WATCH: This ballet reflects a famous story like you’ve never seen before

• Choreographed by Alysa Pires
• Unique take on iconic Shakespearean tragedy
• Show is on May 6 and 7

Ambition, power, and corruption is how some describe the iconic tragedy Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare. Now, a local ballet company is bringing a unique flare to the drama.

Tumultuous and complicated human emotion combined with athletic physicality and detailed gesture is how choreographer Alysa Pires describes the performance and psychological inner world of the characters.

This performance is the first time in more than 40 years that a Canadian ballet company has commissioned a female Canadian choreographer to create a full-length work.

“It’s really a milestone for any choreographer and I have built a really strong relationship with Ballet Kelowna over the last four years through several shorter works,” Pires told Kelowna10.

Macbeth follows the story of the character, a brave soldier and powerful man, whose ambitions to Scotland’s throne turn him into a murderer, spurred on by his equally determined wife, Lady Macbeth. As they become hopelessly entangled by their atrocities, the pair descend into madness.

The show was originally set to premier in 2020 but had to be postponed until this year due to the pandemic.

“The extra time that we’ve had to research and develop this work has allowed us to create a show that I think is really fully fleshed out and developed,” she said. “The dancers have grown and really taken ownership of this work over the last several years [and] it’s as much theirs as it is mine.”

Simone Orlando, Ballet Kelowna’s Artistic Director and CEO, said this piece is unique because it has dancing, but also conveys the full-length story throughout the performance.

“[It has] really innovative contemporary choreography that combines both classical elements, as well as really theatrical scenes where there are lots of drama and very physical movements,” Orlando said.

She said Ballet Kelowna has received plenty of support from the community over the last two years and she thinks people are excited to finally see the long-anticipated performance next month.

“With Macbeth. we’re at 100 per cent capacity and we’re really hoping that we’re going to sell this one out,” Orlando explained. “This is going to be a culmination of two years of really intense work through the pandemic and we just can’t wait to get on stage in front of everyone to show them what we’ve been doing.”

The performance also features an original score by Toronto-based Adam Sakiyama, and atmospheric multimedia visuals from Okanagan landscape artist Jane Everett.

Macbeth will be at the Kelowna Community Theatre on May 6 and 7.