Sabrina Matthews

Sabrina Matthews

Infobox Artist
name = Sabrina Matthews
imagesize = 125
caption = Photograph by Clay Stang
birthname = Sabrina Matthews
birthdate = 1977
location = Toronto, Canada
nationality = Canadian
field = Ballet Choreographers
training = National Ballet School of Canada
awards =
Sabrina Matthews (born 1977) is a Canadian ballet choreographer. She has created pieces for some of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world, including multiple pieces for the renowned Stuttgart Ballet. [ [http://www.staatstheater.stuttgart.de/ballett/spielplan/page.php?aktiv=archiv_0607 Stuttgart Ballet's Repetoire] ] This in demand choreographer has premiered works on three continents in over a dozen cities from Beijing, to New York, to London. At Karen Kain’s nomination, she was recently recognized as one of Canada's Amazing Women to Watch and the Next Big Thing In Dance alongside Oscar and Nobel Prize nominees. [see Chatelaine Magazine's April 2008 80th Year Anniversary Edition] Over the past year, Sabrina Matthews has received commissions from Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Boston Ballet, England's Royal Academy of Dance's 2008 Genee International Ballet Competition, and the National Ballet of Canada.

Biography

Sabrina Matthews is a Toronto native and a graduate of the National Ballet School of Canada, attending from 1987-1995. [ [http://www.geneeballetcompetition.com/Faculty_main.htm Genee Ballet Competition - Faculty] ] From 1995-2005, she was a leading soloist and aspiring choreographer with Alberta Ballet [ [http://www.albertaballet.com/users/news_view.asp?FolderID=3219&NewsID=40 May 30, 2006 Alberta Ballet News Article] ] [ [http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/August-2005/Alberta-Ballets-Dramatic-Moves August 2005 Dance Magazine Article] ] under artistic directors Mikko Nissinen [ [http://www.bostonballet.org/about/news/Season2008release.html January 10, 2008 Boston Ballet News Release for the 2008 Season] ] and Jean Grand-Maitre. [ [http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/August-2005/Alberta-Ballets-Dramatic-Moves August 2005 Dance Magazine Article] ] Sabrina Matthews danced on four different continents, including several tours all throughout China. Her choreography and dance films have been recognized with several national and international awards, including: the 2008 PACE Award from the Government of Canada (Alberta) as an Outstanding Alumnus of the Banff Centre; a 2006 Ballet VIP Honorable Mention from Pointe Magazine; the 1995 Peter Dwyer award for excellence in dance; [ [http://www.canadacouncil.ca/prizes/peter_dwyer/mp127238406645937500.htm Canada Council for the Arts - Peter Dwyer Award Winners List] ] the 2005 Clifford E. Lee Choreography Award from the Banff Centre; and a nomination for a 2003 dance film award from the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association for “Dance to This” 2002, a Bravo! Fact Film. [ [http://www.bravofact.com/shorts/details.asp?projectID=2040&searchStatus=active&DisciplineID=0&provID=0&searchText=dance%20to%20this&ANDOR=AND Bravo! Fact Film Synopsis of Dance to This] ] [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0488384/combined IMDB Listing for Dance to This] ] [ [http://www.brooklynfilmfestival.org/films/detail.asp?fid=323 Brooklyn International Film Festival Listing for Dance to This] ]

Sabrina Matthews created five pieces for Alberta Ballet, all of which received high critical praise. Her last piece for the company, "losing ground", received repeat standing ovations. [ [http://www.sabrinamatthews.ca/choreography.html Sabrina Matthews' Choreography and Reviews] ] During that time, in 2002, she created a piece for the The New York Choreographic Institute [ [http://www.nycballet.com/nyci/support/nyci_matthewsbio.html New York City Ballet Bio for Sabrina Matthews] ] on the School of American Ballet. In 2004, she premiered "unbound", at the first Beijing International Dance Festival [ [http://www.nycballet.com/nyci/support/nyci_matthewsbio.html New York City Ballet Bio for Sabrina Matthews] ] and in 2005, the Glenbow Museum commissioned "Rodin 2005" as part of the Rodin Exhibition. [ [http://www.banffcentre.ca/media_room/Media_Releases/Arts_Theatre/2004/2004-10-20_Clifford_E_Lee_Choreography_Award.asp October 20, 2004 Banff Centre Media Release] ]

At the invitation of Artistic Director Reid Anderson, Sabrina Matthews attended the "Noverre Society" in 2006 at Stuttgart Ballet. While there, she created "soles", which earned rave reviews among the German critics. It was included as part of Stuttgart Ballet’s repertoire [ [http://www.albertaballet.com/users/news_view.asp?FolderID=3219&NewsID=40 May 30, 2006 Alberta Ballet News Article] ] and was reprised during Stuttgart’s December Gala. Her “triumph in Europe” led to commissions from some of the world's most pre-eminent ballet companies. Shortly thereafter, she ended her dance career early and pursued choreography full time.

