Alberta Ballet Dances with Joni Mitchell
The Fiddle and The Drum
February 8-10, 8 p.m.

Legendary Canadian singer-songwriter and visual artist Joni Mitchell and Alberta Ballet Artistic Director Jean Grand-Maitre have come together to create a unique contemporary tableau of dance, art and music, The Fiddle and the Drum.

The Fiddle and the Drum takes the form of a semi-abstract narrative ballet danced in neo-classical style, performed to 47 minutes of Mitchell’s music. Joni Mitchell has also designed the stage set, which incorporates images of her newest artwork, projected on large canvas screens during the ballet.

Born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Joni Mitchell is one of the most highly respected singer- songwriters of the late 20th century. Recently inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Mitchell is also an accomplished artist. She has created the artwork for each of her albums, and she often describes herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance."

Jean Grand-Maitre was born in Hull, Quebec and trained in Montreal and Toronto. He took on the role of Artistic Director of Alberta Ballet after 14 years as an independent choreographer and theatre director, with commissions from renowned ballet companies such as the Opéra National de Paris, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Stuttgart Ballet, the National Norwegian Ballet, the National Bavarian State Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Ballet Jörgen and the Hartford Ballet.

In The Fiddle and the Drum, Alberta Ballet’s 26 athletic dancers will merge – through energetic and sensual movements created by Jean Grand-Maitre – with Joni Mitchell’s eclectic sound and visual art, to create a contemporary tableau that will awaken and stir the soul.