The National Ballet of Canada’s 2024/25 season is off to a strong start with a varied and ambitious mixed bill that showcases the strength and diversity of the company’s up and coming talent while honouring the legacy of their iconic leading man as he enters his final season.

The evening kicks off with Body of Work, a demanding 5-minute solo choreographed and performed by Guillaume Côté. The piece was originally designed to showcase the incredible breadth of what Côté’s body is capable of. Ten years after its premiere, this return to the solo has beautiful poignance as the first piece of Côté’s retirement year. In his forties, Côté’s body has limits that didn’t exist a decade ago and the vulnerability of Body of Work lays bare his imperfection while celebrating the artist he will always be.

The evening’s second piece, Frederick Ashton’s Rhapsody is the classical ballet representative in this contemporary-focused bill. Stylish and graceful, the company’s execution of this challenging work is impressive and Ashton’s own set design is dreamy. Tirion Law is particularly lovely in the leading female role, partnering the much-lauded Siphesihle November.

Choreographed by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, set to music by Philip Glass, the evening’s closer Silent Screen is the show-stealer with its precise integration of video effects, memorable visual moments, and striking lighting work by Tom Bevoort. The ten-dancer ensemble is stellar, particularly Hannah Galway and the towering combo of Christopher Gerty and Ben Rudisin. The piece is a little self-serious at times, perhaps a little too taken with its own cleverness, but it’s inarguably impactful. Though only her back is glimpsed, it’s a treat to see the legendary Xiao Nan Yu back onstage in the piece’s most photographable sequence.

With strong execution and engaging balance, this mixed bill is a bold kick-off to a season that promises to be an emotional roller coaster for fans of what the company has been as we learn to embrace what it’s becoming.