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.

Surround yourself with people who provide you with support and love and remember to give back as much as you can in return.

In the world of classical ballet there are only a handful of story ballets, so getting a new one is cause for excitement.

Dancers, like all performing artists, like nothing better than to be challenged.

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.

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.

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.