Storytelling takes centre stage in National Ballet of Canada rebrand [Video]

In the world of the 2020s, ballet companies are in a tricky situation. However talented their dancers, many people who might happily spend hundreds on a Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo ticket shy away from ballet, just like opera or classical music, thinking it’s “not for them”. It’s not that they hate or fear it; it’s more like they never even consider it.

The temptation, then, is to modernise, borrow from pop culture, and funk things up. But going too far in that direction may alienate older audiences who come to the ballet precisely because they associate it with tradition and ‘high’ culture.

In short, you need to attract new audiences while avoiding throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

This is exactly the situation that The National Ballet of Canada was in when they partnered with award-winning Toronto-based, multidisciplinary studio Bruce Mau Design (BMD) to make over their esteemed brand.

Founded in Toronto in 1951 with Celia Franca as …