At NBS, we are privileged to have choreographers and répétiteurs in our studios who bring the embodied experience of dance education to life.
With the support of the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation, we have worked closely over the past year with choreographer James Kudelka, who has shared his creativity and knowledge with our students. Together they explored excerpts from dance icon Rudolf Nureyev's version of "The Sleeping Beauty", originally staged for the National Ballet of Canada in 1972. James' insight is unique, based on his own first-hand experience with Nureyev and his creation process.
By passing on this tradition of ballet, Kudelka was able to share the artistic, technical, and personal context of Nureyev's choreography. This human-to-human instruction, and the nuances Kudelka learned from direct experience with Nureyev, enriches our students' learning.
As the National Ballet of Canada prepares to remount Rudolf Nureyev's "The Sleeping Beauty", our students will get an insider's peek into the process, building on what they have learned from Mr. Kudelka.
📸 Karolina Kuras, captured at the 2025 NBS Summer Program