The Royal Winnipeg Ballet will be powered by heroines in 2018-19.

The RWB recently announced its upcoming season, which is set to begin this summer. It will feature all female leads, including Offred from The Handmaid’s Tale, Juliet from Romeo & Juliet and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.

RWB ballet master Tara Birtwhistle says this year’s repertoire showcases heroines who get through situations with strength and grace.

She says it was important for them to honour female leads in ballet, given today’s climate surrounding sexual assault and the MeToo movement.

“I did a small speech before our season launch and I read a quote from Elizabeth Gilbert that said ‘The women I love and admire for their strength and grace did not get that way because things worked out. They got that way because things went wrong, and they handled it. They handled it in a thousand different ways on a thousand different days, but they handled it. Those women are my super heroes,’” Birtwhistle said. “And so we have wonderful characters and they’re all very different but they all handle their situations.”

Birtwhistle says each story is a unique take on women who make tough and important decisions to achieve their goals.

“Offred is developed from a quiet, reserved handmaid into the rebellious protagonist of the story, and Juliet is often presented as a quiet and obedient young woman but she possesses inner-strength that gives her maturity beyond her years, so she defies social structure and she chooses love,” Birtwhistle said. “And then Dorothy exhibits no fear. She makes these decisions to join up with random strangers and make her way down the yellow brick road.”

“They all have different situations but they all find their way.”

The RWB will also continue their annual holiday tradition of featuring Nutcracker, which has a female lead with the character Clara. 

The season begins on July 25, 2018 with Ballet in the Park. The Handmaid's Tale runs from Oct. 10-14, 2018, Nutcracker runs from Dec. 19-29, 2018, Romeo & Juliet runs from Feb. 13-17, 2019 and The Wizard of Oz goes from May 1-5, 2019. 

For more information, visit RWB.org.