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.

Treasure the things about you that make you different and unique.

Talent will only take you so far, and it is your ability to feel the music and explore a movement that will bring you the greatest pleasure in dance.

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

Like everyone else, I want to go on dancing forever, but I know the day is going to come when I will have to be doing something else.

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

In my life, there have always been people who guided my path, towards the school, towards this company. I didn't know about any of it. I didn't have a plan. It's good fortune and generosity from other people that have given me all I have today.