Alysa Pires

Choreographer Alysa Pires was born and raised on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people near Victoria, B.C. Her works have been performed by companies such as New York City Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Ballet Kelowna, Ballet Edmonton, and the National Ballet of Canada, where she held the position of Choreographic Associate from 2019-2022.

Pires began working with the National Ballet of Canada as part of their Choreographic Workshop (2016-2018) and then represented the company at the 13th International Competition for the Erik Bruhn Prize (2019). Her next work, Frenzied Order (2019), was invited to International DraftWorks 2020 at the Royal Opera House in London, England. Alysa created two films for the company’s 20/21 virtual season and made her mainstage debut in March 2022 with Skyward.

Pires’ commissions for Ballet Kelowna include her full-length Macbeth (2022), and MAMBO (2018), which has become a signature work for the Ballet Kelowna, being presented as part of the 2018 Fall for Dance North Festival in Toronto, the China Arts Expo in Beijing, and touring extensively across Canada.

Pires is a three time participant of the New York Choreographic Institute and was one of the 2017 winners of Northwest Dance Project’s International Choreographic Competition. Her company, Alysa Pires Dance Projects, made its critically acclaimed full-length debut with Exterminating Angel at the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival. Alysa is an Honours BFA graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University and was the recipient of the 2015 Jack McAllister Award, which recognizes alumni accomplishment.