Royal Winnipeg Ballet to make first New York appearance in 45 years

After a 45-year intermission, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) is set to return to the stage in New York City with Šɛgatəm, a new production that blends classical ballet, traditional First Nations dance and contemporary movement.

“It’s a real braiding of styles,” RWB choreographer Cameron Fraser-Monroe told 680 CJOB’s The Start.

“I was really inspired by the elders in my home community. I wanted to talk about the way people can be resilient and hardworking. The key… is to ask for help.”

Šɛgatəm (pronounced “shay-ga-tum”) is a word in the Ayajuthem language — a traditional Indigenous language based in parts of British Columbia —  that means ‘to lift someone up’.

The production is part of the 10th annual Fall for Dance Festival, held Sept. 26-27 at the New York City Center. The dates coincide with Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and the RWB’s own 85th anniversary.

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The RWB, North America’s longest continuously-running ballet company, will share the stage at the festival with organizations like the Boston Ballet, Dutch National Ballet and New York City Ballet.

“It’s really significant to be featuring all of these artists, on the stage in New York and directly from Winnipeg,” said Fraser-Monroe.

0:45 Royal Winnipeg Ballet $7.5 million closer to expansion goal after provincial funding