The Alberta Ballet is entering into its 60th year and dancers are preparing for the company’s latest production of Giselle to kick off the season. Francesco Ventriglia, artistic director says it’s a big responsibility to honor the legacy Alberta Ballet has created. “It’s been 60 years of a lot of success and connection with the community and the public,” he said. “So today I’m at the helm, it’s my duty, it’s my responsibility to curate this celebration and I feel very honored and happy to be in this position, now I’m taking all this story from the past, build it for today’s big celebration and opening the door towards the next 60 years.” Ventriglia is using his 30 years of experience to create an international caliber experience for audience members in Calgary and Edmonton without leaving the province. He’s bringing in dancers from all over the world to collaborate and make Alberta Ballet a destination while continuing to invest in emerging Alberta-based artists. “We have I think over 13 different nationalities in our company, starting from Canada,” he said. “We really go all around the world, we have a melting pot of languages and culture and they all go under the same umbrella of this beautiful art form.” Since becoming artistic director in 2024, Ventriglia says when auditions open he’s received hundreds of applications. In 2025 alone, 850 dancers wanted to be in the company. “We’ve been able to attract internationally choreographers,” he said. “We have a lot of people coming from all over the world to celebrate who we are locally but we always export the Alberta brand for Alberta Ballet culture around the world.” Ventriglia is excited about the company’s first performance of Giselle, where his interpretation of the first act is coming together in rehearsal for the production that debuts in Edmonton Sept. 18. “I’m extremely proud because I put my vision on the table and everyone in the team welcomed the vision with such a positive enthusiasm,” he said. “I’m surrounded by people that can make my vision even better than what was originally so I’m very lucky and I think it will be a new, fresh take.” Alexandra Anker-Hughes, principal dancer has two roles in Giselle. Originally from the state of New York, this is her sixth season with Alberta Ballet. “I love that Calgary has this ballet company that has lasted for 60 years and will hopefully last for 60 plus years to come,” she said. “I’ve seen the audience grow a lot in the time that I’ve been here so I’m really excited to see where we go from here.” Luna Sasaki, principal dancer is in her 14th season with Alberta Ballet. It was her first job and she moved to Calgary from Japan to dance. For Giselle, Sasaki says rehearsals run five days a week for the six weeks leading up to opening night. “Six hours being in point shoes a day and pushing every hour working on the tiny little details,” she said. “Finding the depth of each characters is very important, otherwise the story doesn’t make sense so every single day we try to talk to our coworkers and partners and finding the depth to your characters and creating your own story.” Learn more about the upcoming ballet season here: https://www.albertaballet.com/
