For media inquiries, please contact Abby Sawchuk at communications@balletkelowna.ca, or call our office at 250.762.6105

Ballet Kelowna’s Artistic Director & CEO Invites Audiences to “See the Unexpected” in the 2025/26 Season

Season Subscriptions on Sale NOW!

The 2025/26 season includes two phenomenal mixed programs and culminates with the world premiere of Cikilaxwm: Controlled Burn, a new full-length work by Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe.

Kelowna, BC – Simone Orlando, Ballet Kelowna’s Artistic Director and CEO, today announced Ballet Kelowna’s 2025/26 season features a remarkable lineup of dance that encapsulates Ballet Kelowna’s unwavering commitment to nurturing Canadian talent and producing original works.

“Ballet Kelowna has evolved into a pivotal force within Canada’s dance landscape, championing the creation and presentation of contemporary ballet that resonates with diverse audiences, and the 2025/26 season is no exception” says Simone Orlando. “A highlight of the season will be the creation of Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe’s Cikilaxwm: Controlled Burn, a compelling exploration of traditional fire stewardship and its contemporary relevance. We also welcome award-winning, Montréal based choreographer Andrew Skeels along with Alexis Fletcher and Sylvain Senez to bring their unique voices and perspectives to Kelowna for the first time. I am delighted to share that each of our three productions now includes a new matinee performance. I hope you will join us at the Kelowna Community Theatre for an adventurous season of unexpected dance.”

Ballet Kelowna’s 2025/26 season opens with Countermove, Nov. 7 + 8, 2025, a powerful triple bill featuring an eclectic collection of works that pushes the boundaries of ballet. Featuring a daring new commission by Vancouver-based choreographic duo, Alexis Fletcher and Sylvain Senez, the return of Simone Orlando’s multi-dimensional Doppeling, a mesmerizing commentary on conformity and individuality, and Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe’s action-packed The Cowboy Act Suite, this program will counter audience expectations with bold, uncompromising movement.

The season continues with Restless Balance, Feb. 13 + 14, 2026, a program that seamlessly blends the intuitive with the innovative through three revolutionary works. With an evocative world premiere by Montréal-based choreographer Andrew Skeels, the highly anticipated return of Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe’s taqəš, set to songs by Polaris Prize-winning composer and singer Jeremy Dutcher, and the remount of John Alleyne’s ground-breaking Schubert, this vibrant mixed program contemplates what it means to seek balance in a world that refuses to stand still.

To conclude the 2025/26 season, Ballet Kelowna is pleased to unveil the world premiere of Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe’s first full-length work, Cikilaxʷm: Controlled Burn, May 1 + 2, 2026. Featuring an Indigenous-led team of collaborators including music by Cris Derksen, projections by Andy Moro, and costumes by Asa Benally, this narrative ballet blazes across time and tradition as it explores the contemporary relevance of prescribed burning practices. Set in a dystopian future where wildfire season has no end, a young Indigenous firefighter’s beliefs are challenged when he meets Mothkʷ, a fierce protector of ancestral knowledge who carries out cultural burns. The word cikilaxwm [tseeLAHkwum] means “prescribed fire” in nsyilxcən, the language belonging to the syilx (Okanagan) People. It relates to traditional burning practices that nourish the land and community, bringing healing and rejuvenation.

Ballet Kelowna’s 2025/26 season is presented by the Thomas Alan Budd Foundation.

SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE ON SALE NOW and can be purchased online at theboxoffice.ca, by phone at 250-469-8940, or in person at the Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water Street, Kelowna.

Choose between Ballet Kelowna’s classic 7:30 PM show time on Friday and Saturday nights or their brand-new matinee performance at 1:30 PM on Saturdays. The 2025/26 season offers a wide array of subscription and single ticket options, with three pricing levels of seats in the Kelowna Community Theatre. 

Subscribe to all three programs (Countermove, Restless Balance, and Cikilaxʷm: Controlled Burn) for as low as:

Adult - $165, Senior - $150, Student/Child/Accessible* - $84.

Prices include tax but do not include box office ticketing and theatre capital improvement fees.
*Senior is 65+. Students must present valid ID at box office. Child must be 12 years of age or under. Accessible seating is available.

Subscribe by Sept. 14, 2025, for incredible incentives like the chance to win a pair of tickets to these amazing shows at the Kelowna Community Theatre this fall:

• Terri Clark & Paul Brandt

• O Christmas Tea: A British Comedy

 Single tickets go on sale September 15, 2025.

All performances take place at the Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water Street, Kelowna BC.

Other Upcoming Ballet Kelowna Activities:

Ballet Kelowna’s IN MOTION: Adult Dance Program fall term begins Sept. 8. Whether you’re stepping into the studio for the first time or looking to refine your skills, Ballet Kelowna’s IN MOTION adult dance classes offer something for everyone. Explore ballet and contemporary movement while improving strength, posture, flexibility, and balance. Taught by Ballet Kelowna’s professional dancers and guest instructors, classes take place in our state-of-the-art facility. All levels are welcome! IN MOTION fall registration is now open. (balletkelowna.ca/in-motion)

On Oct. 8, Ballet Kelowna presents LAUNCH at the Rotary Centre for the Arts’ Mary Irwin Theatre. This one-hour, informal showing provides a sneak peek of what’s in store for the 2025/26 season. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the company of dance artists and learn about upcoming performances at the RCA. LAUNCH is free or by donation. Seating is first come, first served. LAUNCH registration is now open. (balletkelowna.ca/launch-2025)

About Ballet Kelowna (balletkelowna.ca)

Founded in 2002, Ballet Kelowna is the sole professional dance company in B.C.’s Interior. The organization is committed to its role as a leader in the region through encouraging, promoting, and developing Canadian dancers and choreographers. The company performs annually for more than 12,000 audience members in Kelowna and on tour and provides unique dance training opportunities and outreach programs. Its Artistic Director and CEO, Simone Orlando, is an award-winning choreographer and former dancer with Ballet BC and The National Ballet of Canada. Under Orlando’s direction, Ballet Kelowna was named the 2024 Artistic Company of the Year by the BC Live Performance Network (formerly the British Columbia Touring Council) and was an organizational recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Arts and Music Award in 2022.