DANCER
CHOREOGRAPHER
Kurt started dancing at the age of 8 with tap classes before relocating his studies to a local competitive dance studio and expanding into the genres of ballet, jazz, lyrical, acrobatics and musical theatre. He left home at the age of 14 to begin his full-time studies of ballet at Canada’s National Ballet School. Since then, Kurt has travelled across the country completing his dance education at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School where he graduated from their Ballet Academic Program. He completed one year of post-secondary education at The School of Alberta Ballet before joining Ballet Kelowna as an Apprentice in August 2012; Kurt received his promotion to Company Artist in the fall of 2014.
As he continued working with Ballet Kelowna, Kurt travelled abroad during the off-seasons to maintain and expand his training at multiple facilities excelling in classical ballet and contemporary technique including the New Zealand School of Dance, Pavlova International Ballet School, Salzburg International Ballet Academy, The Banff Centre and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance.
During his time with Ballet Kelowna, he has had the opportunity to perform regional across British Columbia and Alberta which expanded to perform with the company’s Eastern Canada and International debut taking place in Toronto, ON at the Fall for Dance North 2018 and in Beijing, China at the China International Performing Arts Expo 2018.
He began pursuing deeper into his choreographic exploration with his peers at Ballet Kelowna which led him to apply for his first choreographic residency. In the summer of 2016, he was invited to participate in the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance’s Choreographic Residency concurrently with his studies over the course of 10 weeks. During this time, Kurt created two new works, No. 5 and I, In My Mind featuring fellow participants of the Summer Program.
Kurt was chosen to showcase two works at A Taste of Fringe; a launch event for the Kelowna Fringe Festival in September 2018. He created a new duet, Connect and remounted an excerpt of No. 5 as a solo with both being very well received. Through Evolve Arts Collective, Kurt choreographed and staged an hour long program featuring a full remount of No. 5 and a brand-new creation, Restrict, specifically for the inaugural Kelowna Fringe Festival in September 2019. This served as his first distribution of his work to the larger general public with both audience members and festival workers being drawn into the experience.
Most recently, Kurt participated in Ballet Kelowna’s response to the effects of COVID-19, the Remote Choreographic Initiative. He created on dancers in the company roster virtually through the use of Zoom and edited the filmed footage to establish the work-in-progress And after this, our exile.
Kurt Werner - Dance Curriculum Vitae
Date of Birth: August 7, 1992
Height: 5’10” , 1.8m
Citizenship: Canadian
Performance Experience/Repertoire:
2022 Ballet Kelowna Macbeth (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
King Duncan & Ensemble - Choreography by Alysa Pires
2022 Ballet Kelowna Reprise (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Within The Golden Raga - Choreography by Kunal Ranchod
Cuatro Estaciones - Choreography by Simone Orlando
MAMBO - Choreography by Alysa Pires
2021 Ballet Kelowna Resurgence (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Petrushka - Choreography by Heather Dotto
Creations:
The Forever Part - Choreography by Kirsten Wicklund
Celestial Mechanics - Choreography by Robert Stephen
2021 Ballet Kelowna Livestream No. 2 (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Bolero - Choreography by Guillaume Côté
Creations:
taqəš - Choreography by Cameron Fraser-Monroe
Stolen Tide - Choreography by Seiji Suzuki
2021 Ballet Kelowna Livestream No. 1 (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
In Between - Choreography by Alysa Pires
Creations:
Disembark - Choreography by Kirsten Wicklund
2020 Ballet Kelowna Twilight (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
on wings - Choreography by Joe Laughlin
Creations:
Within the Golden Raga - Choreography by Kunal Ranchod
As It Is - Choreography by Eva Kolarova
2019 Ballet Kelowna Dawn (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Bolero - Choreography by Guillaume Côté
Doppeling - Choreography by Simone Orlando Creations:
Creations:
Ion - Choreography by Heather Dotto
2019 Ballet Kelowna Spring (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Spring - Choreography by Alysa Pires
Creations:
Firebird - Choreography by Amber Funk Barton
Petrushka - Choreography by Heather Dotto
Rite of Spring - Choreography by Simone Orlando
2019 Ballet Kelowna Winter (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
1723 - Vivaldi - Choreography by Wen Wei Wang
Studies of Cash - Choreography by Simone Orlando
Creations:
Cuatro Estaciones - Choreography by Simone Orlando
2018 Ballet Kelowna Autumn (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Schubert - Choreography by John Alleyne
In Between - Choreography by Alysa Pires
MAMBO - Choreography by Alysa Pires
