Alberta Ballet to set new work to music of k.d. lang

Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grandmaître's next collaboration will be with k.d. lang, the company announced Thursday.

Grandmaître, the innovator who has won acclaim for his ballets set to the music of Elton John and Joni Mitchell, will tell the life story of the Alberta-born singer in a full-length balled to be called Balletlujah!

The world premiere will be in Edmonton on May 3-4 and then in Calgary May 9-10.   Grandmaître has already consulted with lang, who currently lives in Los Angeles. He sent the singer videos of his works —  The Fiddle & The Drum, based on Mitchell’s music, Love Lies Bleeding, about the life and music of Elton John and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, featuring the music of Sarah McLachlan, before meeting with her.

Like McLachlan, lang is interested in working closely with the Alberta Ballet to bring the work to fruition.

The pop and country singer known for hits such as Constant Craving and Miss Chatelaine has won four Grammy Awards and eight Junos.  Lang, who grew up in Consort, Alta., is also known for her support for gay rights, animal rights and Tibetan human rights.

The ballet, set to her music, will be about her life growing up in a small prairie town with the final number her beautiful rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, which she sang at the Vancouver Olympic Games.

A video presentation of Love Lies Bleeding airs on CBC Monday evening.