This ballet prince says farewell to the National Ballet of Canada — Guillaume Côté feels fortunate for his career, but it also ‘really sucks' to leave
The acclaimed principal dancer talks to Michael Crabb about leaving behind 'those magical moments when you felt so free, so alive' and his future as a choreographer.
May 24, 2025
4 min read
Save
By Michael CrabbSpecial to the Star
After an illustrious 27-year career with the National Ballet of Canada, internationally acclaimed principal dancer Guillaume Côté is about to take his final bows in a mixed bill appropriately entitled 'Adieu.'
The four-part program is bookended by works Côté has choreographed. It opens with 'Bolero,' originally made for a 2012 gala, and ends with 'Grand Mirage,' a new work that will serve as Côté's very personal onstage valedictory.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
MC
Michael Crabb is a freelance writer who covers dance and opera for the Star.
Related Stories
'Swan Lake' thrills audiences with superb dancing — and the choice to play 'O Canada' at every performance
Beyond tights and tutus: The National Ballet of Canada plans an eclectic 2025-26 season
'Burn Baby, Burn': How Canadian ballet icon Guillaume Côté is confronting climate change through dance
Report an error
Journalistic Standards
About The Star
More from The Star & partners
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
19 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Toronto Zoo welcomes wood bison calf born from artificial insemination
If you're visiting the Toronto Zoo, you may catch a peek of the freshest face at the site's Canadian domain. The zoo welcomed a female wood bison calf on June 30, who was born using an innovative single artificial insemination technique. The calf hasn't been named yet but zookeepers have been calling her 'little baby,' media co-ordinator Amy Baptista told the Star.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Toronto Star
Performers pushing hate need to face the music
By Contributing Columnist Michael Levitt, a Toronto-based freelance contributing columnist for the Star, is the president and CEO of Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC). @LevittMichael. True to a time-honoured tradition, the summer air is filled with the sound of music emanating from the many festivals at this time of year. Sadly, some performers are singing out of tune with dangerous anti-Israel tirades as part of their performance. Increasingly, since the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023 and the ensuing spike in antisemitism, certain musicians have added extreme anti-Israel and anti-Jewish invective to their repertoire. Latest case in point: In southwest England, at the Glastonbury Festival, Britain's largest such musical gathering which attracts some 200,000 fans each year, the punk-rap duo, Bob Vylan, recently led crowds in chants that included 'Death, death to the IDF,' calling for the killing of members of the Israel Defense Forces. Less covered in the media were the vile comments by the duo's frontman, Pascal Robinson-Foster, which included him referring to 'working for [expletive] Zionists.' He also told the audience: 'Sometimes we have to get our message across with violence, because that's the only language some people speak, unfortunately.' Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
Toronto Star
5 days ago
- Toronto Star
6 tips for walking in Toronto
By Contributing Columnist Shawn Micallef is a Toronto-based writer and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow him on Bluesky: @ Walking Toronto Walking Toronto — part of our T oronto the Better project — is a series about discovering the city, one step at a time. Through deep-dive features, curated walking routes, and community strolls, Star writers explore what our streets say about life in Toronto. We'll uncover hidden stories, local gems, and the challenges and joys of moving through the city. Gear Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
