Alberta Ballet’s Artistic Director Christopher Anderson announced he will leave the Company at the end of December, after only one season in charge. Christopher will keep having the artistic direction at the opening of the 2023-2024 season as planned, with the two productions of The Sleeping Beauty in October and Edmund Stripe’s The Nutcracker in December.
Even if the reasons weren’t clear and nothing was officially stated about them, Alberta Ballet’s Artistic Director C. Anderson wrote: “With abundant appreciation and conflicting emotions, I share that I plan to leave Alberta Ballet,” Christopher stated. “After eight years, the time has come to seek out new opportunities. I am so grateful for the many beautiful experiences I have had, and I look forward to celebrating Alberta Ballet’s continued successes.”
About Alberta Ballet’s Artistic Director C. Anderson
Christopher started with Alberta Ballet in 2015 as Rehearsal Director, and thanks to him Alberta Ballet added several full-length pieces to the Company’s repertoire such as Cinderella (2018), Swan Lake (2021) and Giselle (2023). He also had a fundamental role in connecting the Company with choreographers and guest artists such as Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Helen Pickett and Cathy Marston, as President and CEO Chris George underlined: “Christopher has fostered many valuable international connections for Alberta Ballet, and the Ballet’s 2022-2023 season was a series of artistic successes, with several outstanding collaborations with world-renowned choreographers […]”
Daryl Fridhandler, Chair of the Board of Directors recognized the importance of Christopher, especially in the last years: “With his thoughtful guidance, vision and fortitude, Alberta Ballet was the first performing arts company to return to the Jubilee after the COVID-19 shutdown, with Christopher’s world premiere of Swan Lake.”
The Alberta Ballet Board of Directors has already engaged Arts Consulting Group to recruit a new artistic director. The Company performs for over 10k Albertans each year and remains committed to its vision for high-quality performances and inspirational artworks, even through moments of transition like this one.
Source: Alberta Ballet