Alberta Ballet’s Nijinsky preview: A legend reimagined
By Anna Maxwell, October 15 2025—
Dance legend Vaslav Nijinsky’s ballets are getting fresh life on stage this week in Alberta Ballet’s new production, Nijinsky.
Opening this Thursday, the program presents four pieces inspired by Nijinsky’s most iconic works — Afternoon of a Faun, Petrushka, Le Spectre de la Rose and Firebird — reimagined by an all-female lineup of Canadian choreographers (Denise Clarke, Alyssa Martin, Racheal Prince and Kirsten Wicklund.)
Denise Clarke, a Calgary-based choreographer, permanent member of the One Yellow Rabbit theatre, and University of Calgary honorary doctorate recipient, opens the show with her reinterpretation of Afternoon of a Faun.
In an interview with the Gauntlet, Clarke says her take on the infamous 1912 ballet — originally a mythic encounter between a faun and nymphs — has been changed into a modern story about a young poet and a female dancer meeting on a theatre stage. In the original, Nijinsky starred as the faun, but in Clarke’s version, it’s the woman who stars as the lead.
According to Clarke, a playful romance ensues between the two until the poet’s attention wanders. When the dancer realizes this, she doesn’t fall apart — she quietly walks away, leaving the poet to decide whether to follow. It’s a deliberate update of the original’s symbolism.
“Now it’s just a very clear metaphor for what goes on with us nowadays as women in a modern world who don’t go by the old rules and wait to be asked,” Clarke said of her described twist.
She wanted to show a story of desire that doesn’t portray the woman falling apart if it doesn’t turn out as hoped.
“Sure, we can be smitten by a beautiful person, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to our downfall. We don’t faint from the horror of it, we simply go on,” she explained.
Another centrepiece of the evening is Le Spectre de la Rose, reimagined by former Alberta Ballet dancer and co-founder and co-artistic director of Dance//Novella Racheal Prince. The original Spectre centers on a young girl’s dream of dancing with the spirit of a rose — a role famously performed by Nijinsky in a flower-petal costume. Prince said she was fascinated by how Nijinsky “lost his human form and became that rose” on stage, and approached the piece by asking what it would feel like through a woman’s eyes in 2025.
“I reimagined it from the perspective of the woman. It’s the dream of the woman made by a woman. The man still portrays her dream,” said Prince, but the creative lens is now feminine.
Prince also said she leaned into the ballet’s dreamy visual appeal, including its iconic costuming. In the original, Nijinsky’s androgynous rose-petal attire was shockingly feminine for a male dancer of that era. She doesn’t shy away from that boldness in this rendition — in fact, Prince designed her male dancers’ costumes as knee-length skirts covered in roses. This detail helps their movements look like a flower blooming on stage.
“In 1910, everything was through the lens of a male. So to allow four female choreographers to have their take on this is very progressive, and I’m really proud to be a part of it,” Prince said.
For newcomers to ballet, both Clarke and Prince stress that you don’t need any prior knowledge to enjoy the experience — just come with an open mind. Prince advises first-timers not to overthink it; instead of worrying about “getting” the story, simply watch and notice what feelings or thoughts the performance sparks.
Clarke agrees. “Free yourself from expectation, open your eyes and your heart and give yourself an hour and a half of pure pleasure,” she said.
Ballet, she insists, is “not at all stuffy” these days, and the antiquated stereotypes some may have don’t apply here. “We absolutely want people [new to the ballet] there with all our hearts,” she said, noting that this production is about the people and the movement and art and the simple joy of being swept up in “beauty and fantastic music.”
Nijinsky opens on Oct. 16 at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, running through Oct. 18 (with subsequent performances in Edmonton Oct. 24–25). To purchase tickets in advance, visit Alberta Ballet’s website.
Alberta Ballet also offers a special “Student Walk-Up” rate to make shows more accessible. On performance nights, one hour before curtain, post-secondary students (with a valid school ID) can purchase a ticket for just $40 at the Jubilee Box Office.