Cruel World
States of Grace
Sin and Tonic

James Kudelka was appointed Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada in June 1996. Kudelka is one of North America’s foremost dance artists, universally respected for the quality and depth of his work. As a choreographer, he has the rare ability to marry classical tradition with modern movement and is recognized for his remarkable talent in combining both idioms. This allows him to serve dance companies from Toronto Dance Theatre to the San Francisco Ballet, from The National Ballet of Canada to Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, from Montreal Dance to American Ballet Theatre, from Les Grands Ballets Canadiens to solo artists such as Margie Gillis and Peggy Baker. A remarkably prolific choreographer, he has created over 70 ballets.

Born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, Kudelka trained as a classical dancer at the National Ballet School in Toronto and graduated in 1972 to join The National Ballet of Canada. While a soloist with the National Ballet, he became increasingly absorbed in the creation of dance, developing his ideas from workshop performance to presentation in the company’s regular season. In 1981, he joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal as a principal dancer and was the company’s resident choreographer from 1984 to 1990. During this time, between Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and other commissions, he created numerous ballets, his work steadily maturing in the perceptions and intelligence which distinguishes its character today.

Kudelka terms himself “a conscientious observer” who creates dances that are meditations on the classic themes of love, sex, and death. Major works include: In Paradisum (1983) and Désir (1991) for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, The Heart of the Matter (1986) and Fifteen Heterosexual Duets (1991) for Toronto Dance Theatre, Pastorale (1990), The Miraculous Mandarin (1993), The Actress (1994), Spring Awakening (1994), The Nutcracker (1995), The Four Seasons (1997), Swan Lake (1999), and A Disembodied Voice (1999) for The National Ballet of Canada, The Firebird (2000), Terra Firma (1995), and Some Women and Men (1998) for the San Francisco Ballet, Le Baiser de la Fée (1996) for Birmingham Royal Ballet, and The Book of Alleged Dances for The Australian Ballet (1999).

In May 2002, Kudelka premiered a new full-length ballet, The Contract. These dances are evidence of his extraordinary development as a choreographer as well as the record of a profound artistic sensibility at work.

From September 1992 until May 1996, Kudelka was The National Ballet of Canada’s Artist in Residence. This relationship with the National Ballet enabled him to create and develop repertoire for a single organization on a long-term basis, while allowing him to create new works for other companies.

Kudelka has created Sin and Tonic (2002), Cruel World (1994) and States of Grace (1995) for American Ballet Theatre.