Vancouver’s internationally acclaimed choreographer Joshua Beamish has announced the launch of a new local ballet company, Ballet Vancouver Performance Series (Ballet Vancouver).
photo: Peter Eastwood
Ballet Vancouver aims to re-establish a consistent local presence for professional classical, neoclassical, and narrative ballet performed en pointe. The Company’s official launch will be a presentation of its inaugural mixed program at the Vancouver Playhouse on April 23-25, 2026.
“After recently celebrating the 20th anniversary of my eponymous dance company, Joshua Beamish/MOVETHECOMPANY, I began reflecting upon what was missing from the local dance ecology of Vancouver – my home city,” says Beamish. “While we have a wealth of exceptional contemporary dance companies and presenters, we don’t have regular access to professional classical ballet en pointe. This moment felt perfectly primed to launch this new Company, to serve and represent the diverse population of Vancouver.”
Based in Vancouver, Ballet Vancouver will present a regular home season, as well as national and international touring. Its programming will include homecoming performances by locally trained ballet stars, with featured appearances by renowned international ballet artists and ballet companies. Emerging, diverse local talent will be fostered through outreach programs and choreographic development initiatives.
“As a proud Coast Salish Stó:l? woman, I am honoured to lead this organization on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xwm??kw?y??m (Musqueam), S?wx? wú7mesh (Squamish), and s?lilw?ta? (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. These lands have long been a vibrant hub for storytelling, ceremony, and artistry—since time immemorial,” says Cynthia Robinson, Ballet Vancouver Board President. “Under the visionary leadership of Joshua Beamish, Ballet Vancouver will carve a place in the global dance landscape, igniting thought, emotion, and cultural dialogue through the creation and presentation of world-class ballet.”
The Company’s April 2026 launch will be celebrated with a stellar mixed program, featuring four works and starring a line-up of some of North America’s finest artists, including Stephanie Petersen (formerly of American Ballet Theatre and Australian Ballet), Vancouver born-and-raised Benjamin Freemantle (formerly Principal Dancer with San Francisco Ballet), Julian Hunt (Kidd Pivot), and Jonatan Lujan (Metopera Ballet NYC, Ballet Argentino Julio Bocca, Ballet Zurich). Ballet Vancouver’s complete programming and casting details will be announced in January 2026.
The inaugural program will feature;
- The Vancouver premiere of After the Rain by The Royal Ballet Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon, a two-part ballet known for its emotional depth and elegant simplicity, originally performed by New York City Ballet.
- The world premiere of a new creation choreographed by Beamish, in collaboration with Indigenous artist and fashion designer Yolonda Skelton, which centres a harmonious, thoughtful integration of Indigenous design and ballet.
- The live Vancouver premiere of Redemption by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, a solo journey of a fallen angel that explores themes of solitude and contemplation, which received its digital premiere at the 2021 PuSh Festival for Performing Arts.
- The Vancouver reprise of Wen Wei Wang’s Swan, a modern reimagining of the ballet classic Swan Lake performed en pointe.
With the launch of Ballet Vancouver, Joshua Beamish/MOVETHECOMPANY will honour its existing commitments through to the end of 2026. The New York chapter of the company, Joshua Beamish/MOVETHECOMPANY America, will continue to produce U.S. events moving forward.
In support of the official launch and upcoming 2026/27 inaugural season, Ballet Vancouver will present Ballet Vancouver: An Exclusive Preview & VIP Invitation on November 20, 2025, at Q7 (77 E 7th Ave.). The intimate evening will include a studio preview from the upcoming April 23-25 mixed program, featuring excerpts from Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Redemption, performed by artists from American Ballet Theatre, and much more. Canapes and refreshments will be served. Donation tickets of $250 per person are now available for purchase at balletvancouver.com
Tickets to Ballet Vancouver’s inaugural performance, April 23-25, will be on sale in January 2026. For more information, visit balletvancouver.com