Les Grands Ballets makes history in Oman

On November 12th and 13th, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal was the first Canadian company to perform at Oman’s Royal Opera House Muscat since its inauguration in 2011. In a triple-bill titled “Soiree Stravinsky” the company performed Stijn Celis’ Sacre and Noce, set to Stravinsky masterpieces, as well as Anima to music by Chopin and Scarlatti. This marks the second time Les Grands has visited the Middle East. The roughly 1000-seat opera house was commissioned personally by the state’s Sultan, and is therefore operated by the monarchy. After the final performance, Artistic Director Gradmir Pankov, Executive Director Alain Dancyger, President Constance V. Pathy and Stijn Celis attended a reception held in their honour, where a representative of culture from the Sultan’s entourage expressed gratitude for the company’s participation in their vision to present more contemporary works.