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Balletlujah! Go inside rehearsals with Alberta Ballet

There's more to this k.d. lang tribute than ballerinas in blue jeans. As Alberta Ballet prepares to re-mount Balletlujah, watch footage from the original rehearsals, and see how this distinctly Canadian love story pushes the mental and physical limits of its dancers.

There's more to this k.d. lang tribute than ballerinas in blue jeans

Leah Collins · CBC Arts ·
Alberta Ballet presents Balletlujah, which is inspired by the music of k.d. lang. (CBC)

"Shall we start from the beginning?"

The clip below? That's how Alberta Ballet's artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre brings us into the action. In 2013, his company told a love story set under the big skies of the Canadian prairie. Inspired by the music of k.d. lang, Balletlujah was a "musical portrait" of the acclaimed, Alberta-raised singer. This week, it returns to the stage. It plays in Calgary Sept. 24 -26 before travelling to Edmonton October 2 and 3.

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In this clip featuring unreleased footage from the film Balletlujah, a ballet set to the music of k.d. lang, watch Alberta Ballet Artistic Director Jean Grand-Maître and his group discuss the difficulties, mental and physical, of putting on such a show.

"All the work that's gone into it is humbling," lang said during the development of the show, a conversation captured for CBC's documentary about the production, Balletlujah. The film, which first aired this summer, is part performance, part behind-the-scenes feature, lending insight to both the ballet and lang's creative mind. And you can watch the entire thing online. Watch it here.

But first, a teaser. In the clip, set to lang's 2011 song "Inglewood," flash back to a moment from Balletlujah's early days, a scene not unlike the Alberta Ballet rehearsals that would have happened weeks ago. Drop in on the performers, including lead dancer Hayna Gutierrez — who's back in blue jeans again this fall, reprising her role in Balletlujah — and hear about the challenges, both physical and artistic, that go along with this unique project. 

"It's very demanding choreographically," Grand-Maitre says of the ballet he conceived, a story about women in love.

"The steps are as strong as men's steps — jumps and turns. And when you don't have to dance, you have to keep that strong energy," Gutierrez explains. "By the end of the ballet I was exhausted. I came home and I couldn't even eat."

Watch and see how Alberta Ballet brought Balletlujah to life, pushing their mental and physical limits in the process.

Balletlujah. Music by k.d. lang. Choreographed by Jean Grand-Maitre. Presented by Alberta Ballet. Sept. 24 - 26. Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary. Also Oct. 2 and 3. Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton. www.albertaballet.com