- Five Romeos. Five Juliets. Who will take the stage on opening night? From grueling rehearsals to the world premiere, Romeos & Juliets offers an unprecedented behind-the-curtain look at The National Ballet of Canada as ten dancers vie to perform the lead roles on the coveted opening night of Romeo and Juliet, as envisioned by acclaimed choreographer Alexei Ratmansky in celebration of the company's 60th anniversary.—Shaftesbury
- In the summer of 2011, The National Ballet of Canada, Canadas premier dance company, began work on a new production of Shakespeares most heartbreaking tale of love and loss, Romeo and Juliet. Choreographing the great work is Alexei Ratmansky, an inspired artist named ballets most sought-after man by The New Yorker. The stakes are high for the National Ballet as the production represents a bid to return to the world stages on tour.
Romeos & Juliets is an exclusive behind-the-curtain look at the high-pressure process by which this remarkable new ballet winds its way from rehearsals to opening night. At the centre of the documentary are five couples Elena and Guillaume, Heather and McGee, Greta and Aleksandar, Sonia and Naoya, and Chelsy and Brendan - with varying degrees of dance experience, each vying to be selected for the main roles on the coveted opening night. Moreover, the complicated choreography performed by the couple selected for opening night could make or break the ballet itself as the tight schedule leaves no room for mistakes.
Expectations are high, and even choreographer Ratmansky begins to feel the heat as concerns begin to mount about whether the work can be finished on time. In the end, as opening night arrives and the curtain rises, the dancers must push through their exhaustion and personal frustrations in order to realize the potential of their roles on the world stage.
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