In September 2006, Sabrina Matthews created "clearing", which was a favorite among critics. It premiered at the National Ballet of Canada’s 2007 Gala. [ [http://www.ballet-dance.com/200708/articles/NBoC20070628.html August 2007 Ballet Dance Magazine Article regarding the NBoC's 2007 Gala] ] At the request of Artistic Director Karen Kain, and the Canada Council for the Arts, "clearing" was reprised in July 2007 during Canada’s National Holiday celebrations in Ottawa. In March 2007, she created "veer" for the Canadian representatives in the prestigious international Erik Bruhn competition. [ [http://www.ballet-dance.com/200704/articles/BruhnPrize20070303.html April 2007 Ballet Dance Magazine Article regarding the Erik Bruhn Competition] ] [ [http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2007/03/05/bruhn-dance-prize.html March 5, 2007 CBC News Article regarding the Erik Brun Competition] ] She will also choreograph a new work for the National Ballet of Canada’s 2008/2009 season. [ [http://www.national.ballet.ca/performances/season0809/innovation.php National Ballet of Canada 2008/09 Season - Innovations] ]

In March 2008, Sabrina Matthews was engaged with Boston Ballet for the Next Generation program; a showcase of the next generation of choreographic talents. She made her US debut with "ein von viel" to high critical praise. "ein von viel" will be reprised by Boston Ballet at its annual Gala in October 2008 and the National Ballet School of Canada in November 2009. This will mark the fifth time and third ballet company to perform "ein von viel". Sabrina Matthews created a second piece for Stuttgart Ballet, "veil", which premiered in May 2008. [ [http://www.staatstheater.stuttgart.de/ballett/spielplan/a_z.php?id=46 Stuttgart Ballet Bio for Sabrina Matthews] ] It was so well received, that the following week, and then again the following month, it was reprised on Stuttgart Ballet's main stage.

Sabrina Matthews set "veer" again for the National Ballet of Canada’s 2008 Gala in June. In August 2008, she created a new piece as the commissioned choreographer for England's Royal Academy of Dance's 2008 Genee International Ballet Competition. [ [http://www.geneeballetcompetition.com/Faculty_main.htm Genee Ballet Competition - Faculty] ] Sabrina Matthews then returns to Europe in November 2008 to premiere a new piece in Stockholm, Sweden. The Royal Swedish Ballet commissioned this piece to premiere alongside a new work by Mats Ek. [ [http://www.bostonballet.org/season/performances/NextGeneration_sabrina.matthews.html Boston Ballet bio for Sabrina Matthews] ] In March 2009, Sabrina Matthews will create her third piece for the National Ballet of Canada.

Choreographed Work

(all pieces world premieres unless otherwise indicated)

For the Stuttgart Ballet

* "soles" (2006)
* "veil" (May 4, 2008)

For the Royal Swedish Ballet

* TBA (November 7, 2008)

For the Boston Ballet"'

* "ein von viel" (March 6-9, 2008 - U.S. Premiere)

For the National Ballet of Canada

* "clearing" (2007)
* "veer" (2008 - originally commissioned for the Erik Bruhn Competition 2007)
* TBA (March, 2009)

For the National Ballet School (Canada)

* TBA (May, 2009)

For the Alberta Ballet

* "delude" (2000)
* "ein von viel" (2001)
* "transience" (2002)
* "unbound" (2003)
* "fallen arm" (2004)
* "losing ground" (2005)

For Competitions and Festivals

*"Dance to This" (2001 Bravo! Fact Film - 2002 Calgary International Film Festival; 2003 Brooklyn International Film Festival; and London, U.K.'s Constellation Change Screen Dance Festival 2005)
* "unbound" (2001 Beijing International Dance Festival)
* "Rodin" (2005 Glenbow Museum)
* "veer" (2007 Erik Bruhn Competition - however, not performed due to dancer injury)
* "clearing" (2007 Canada Day Celebration in Ottawa, Canada - reprise)
* TBA (August, 2008 Genee International Ballet Competition)

Awards

* 1995 Peter Dwyer Award (Canada Council for the Arts/National Ballet School - excellence in dance)
* 2003 Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association (nomination) (for "Dance to This")
* 2005 Clifford E. Lee Award (Banff Centre for the Arts - choreography award)
* 2008 Alberta Provincial Awards Celebrating Excellence - Outstanding Alumnus Award regarding her tenure at the Banff Centre)

Reviews

* Reid Anderson, Artistic Director of the Stuttgart Ballet, May 2006:"Sabrina is an excellent Canadian cultural ambassador for Canada. The dancers loved working with her, the German audience deeply connected with her ballet and she inspired everyone here during the process. She has successfully pierced the highly competitive European market".

