced story-telling, clear dramatic structure and exquisite mastery of the art of the pas de deux secured his place in the pantheon of great 20th century choreographers and established Stuttgart Ballet as one of the foremost companies in the world.

In 1973, Cranko died unexpectedly at the age of 46. He left behind a repertory of dramatic classical dance now performed by renowned companies world-wide.

Reid Anderson
Supervisor

Born in New Westminster, British Columbia, Reid Anderson has had a long and distinguished career in the world of dance as a dancer, teacher, coach, producer and Artistic Director. Reid received his dance training in Canada and at The Royal Ballet School in London, England. At the invitation of the Choreographer and Director John Cranko, he joined Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet in 1969. Throughout his 17-year career with Stuttgart Ballet, Reid danced leading roles in a wide range of classical and contemporary productions and worked with some of the leading choreographers of the 20th century, including John Cranko, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Glen Tetley, John Neumeier, Jiří Kylián and William Forsythe, among others.

Reid retired from the stage in 1986 and became Artistic Director of Ballet British Columbia in 1987, a position he held until 1989. From 1989 to 1996, he was Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada before returning to Stuttgart Ballet as Artistic Director in septembre 1996. From 1996 to 2018, he reshaped the company and its repertoire considerably, resulting in sold-out houses, the nurturing of many now well-known choreographers as well as in increased international touring. Since 1984, Reid has staged the works of Cranko for prestigious dance companies around the world.

Kurt-Heinz Stolze
Arrangement and Orchestration

Kurt-Heinz Stolze was born in Germany in 1926. He received his musical training at the Conservatory in Hamburg where he studied piano, organ, conducting and composition under Wilhelm Brückner-Rüggeberg. He had his first engagement as a pianist at the Royal Opera in Copenhagen in 1956. Upon graduating, he became Rehearsal Coach at the opera in Hamburg and later at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. From 1959, he was Kapellmeister at the Wurttemberg State Theatre in Stuttgart.

Stolze recorded the Liedzyklus Die schöne Müllerin by Franz Schubert as a pianist together with Fritz Wunderlich and worked for radio and television. He both composed and arranged music for ballet. Working in close collaboration with John Cranko, he arranged the Tchaikovsky music for Onegin and the Scarlatti for The Taming of the Shrew. Stolze orchestrated Stuttgart Ballet’s productions of Les Sylphides and Kyrie Eleisas and conducted the orchestra for Stuttgart Ballet on numerous occasions, including Schwanensee and L’Estro Armonico. In l963, he composed original music for Cranko’s Wir Reisen Nach Jerusalem and in 1968, Stolze toured as a solo cembalo player with the Württembergische Kammerorchester Heilbronn at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, England.

Kurt-Heinz Stolze died in Munich in août 1970 at the age of 44.

Santo Loquasto
Set and Costume Designer

Santo Loquasto is a designer for dance, theatre and film. He has collaborated with choreographers Jerome Robbins, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Kenneth MacMillan, Agnes de Mille and Mark Morris. Twyla Tharp’s Push Comes to Shove marked the beginning of his long-term relationship with American Ballet Theatre. As designer for the Paul Taylor Dance Company, he has designed more than 50 pieces. He has collaborated with James Kudelka on major works for The National Ballet of Canada including Swan Lake, An Italian Straw Hat, Pastoral, Spring Awakening, Firebird and The Nutcracker.

Santo has worked with Woody Allen on over 30 films including costume design for Zelig and production design for Radio Days and Bullets Over Broadway, for which he received Academy Award nominations. Recent designs on Broadway include Fences, Shuffle Along, The Iceman Cometh, Carousel, The Music Man and Hello, Dolly!. He received the Merritt Award for Excellence in Design and Collaboration in 2002, was inducted into Theater Hall of Fame in 2004, received the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for the Arts in 2006, the Robert L.B. Tobin Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2007 and the Gaudium Award in 2013.

Jane Bourne
Staging

Born in Lincoln, England, Jane Bourne trained at the Institute of Choreology in London, England and worked with Massine on Le Tricorne at London Festival Ballet. She joined Stuttgart Ballet in 1974, working on the John Cranko repertory. She also worked with such choreographers as Sir Kenneth MacMillan, John Neumeier, William Forsythe, Uwe Scholz and Glen Tetley.

