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Sabrina Matthews

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sabrina Matthews
Born1977 (age 48–49)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
EducationNational Ballet School of Canada
Known forBallet Choreographers

Sabrina Matthews (born 1977) is a Canadian ballet choreographer. She has choreographed pieces for prestigious ballet companies around the world, including Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Boston Ballet, Royal Academy of Dance's Genée International Ballet Competition, and the National Ballet of Canada.[1] Her choreography has been performed internationally in Canada, the United States, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Italy, and Netherlands. In 2008, Chatelaine magazine recognized Matthews as one of Canada's Amazing Women to Watch.[2]

Biography

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Sabrina Matthews is a Toronto, Ontario, Canada native and a graduate of the National Ballet School of Canada, attending from 1987–1995.[3] From 1995–2005, she was a leading soloist and aspiring choreographer with the Alberta Ballet Company[4][5] under artistic directors Mikko Nissinen[6] and Jean Grand-Maître.[5] During this time, Matthews performed in several ballet tours across four continents. Her choreography and dance films have received national and international awards, including a 2008 PACE Award, a 2006 Ballet VIP Honorable Mention from Pointe Magazine, the 1995 Peter Dwyer Award,[7] a 2005 Clifford E. Lee Choreography Award, and a 2003 nomination from the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association for the 2002 Bravo!FACT short film Dance to This.[8][9][10]

In 2006, after Matthews choreographed pieces for the Alberta Ballet Company[11] and the New York Choreographic Institute[12] on the School of American Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet artistic director Reid Anderson invited her to attend the Noverre Society; a program for young choreographers to create and present their original works.[13] While there, she created soles, which earned positive reviews among German critics. The piece was included as part of Stuttgart Ballet's repertoire[4] and was reprised during Stuttgart's December Gala. Matthews' success in the Noverre Society led to ballet companies commissioning her for choreography. She ended her dance career early and pursued choreography full-time.

Since then, Matthews has created pieces for the National Ballet of Canada[14][15][16][17] and a second piece for Stuttgart Ballet,[18] all of which have been reprised. In 2008, Matthews created a piece for the Royal Academy of Dance's Genée International Ballet Competition.[3] She also created a new piece, quondam, in 2008 for the Royal Swedish Ballet, which has since been reprised in 2009 and 2010.[6] Matthews made her United States debut in March 2008 with ein von viel at the Boston Ballet to critical praise. ein von viel has been performed by three ballet companies for a total of eight reprisals in four countries.[19]

In addition to working with major international ballet companies, Matthews works closely with her alma mater, Canada's National Ballet School.[20] She also choreographed a figure skating solo for four-time world figure-skating champion Kurt Browning,[21] and works for television in North America[22] and Europe,[23] including choreography for the television dance competition So You Think You Can Dance Canada.

Choreographed work

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All pieces are world premieres unless otherwise indicated.

Stuttgart Ballet

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  • soles (2006)
  • veil (May 4, 2008)

Royal Swedish Ballet

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  • quondam (November 7, 2008)

Boston Ballet

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  • ein von viel (March 6-9, 2008) - U.S. premiere

National Ballet of Canada

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  • clearing (2007)
  • veer (2008) - Originally commissioned for the 2007 Erik Bruhn Competition
  • DEXTRIS (March, 2009)
  • In Peril (February, 2011) - Stuttgart Ballet's 50th Anniversary Gala

National Ballet School (Canada)

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  • Sequentia (May, 2009)

Alberta Ballet

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  • delude (2000)
  • ein von viel (2001)
  • transience (2002)
  • unbound (2003)
  • fallen arm (2004)
  • losing ground (2005)

Competitions and festivals

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Awards and recognition

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References

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  1. ↑ "Stuttgart Ballet's Repertoire". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  2. ↑ see Chatelaine Magazine's April 2008 80th Year Anniversary Edition
  3. 1 2 "Genee Ballet Competition - Faculty". Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  4. 1 2 May 30, 2006 Alberta Ballet News Article
  5. 1 2 August 2005 Dance Magazine Article Archived 2011-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
  6. 1 2 Boston Ballet biography for Sabrina Matthews
  7. ↑ Canada Council for the Arts - Peter Dwyer Award Winners List
  8. ↑ Bravo!FACT Film Synopsis of Dance to This
  9. ↑ IMDB Listing for Dance to This
  10. ↑ Brooklyn International Film Festival Listing for Dance to This
  11. ↑ Sabrina Matthews' Choreography and Reviews
  12. ↑ New York City Ballet Biography for Sabrina Matthews
  13. ↑ Ballett, Stuttgarter. "Noverre | Stuttgart Ballet". www.stuttgart-ballet.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  14. ↑ August 2007 Ballet Dance Magazine Article regarding the NBoC's 2007 Gala
  15. ↑ April 2007 Ballet Dance Magazine Article regarding the Erik Bruhn Competition
  16. ↑ March 5, 2007 CBC News Article regarding the Erik Brun Competition
  17. ↑ National Ballet of Canada 2008/09 Season - Innovations
  18. ↑ Stuttgart Ballet Biography for Sabrina Matthews
  19. ↑ "Sabrina Matthews - ein von viel". www.sabrinamatthews.ca. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  20. ↑ Canada's National Ballet School website
  21. ↑ Kurt Browning fan website
  22. ↑ So You Think You Can Dance Canada[dead link]
  23. ↑ Amici Television Show
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