* Karen Campbell, in the Boston Globe, March 8, 2008:"Surprisingly, the most effective work on the program was also the smallest, the duet "ein von viel," marking the US debut of Canadian choreographer Sabrina Matthews. Set to selections from Bach‘s exquisite "Goldberg" Variations (given a stellar performance onstage by pianist Freda Locker), it was commissioned by Nissinen while he was artistic director of Alberta Ballet, and it's a beauty. Friday night, John Lam and James Whiteside were dazzling in Matthews's virtuosic choreography. Matthews matches the clarity of Bach‘s score while consciously subverting the elegance with bits of "you lookin‘ at me?" attitude and quirky nuances. Dynamics shift with quicksilver speed, long lines dissolve into squiggles, complemented by playful gestures – feet that paw the ground, hands that cover the face, backward runs. But it‘s all fairly subtle, cast in phrases of tensile fluidity from which erupt brilliant leaps and turns in vivid asymmetric shapes."

* Gabriele Müller, in Stuttgarter Zeitung, May 22, 2006:"The exceptional ballerina Alicia Amatriain is partnered by Evan McKie in Sabrina Matthew's piece "soles" set to spiritual vocal music by Tomas Luis de Victoria. This pas de deux of continuous movement conveys an impression of eternity. Pain, suffering and longing are expressed as a fulfillment.


* Denise Sum, Ballet Dance Magazine, August, 2007:"The following work, also by a young Canadian, succeeded where Robinson's did not. National Ballet School alumnus and former Alberta Ballet member Sabrina Matthews’ “clearing” has direction and form. The work, set to Mozart’s powerful Great Mass in C Minor, has three couples moving through patterns of movement like the many voices of a fugue. Bridgett Zehr was particularly stunning, her pas de deux with Piotr Stanczyk almost spiritual. Stacey Shiori Minagawa and Chris Body plus Greta Hodgkinson and Nehemiah Kish rounded out this strong cast. Near the end of the ballet, the black backdrop is lifted, ever so slowly. The white background behind it “grows”, the way light fills a room. The dancers turn to face the back, in some sort of reverent or ceremonial action, as the curtain falls."


* Bob Clark, in the Calgary Herald, July 15, 2005:"For her new creation, Matthews too has chosen carefully, building the emotional intensity of the work, losing ground, through a combination of complex passionate movement and a slow luminous score. The score is fashioned from the music of Thomas Tallis, Brahms and J.S. Bach, with important contributions from Calgary soundscape artist Dewi Wood.
Massively framed by set designer Scott Reid’s evocation of vertical steel plates and dramatically lit by lighting designer Harry Frehner, losing ground’s eight characters seem to be in a state of alert as they try to connect and re-connect – bodies bending then arching back, arms spreading in both supplicating and questioning gestures – to find their way back from loneliness and isolation. The powerful work was performed beautifully by the dancers, led by Tara Williamson and Daniel Marshalsay.The standing ovation from the large crowd was richly deserved by all concerned.".

* Angela Reinhard, in Esslinger Zeitung, May 22, 2006:"Among the four pas de deux of the evening the most acclaimed one was by Sabrina Matthews from Canada who has already earned choreographic merits in her native country. She really knows how to make the dancers look good: Alicia Amatriain's extreme flexibility and Evan McKies' intensity as a partner are shown in the best of lights in the slow piece "soles".


* Salena McDougall in SEE Magazine, April 3, 2003""Alberta Ballet’s Sabrina Christine Matthews is being outrageously understated when she describes the past dance season as "one of the biggest years" for her. In her eighth year with the company, Matthews was blazing at the forefront ... "It has been exciting, and a whole lot of work," Matthews says reflecting on a breakthrough season.

Not only is this ballerina’s career on a roll, she’s well on her way to making a name for herself as a dance-maker. Just last February, Matthews was in the Big Apple, invited by the New York Choreographic Institute to workshop her own choreography on dancers from the School of American Ballet. And she recently added video star to her resume with Dance to This, a short Bravo! film of her own creation.


* Jean Grand-Maître, Artistic Director of the Alberta Ballet, May 2006:"Many of the most respected and cutting edge choreographers working today have had their beginning during the Noverre series of the Stuttgart Ballet and Ms. Matthews’ success will bid well for her future career as a dance creator in Europe".

References

External links


* [http://www.sabrinamatthews.ca Sabrina Matthews' Webpage]
* [http://www.national.ballet.ca/ National Ballet of Canada]
* [http://www.albertaballet.com Alberta Ballet]
* [http://www.geneeballetcompetition.com/ Genee Ballet Competition]
* [http://www.staatstheater.stuttgart.de/ballett/start.htm Stuttgart Ballet]
* [http://www.nycballet.com/nyci/about.html New York Choreographic Institute]
* [http://www.pointemagazine.com/ Pointe Magazine]


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