Christopher Stowell becomes artistic director of the royal ballet of Winnipeg

The successor of André Lewis as artistic director of the Royal Ballet of Winnipeg is known: Christopher Stowell will occupy this position in June 2025.

I am very honored and delighted to assume this role and take over from André. I am delighted to have it as a partner in the next two months so that the transition is smoothsaid Christopher Stowell at a press conference on Friday in the Centennial Hall, downtown Winnipeg.

It is a dream that becomes reality. Winnipeg’s royal ballet is a Canadian gem and I feel deeply honored to take this posthe added.

Christopher Stowell is currently the associate artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto.

He has known the world of ballet since childhood. His parents, Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, were the founding artistic directors of the Pacific Northwest Ballet to Seattle.

In addition to being a former dancer, Christopher Stowell was a professor, choreographer and artistic director of many ballets, notably in San Francisco, New York, Japan, China and all over Europe.

He has spent the last six years as an associate artist of the National Ballet of Canada and worked in close collaboration with former artistic director Karen Kain.

I have the feeling that this form of art still has a lot to say. I think that Winnipeg’s royal ballet can be a leader in exploration, change and expansion, and bring this art form to more people, more accessible and more varied.

For nine months, the Royal Ballet of Winnipeg sought its next artistic director all over Canada and elsewhere in the world. The ballet notably received applications from the United States, Australia, England and elsewhere in Europe, says the chairman of the organization’s board of directors, John Osler.

The reputation of the royal ballet of Winnipeg around the world has attracted some of the best and brightest, and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to choose from such a large number of talented peoplehe said.

The end of an era

Founded in 1939, the Winnipeg Royal Ballet is the oldest Ballet company in Canada and the oldest in activity in North America.

The outgoing artistic director André Lewis began his career in this ballet in 1975, as a student from the age of 19. In 1989, at the end of his dancer career, he became the artistic director.

It was an honor to be part of this organizationhe launched at the press conference on Friday.

He announced in February 2023 that he would leave his duties in 2025.

With information from Darren Bernhardt