Jane has staged Cranko's ballets (Onegin, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, The Lady and the Fool, Jeu de Cartes, Brouillards) for companies around the world, including Royal Swedish Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, Australian Ballet, Teatro Colón Buenos Aires, Bolshoi Ballet, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro dell'Opera Rome, Teatro Municipale Chile, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opéra Ballet, National Ballet of China, The Tokyo Ballet and The Royal Ballet. In 1991, she was awarded a Fellowship of the Benesh Institute.

James F. Ingalls
Lighting Designer

James F. Ingalls made his National Ballet of Canada debut with Onegin in 2009 and designed the company’s premiere of David Dawson’s Anima Animus. His other work in Toronto includes Tristan und Isolde, The Magic Flute and Rigoletto for Canadian Opera Company and The House of Martin Guerre for Canadian Stage Company.

His recent work in dance includes Echo and Drum Circle for the Paul Taylor Dance Company, TCHAIKOVSKY OVERTURES, by Alexei Ratmansky for Bayerische Staatsoper and Twyla Tharp’s TWYLA NOW for New York City Center.

Other recent projects include Music to Accompany a Departure and Lagrime di San Pietro for Los Angeles Master Chorale at Disney Hall and on tour, Médée for Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin and DruidO’Casey for Druid Theatre.

James trained at Yale School of Drama and University of Connecticut. He often collaborates with the Wooden Floor dancers, Santa Ana, California.

David LaMarche
Guest Conductor

David LaMarche has been working as a conductor in the dance field for over 38 years. He served as Music Director for Dance Theatre of Harlem from 1993 to 1998. As a guest, he has conducted for New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, The Joffrey Ballet, Houston Ballet, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and Het Nationale Ballet. The orchestras he has directed include Houston Symphony, Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre Lamoreux. 

David is currently in his 23rd year on the staff of American Ballet Theatre. He is the Music Director of Paul Taylor Dance Company and an Adjunct Faculty member of Juilliard School. David is a graduate of Boston University and resides in New York City.  

Jeff Morris
Directeur(trice) de scène

Jeff Morris joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1995. Né à Toronto, il a étudié la mise et scène et l’administration théâtrale technique à la Ryerson’s Theatre School. From 1990 to 1995 he was Production Stage Manager for Toronto Dance Theatre, including the company’s debuts in Berlin, Warsaw, Tokyo and at the Joyce Theater. He was Production Stage Manager for Dancers for Life (1991 – 1997), Stage Manager for Theatre Passe-Muraille (Never Swim Alone) and for the Fringe Festival of Independent Dance Artists. Since joining the National Ballet, Jeff has stage-managed a wide range of the company’s unique classical and contemporary repertoire, including the world premieres of James Kudelka’s The Four Seasons, Cinderella and An Italian Straw Hat, Crystal Pite’s Emergence and Angels’ Atlas, and Guillaume Côté’s Le Petit Prince and Frame by Frame (with Robert Lepage). Company premieres include John Neumeier’s The Seagull, A Streetcar Named Desire, Nijinsky and Anna Karenina and Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Winter’s Tale. He is an adjunct faculty member at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and Festival Co-Director for dance:made in Canada/fait au Canada. 

Troy Taylor
Directeur(trice) de scène

Troy Taylor joined The National Ballet of Canada as Stage Manager in 2023. He has previously worked on the company’s world premieres of Karen Kain’s Swan Lake, Wayne McGregor’s MADDADAM as well as The Collective Agreement, Crepuscular and Concerto and on YOU dance. He has had the pleasure of working in the past for such companies as Canadian Stage, Young People’s Theatre, National Arts Centre, Dance Ontario, Fall for Dance North, Shaw Festival, Mirvish, Stratford Festival and Tarragon Theatre. 

Jane Green
Directeur(trice) de scène

Jane Green has over 30 years of experience in Production and Stage Management with major ballet companies and within the performing arts. Originally from Seattle, Jane graduated from the University of Washington, then went on to work with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, Texas Ballet Theatre, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and, most recently, 18 years as the Production Stage Manager for San Francisco Ballet.  Many years of touring experience around the world has fed Jane’s passion to travel to even more remote and interesting areas of the world, including the Amazon and Madagascar.