JAMES KUDELKA

James Kudelka is the Resident Choreographer of the National Ballet of Canada.  He served as the Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada from June 1996 until May 2005. Born in Newmarket, Ontario, Kudelka trained as a classical dancer at the National Ballet School in Toronto and joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1972. It was during his years as a soloist with the National Ballet that he became interested in creating ballets. His choreography evolved from ballets for performance in workshops to ballets presented in the company's regular season. In 1981, Mr. Kudelka joined Les Grandes Ballets Canadien in Montreal as a principal dancer and served as the company's resident choreographer from 1984 to 1990, during which time he began to receive commissions from other dance companies. In 1992, he became the Resident Artist at The National Ballet of Canada, the same company where he began his career as a dancer 20 years earlier. Mr. Kudelka held this position until 1996, when he began his term as the Artistic Director of the company. Mr. Kudelka's key works include In Paradisum (1983) and Desir (1991) for Les Grandes Ballets Canadien; The Heart of the Matter (1986) and Fifteen Heterosexual Duets (1991) for Toronto Dance Theater; The Miraculous Mandarin (1993), The Actress (1994), Spring Awakening (1994), The Nutcracker (1995), The Four Seasons (1997), Swan Lake (1999), and A Disembodied Voice (1991) for The National Ballet of Canada; The Firebird (2000), a collaborative production by The National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theatre, and Houston Ballet; Cruel World (1994) for American Ballet Theatre; Terra Firma (1995) and Some Women and Men (1998) for San Francisco Ballet; Le Baiser de la Fee (1996) for Birmingham Royal Ballet; and The Book of Alleged Dances (1999) for Australian Ballet.