There's nothing like the force and challenge of a new ballet to galvanize everyone involved in bringing it to life.

To be able to make decisions and see them come to fruition and feel the excitement around them, what it generates within the company, how the artists get motivated — that's the most rewarding part; feeling I can be a catalyst for an artistic experience for our artists and for the public.

Having Alexei Ratmansky create a new Romeo and Juliet for The National Ballet of Canada to mark our 60th anniversary is a dream come true. His aesthetic -- steeped in the Russian school but open to contemporary sources -- is ideal for this work and for our company, which, with our classical heritage and our passion for the modern, is perfectly suited to his distinctive dance vision.

What's a dancer's worst enemy? Sometimes it's age, but sometimes it's the dancer themselves.

You're terrified that nothing will ever give you the fulfillment that dancing has given you.

I regret that I didn't enjoy it all more. I didn't savour it until the end because I was so hard on myself. Life goes by so quickly. A dancer's career goes by so quickly. You've got to enjoy those moments when you know you've done your best.

Friday night is our date night. We really carve out time for each other.