Ching Ching Wong

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Born in Manila, raised in Los Angeles, and happiest in a studio, Ching Ching Wong is the répétitrice for Ballet Jazz Montréal. In addition, she is recipient of the Princess Grace Award in Dance, was named Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch, and is a stager for Ihsan Rustem.

 

Ching Ching founded Project Salamat and The Experience, a global outreach program, which toured 17 cities and 11 countries. Living out of a suitcase she witnessed that dance is a language that connects us all. This season she is thrilled to be choreographing new works for Louisville Ballet and Backhausdance.

 

After graduating with a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of California Irvine, working closely with the late Donald McKayle, her career began at Northwest Dance Project. There she originated roles in creations by Sarah Slipper, Ihsan Rustem, Felix Landerer, Lucas Crandall, Alejandro Cerrudo, Jiri Pokorny, Wen Wei Wang, Didy Veldman, Danielle Agami, Patrick Delcroix, Alex Soares, Kate Wallich, Pedro Dias, James Gregg, Yin Yue, Loni Landon, Gregory Dolbashian, Rachel Erdos, amongst others. As a freelance artist, she has collaborated with numerous companies and artists including Roderick George, ZviDance, PARA.MAR Dance Theatre, LED, Brendan Duggan, CARLON, YYDC, OddKnock Productions, Heidi Duckler Dance, and SALT Contemporary Dance.

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Alexandra Damiani 

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Alexandra Damiani may have only become Ballet Jazz Montréal’s Artistic Director in the spring of 2021, but she has been a major player in the dance community for over two decades. During her 10 years with New York’s Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (2005-2015) – first as Ballet Mistress and then as Artistic Director – Damiani had the opportunity to work with and present a wide selection of contemporary dance choreographic languages by such internationally renowned choreographers as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Crystal Pite and Hofesh Schecter. Damiani also presented the company in major cities and international festivals, including at the Lyon Biennale in France and Sadler’s Wells in London.

 

Damiani is a multidisciplinary artist who has been lending her expertise to the world of film, television and advertising for many years. Her credits include participating in Darren Aronofsky’s cult film Black Swan in the role of ballet mistress, and working alongside Tanisha Scott on Cardi B’s performance for the 2019 BET Awards. Damiani is passionate about training the young dancers of tomorrow and has excellent connections with highly regarded institutions like Jacob’s Pillow and The Juilliard School.

 

Originally from France, Damiani trained in classical dance at the Geneva Dance Center, and later in the French capital with teachers from the Paris Opera Ballet. After winning the Bayonne competition in France, she received a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the U.S. She began her career as a dancer-performer in New York where she danced as a soloist with Donald Byrd/The Group and with the company Complexions, directed by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. Her career continued in Montreal with the company RUBBERBANDance and later with Ballets Jazz Montréal under the direction of Louis Robitaille (2002-2005). 

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Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal 

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Founded in 1972 by Geneviève Salbaing, Eva Von Genscy and Eddy Toussaint, Ballets Jazz Montréal is a contemporary dance repertory company which, under the artistic direction of Alexandra Damiani, creates, produces, and presents on local, national, and international stages.

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The company engages internationally renowned choreographers to develop their own research in line with BJM’s identity and generates a repertoire that is both exclusive to the company and accessible to all audiences. The company’s impressive roster of talented and influential choreographers includes Crystal Pite, Aszure Barton, Mauro Bigonzetti, Andonis Foniadakis, Itzik Galili, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Barak Marshall, Benjamin Millepied, Ihsan Rustem, Anne Plamondon and Juliano Nunes, to name a few. As an ambassador of Quebec dance to the world, Ballets Jazz Montréal offers an artistic product that is explosive, original, accessible, and noted for the excellence of its performance.

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Among the artistic directors of the company who have greatly marked its evolution, company founder Geneviève Salbaing, driven by her visceral love of dance, led Ballets Jazz Montréal with passion and determination for over 20 years. Upon his appointment as artistic director in 1998, Louis Robitaille, reoriented the company towards an audience curious to discover new choreographic forms. In June 2021, Alexandra Damiani took over the artistic direction of BJM and will carry out the company’s mission and vision into the future.

All of Ballets Jazz Montréal’s work brings an element of humanity, fearlessness, and emotion in addition to the high technical skill that each dance requires. Additionally, each piece is nuanced, multilayered and often multidisciplinary – combining other artistic disciplines such as theater, video, and music. With accessibility and quality as key values, the company successfully integrates pleasure and humanity into their strong, expressive, and demanding pieces. Moreover, the distinct personalities and high caliber of its performers further add to the quality that is expected from the company and play a key role in maintaining the company’s reputation and influence in the dance world.

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Through their productions, performances, and educational activities, Ballets Jazz Montréal encourages discovery, stimulates imagination, and shares their passion for this discipline to all its audiences – both local and abroad. With more than 2,600 performances in 68 countries and an audience of over 2.8 million, Ballets Jazz Montréal is considered one of the world’s leading ambassadors of Quebec dance and artistic vitality.

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In 2016, the Prix Rideau Hommage was awarded to the company and its artistic director at the time, Louis Robitaille, in recognition of the company’s impact and continued presence on Quebec stages.

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In 2020, the company received the Prix de la danse de Montréal for the category of international dissemination presented by CINARS.

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In 2021-2022 season, the company celebrated 50 years of creating, exploring, boundary pushing, and connecting with its audiences.

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In the summer of 2023, Ballets Jazz Montréal plans to launch BJM _360, an in-depth experience and workshop led by Alexandra Damiani and the company dancers that will give young dancers the opportunity to connect with the values and repertoire of the company and develop the ancillary skills needed to maintain balance throughout their professional careers.