Hope Muir, Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada, joined Graham Watts in conversation ahead of the company’s visit to Sadler’s Wells this month. Hers is a fascinating career as dancer in both a classical and contemporary teaching and researal director before becoming Artistic Director.
Hope was one of the first ten students in the English National Ballet School founded by Peter Schaufauss. Co-sited with the company, the students were easily integrated and she soon joined the company. She was there for five years when the company toured intensively and gained experience in a wide range of classical roles as well as many new works – Christopher Bruce was the resident choreographer. At the end, the touring took its toll and when Bruce went to Rambert, she followed.
She danced with Rambert for ten years, performing a huge range of contemporary pieces – working with Matts Ek was “amazing” - but when Bruce left that company, she left and crossed the Atlanitc to dance with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, enjoying a new range of choreography, including, of course, Forsythe.
After stopping dancing there followed a career as teacher, repetiteur and rehearsal director. She joined Scottish Ballet as in 2009 becoming Assistant Artistic Director, she remembered then director Ashley Paige saying “I’m looking for a guy” Across th Atantic again she became the AD of Charlotte Ballet where she commissioned many new works, although she reflected that maybe she pushed the company too much at times, . “I now ask, am I moving too fast” ” she said. In 2022 she succeeded Karen Kain as AD of NBC.
It was a fascinating insight into the career of someone who has such a breadth of experience, classical and contemporary dance, teacher and rehearsal director and finally Artistic Director. And choreographer? Well, she has done some, “I know the craft”, she said, “but others do it better”.
