Artistic Director & CEO
Simone Orlando
P: 250-762-6105
PHOTO: NINA MARIA PHOTOGRAPHY
Marketing Coordinator
Abigail Sawchuk
P: 250-762-6105
E: communications@balletkelowna.ca
Abigail Sawchuk is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, gaining her Bachelor of Arts in English (honours) with a minor in visual art from UBC’s Okanagan campus. Her honours thesis, under the direction of Robert Eggleston, examined witty women characters in plays by William Congreve, Edward Ravenscroft, and George Etherege.
Growing up in South Africa, Ms. Sawchuk studied ballet with Caryn Harvey under the Dance Academy of South Africa syllabus, passing her Advanced I exam with distinction, before moving to Kelowna in 2018. During her time at UBCO, Ms. Sawchuk served as the president of the Ballroom Dance Club for three years and trained under Kelowna Ballroom’s Christopher Thorburn. Ms. Sawchuk also worked at UBCO’s Learning Hub as a Writing and Academic Integrity Consultant.
After working with the Kelowna Art Gallery for two summers as an Art Adventure Supervisor, Ms. Sawchuk started working with Ballet Kelowna as a part-time marketing assistant in 2021, helping to revitalize the company after Covid shutdowns. Since then, she has loved the diversity of working with a small performing arts company and has been working as Ballet Kelowna’s Marketing Coordinator full-time since 2023. Also a visual artist, Ms. Sawchuk has been a part of multiple group exhibitions at the Fina Gallery as well as the 2023 exhibition Cultivations at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.
Photo: Danika Camba Photography
Fund Development Coordinator
Elana Bizovie
E: development@balletkelowna.ca
Elana Bizovie is a graduate of the University of Alberta, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Drama and Anthropology. She also received a Fine Arts & Communications Diploma, with distinction, in Arts & Cultural Management from MacEwan University.
Ms. Bizovie grew up Ukrainian dancing in her home province of Alberta and has worked as an actor, director, writer, and producer for the stage, and occasionally the screen, for 15 years. She co-founded the theatre company The Virago Collective in 2019 and teaches classes and workshops for actors at various training centres, including EMC Studios.
With a passion for making the arts visible, accessible, and inclusive, Ms. Bizovie focuses on community-based solutions through all her work. Believing that arts education, collaboration, and quality opportunities for both artists and the general public are essential to a healthy and vibrant community, she has supported several non-profit arts organizations in administrative and production roles over the past decade, including The Works International Visual Arts Society, Cool Arts Society, the Rotary Centre for the Arts, and Opera Kelowna. She is pleased to be part of the City of Kelowna Cultural Plan Community Working Group to support the development of the newest Kelowna Cultural Plan.
Photo: Amy Kaye Photography
Rehearsal Director
Joanna Lige
E: rd@balletkelowna.ca
Joanna Lige is a graduate of the Dance Arts Institute (formerly School of Toronto Dance Theatre), a RAD Registered Teacher, a Certified Progressing Ballet Technique Instructor, and a member of the International Association of Dance Science and Medicine.
Ms. Lige grew up in Kelowna and has trained with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, The Banff Centre for the Arts, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, SITI Theatre Company, Hubbard Street Dance Company and FACT/SF Summer Dance Lab. She has performed work by Sharon Moore, Michael Trent, Danny Grossman, Julia Sasso, Peter Chin, José Limón, Bill James, and Sarah Chase. Ms. Lige continues to be involved in movement creation in the Okanagan and has collaborated with the Inner Fish Theatre Society, Evolve Arts Collective, and the Body Project.
With Ballet Kelowna Ms. Lige has worked alongside Cameron Fraser-Monroe, Alysa Pires, Kirsten Wicklund, Robert Stephen, Esie Mensah, Jake Poloz, and Simone Orlando to support their choreographic vision in creating new works for the Performance Season.
Photo: Emily Cooper
In Motion Coordinator
Kurt Werner
E: inmotion@balletkelowna.ca
Kurt Werner is a graduate of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School’s Professional Division and has travelled abroad to Austria, England, Italy, New Zealand, and the US to further his development in classical, contemporary, and modern dance. In 2015, he was awarded the Brian Macdonald Dance Award during his participation in The Banff Centre’s Summer Professional Dance Program.
While with Ballet Kelowna, Mr. Werner has enjoyed creating and performing such works as Petrushka and MAMBO, as they have helped let his personality shine on stage. In 2018, Mr. Werner founded the Evolve Arts Collective, a platform to share his choreographic works and expand his network with artists across all disciplines. He is grateful for opportunities to present his works at the Kelowna Fringe Festival and the Theatre on the Edge Fest while continuing to workshop new movement with fellow company dancers.
PHOTO: EMily cooper