Kittiwake Dance Theatre is Newfoundland and Labrador’s professional dance performance company. Through the leadership of Artistic Director, Yukichi Hattori, our company of dancers performs a full season of ballet and contemporary ballet including touring across our province.
Our current season consists of tours and performances: Ballet in the Park island-wide tour; Intersections fall concert celebrating our province’s 75th anniversary union within Canada with premieres of works by Canadian choreographers each with a unique connection to Newfoundland and Labrador; The Nutcracker tour – our 38th year offering this holiday tradition – across the island from December 13th to 21st; and our spring 2025 concert with even more new works to be premiered. We also offer a unique workshop series, with classes such as classical ballet repertoire and contemporary dance vocab & improv techniques, introductory Graham technique, and our summer dance intensive runs in the last two weeks of August.
By emphasizing the creation and performance of original work, we expose audiences to vibrant, current and relevant dance and give creative, expressive platforms to choreographers, particularly early-career choreographers through the Kittiwake-RBC Emerging Choreographer-in-Residence program. The more than twenty-five pieces in Kittiwake’s current repertoire incorporate a variety of styles, subjects and genres and include a number of full-length story ballets. Some works reflect our province’s rich history and cultural heritage.
Our valued collaborators include Neighbourhood Dance Works, Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Memorial University’s School of Music and Shallaway Youth Choir. Recent guest dancers, mentors and choreographers include Christopher House, James Kudelka, Syreeta Hector, and Hilary Knee.
For twenty years, we have had a partnership with Canada’s National Ballet School, most recently delivering dance programs with seniors and schools and joining in their Sharing Dance Day celebrations. We were a community partner with Memorial University’s Dancer-in-Residence program and we have proudly supported the Parkinson Society of NL dance therapy program.
As we strive to elevate the art of dance and make it highly accessible, Kittiwake is grateful to its funders – Canada Council for the Arts, ArtsNL, City of St. John’s, Government of Newfoundland & Labrador, CelebrateNL, Government of Canada – and to its many donors and volunteers. Your support of professional dance creation, promotion and presentation in our province is deeply appreciated.
Kittiwake is a non-profit corporation and registered charity overseen by a board of directors. We are members of the Canadian Dance Assembly, DanceNL, Business and Arts NL and participate in International Dance Day activities.
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