Repertoire
The Nutcracker
Music by… P. I. Tchaikovsky
Choreography by… Margaret Mehuys
Ballet Ouest’s colourful production makes everyone’s eyes sparkle with Clara’s as her dreams take her to the Land of the Snow and the Kingdom of the Sweets on a crisp Christmas Eve. Enjoyed by more than 75,000 spectators, Margaret Mehuys’ version of The Nutcracker has lost none of its powerful charm and has been an unparalleled success for 26 years.
Coppelia (1996)
Music by… Léo Delibe
Choreography by… Margaret Mehuys
Gestes (1988)
Music by… J. S. Bach
Choreography by… Margaret Mehuys
Gestes traces the evolution of the classical ballet vocabulary from the 17th century to today. The ballet begins with an authentic baroque dance, develops by using baroque floor patterns and gesture to express emotional content and finishes by distorting these same gestures in a neo-classical style.
Gaieté Parisienne (1988)
Music by… Jacques Offenbach
Choreography by…Margaret Mehuys
Amusing and entertaining, Gaieté parisienne tells the story of an American tourist lost in Paris in the 1950′s. As part of the fun, the ballet contains references to films from that time.
Suite d’Été (1989)
Music by… Gustav Holst
Choreography by… Margaret Mehuys
A short piece that celebrates the summer solstice with a
ritualistic dance that becomes an energetic praise for nature.
The Seasons (1990)
Music by… Alexander Glazounov
Choreography by… Margaret Mehuys
The annual cycle of the seasons is used, in this work, as a metaphor for the progression from immaturity to maturity in the cycle of a relationship. The ballet is constructed around three pas de deux which follows both the seasons and different emotional states to a final resolution.
The Sleeping Beauty (1992)
Music by… P. I. Tchaikovsky
Choreography by… Margaret Mehuys
Modifying the traditional story, Margaret Mehuys presented a version of this
ballet in which the prince becomes a mythic hero who must choose his quest,
overcome obstacles and fight evil in order to achieve his goal.
Giselle d’Ici (1997)
Music by… Adolph Adam
Choreography by… Margaret Mehuys
Set in modern Quebec, but inspired by the romantic ballet Giselle, this work tells the story of a teen age suicide and the impact this has on family and friends.
A Danse-Mobile performance is a 45-minute story ballet set to well-known classical music. The narration makes each story easily understandable. There is a discussion period following the performance in which students can ask questions and information about dance is provided. This one-hour format fits comfortably into the daily schedules of most schools.
Peter and the Wolf 2007-2009
Music by… Sergei Prokofiev
Choreography by… Margaret Mehuys
Children of lost paradise (2011)
Music by… The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band
Choreography by… Claude Caron
A group of children escaping a refugee camp
become a tribe as they run away from the
absurdity and atrocity of war. The imaginary
world of their childhood confronts their will
to survive. Love, trust and compassion
will be their only hope!
If only the world’s leaders could
remember their childhood!