National Ballet of Canada Opens 75th Anniversary Season With Romeo and Juliet

The National Ballet of Canada opened its 75th anniversary season on October 31, 2026, with a special opening night performance of John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet. The production is scheduled to run through November 8, and it returns to the company for the first time since 2009.

The company traces its origins to a vision in 1951, according to a company video shared on Facebook. A New York Times article on the anniversary says the company began on a shoestring budget and grew into an internationally acclaimed dance company.

The 2026/27 season is titled "75 Years of Bold Ambition," and the company has designated it as its 75th Anniversary Season. Tickets to the full season and subscriptions are on sale now. Two more programmes come early in the run: Crystal Pite's Emergence and Sol León and Paul Lightfoot's Silent Screen are scheduled for November 13–20, and James Kudelka's The Nutcracker for December 5–31.

The season also features three "Sharing the Stage" initiatives, one of which involves the Saskatoon Symphony.

Later in the season, the company has scheduled works tied to its leadership and dancers. Hope Muir, the company's artistic director, appointed David Dawson as resident choreographer in 2025. Dawson's The Beginning of Forever is scheduled for June 5–12, 2027, as his first original creation since taking the role. The same month, principal dancer Heather Ogden will take her final bow after a 29-year career, with a gala celebration on June 8, 2027.

The season closes with Rudolf Nureyev's The Sleeping Beauty, scheduled for June 18–27, 2027.