2018 Ballet Kelowna A Streetcar Named Desire (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Mitch - Choreography by John Alleyne
2018 Ballet Kelowna Elles (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Folie e Cinque - Choreography by Heather Myers
Glas - Choreography by Gabrielle Lamb
Creations:
Rooms - Choreography by Gioconda Barbuto
MAMBO - Choreography by Alysa Pires
2017 Ballet Kelowna Acts of Remembrance (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
L’ettitque - Choreography by Joe Laughlin
Creations:
1723 - Vivaldi - Choreography by Wen Wei Wang
Acts of Remembrance - Choreography by Simone Orlando
2017 Ballet Kelowna Canadiana Suite (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Elephant In The Room - Choreography by Donald Sales
Canadiana Suite - Choreography by Simone Orlando and Donald Sales
Creations:
Unfolding - Choreography by Matjash Mrozewski
Eight & Sand - Choreography by Gioconda Barbuda
2017 Ballet Kelowna 150 Moves (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Dénouement - Choreography by Matjash Mrozewski
Split House Geometric - Choreography by John Alleyne
Romeo & Juliet Balcony Scene Pas de Deux - Choreography by Joshua Beamish
Doppeling - Choreography by Simone Orlando
Studies of Cash - Choreography by Simone Orlando
Creations:
Elephant In The Room - Choreography by Donald Sales
Canadiana Suite - Choreography by Simone Orlando and Donald Sales
2016 Arts Umbrella (Artistic Director: Artermis Gordon)
Excerpt from Artifact II - Choreography by William Forsythe
Excerpt from Petite Mort - Choreography by Jiří Kylián
Excerpt from Swan Lake - Choreography by Mats Ek
2016 San Francisco Conservatory of Dance (Artistic Director: Summer Lee Rhatigan)
Excerpt from Deca Dance - Choreography by Ohad Naharin
Lucifer’s Prance - Choreography by Robert Moses
Creations:
Work 2016 - Choreography by Alessio Silvestrin
Radius, Silent, Chaotic, Joe- Choreography by Alex Ketley
Slow Mountain - Choreography by Bobbi Jene Smith
Four Parts of the Same Story- Choreography by Alex Ketley
2016 Ballet Kelowna Renaissance (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Byrd Music - Choreography by Jame Kudelka
Creations:
Folie à Cinq - Choreography by Heather Myers
Before and After - Choreography by Simone Orlando
2016 Ballet Kelowna Boundless (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Studies of Cash - Choreography by Simone Orlando
Glas - Choreography by Gabrielle Lamb
Creation:
Now, What, Like, When - Choreography by Matjash Mrozewski
2015 Ballet Kelowna and The Canadian School of Ballet The Nutcracker
Mechanical Solider - Choreography by Simone Orlando
Rat King - Choreography by David LaHay
Snow King - Choreography by Simone Orlando
Arabian pas de deux - Choreography by Simone Orlando
2015 The Banff Centre Summer Professional Dance Program (Artistic Director: Lindsay Fischer)
Creation: Glas - Choreography by Gabrielle Lamb
2015 Ballet Kelowna Forward (Artistic Director: Simone Orlando)
Winter Journey - Choreography by Simone Orlando
Dedications - Choreography by Heather Myers
Creaturehood - Choreography by Shawn Hounsell
Byrd Music - Choreography by James Kudelka
Creations:
Lux - Choreography by Simone Orlando
Blue - Choreography by Shawn Hounsell
2014 Ballet Kelowna and The Canadian School of Ballet The Nutcracker
Mechanical Solider - Choreography by Simone Orlando
Rat King - Choreography by David LaHay
Snow King - Choreography by Simone Orlando
Spanish pas de deux - Choreography by David LaHay
2014 Ballet Kelowna Innovation (Artistic Director: David LaHay)
Etude, Lead Male - Choreography by Kay Armstrong
Exsultate, Jubilate, Lead Trio - Choreography by David LaHay
I Remember You - Choreography by Simone Orlando
Creation:
Redux Continuum - Choreography by David LaHay
2013 Ballet Kelowna and The Canadian School of Ballet The Nutcracker
Russian, Soloist - Choreography by David LaHay
Choreographed Works:
July - September 2022 | Re: Collection
Evolve Arts Collective
Theatre on the Edge Festival & Kelowna International Fringe Festival
June 3 - 12, 2022 | Cabaret
New Vintage Theatre
July - September 2021 | The Daily Walk
Evolve Arts Collective
Theatre on the Edge Festival & Kelowna International Fringe Festival
September 2020 | triad
Ballet Kelowna
Kelowna Culture Days
Septemeber 2019 | Provoke - A Fringe Show (Included No. 5 and Restrict)
Evolve Arts Collective
Kelowna Fringe Festival
September 2018 | Connect, Excerpt of No. 5
Evolve Arts Collective
A Taste of Fringe Event
August 2016 | I, In My Mind
San Francisco Conservatory of Dance Choreographic Residency
June 2016 | No. 5
San Francisco Conservatory of Dance Choreographic Residency
Special Awards:
Kurt was the first recipient of the Brian Macdonald Dance Award during
his residency atThe Banff Centre 2015 Summer Professional Dance Program.
Training:
2016 Arts Umbrella International Summer Dance Intensive
San Francisco Conservatory of Dance Summer Intensive Program
2015 The Banff Centre Summer Professional Dance Program
2011-2012 School of Alberta Ballet - Professional Graduate Program
2008-2011 Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet School - Ballet Academic Program Graduate
2006-2007 National Ballet School of Canada - Professional Ballet Program