A Fairy Tale Reborn in Dance and Song
This November, Belle Spirale Dance Projects and the Vancouver Chamber Choir join forces to reimagine one of the most haunting stories in European literature. On November 13 and 14, 2026, the two companies stage David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning choral work The Little Match Girl at the Vancouver Playhouse. Ten Belle Spirale dancers share the stage with the choir’s 16 singers, led by Artistic Director Kari Turunen. The production marks the North American premiere of choreography by Kevin O’Day.
A Strong German Connection
German-speaking audiences have good reason to take note. Kevin O’Day is a former director of Mannheim Dance Theatre, and his career also includes the Forsythe Company, New York City Ballet and Baryshnikov’s White Oak Project. He takes over as Artistic Director of Tanz Münster in 2027. Special guest artist Alba Nadal, O’Day’s longtime collaborator, previously danced with the Royal Danish Ballet and the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. Together they bring the European dance tradition to the Vancouver stage.
The project also caps a 17-year artistic relationship. Belle Spirale’s co-artistic directors, Sylvain Senez and Alexis Fletcher, first worked with O’Day at Ballet BC in 2009. Senez calls O’Day both a mentor and a “creative north star.”
Andersen’s Story for Today’s Streets
O’Day’s choreography links Hans Christian Andersen’s 19th-century tale to life on contemporary Canadian streets. The audience follows a young girl through an urban landscape of indifference as she searches for warmth, recognition and human connection. Each match she strikes becomes an act of hope and a quiet claim to dignity.
Fletcher describes the production as deliberate counter-programming against today’s social fracture. It aims to bring dance lovers, choral audiences, families and youth together in one room. Turunen says Lang’s music and O’Day’s movement fit so naturally that they seem made to share the same stage.
A Striking Visual World
Senez rebuilt a set originally designed by Thomas Mika especially for the Vancouver Playhouse. Twenty-nine rolling towers shift position throughout the performance and reshape the space as the story unfolds. Lighting designer Victoria Hunter Bell adds flames, snowflakes and floating clouds to the scene.
Supporting Youth in Our Community
The companies partner with Covenant House Vancouver, which supports youth experiencing homelessness. Educational tables in the lobby invite audiences to learn about its front-line work and find ways to help. Visit covenanthousebc.org to learn more.
Plan Your Visit
The production suits ages 12 and up. Before each performance, the Vancouver Chamber Choir hosts a pre-show talk at 7 p.m. in the upper lobby.
- Dates: November 13 and 14, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
- Venue: Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton St, Vancouver
- Tickets: From $45.06 at bellespirale.ca
- More information: Belle Spirale Dance Projects | Vancouver Chamber Choir
Photo Credits: (from banner headline)
- Emma Galvin, Little Match Girl. Photo by David Cooper
- Sophia Makarenko, Little Match Girl. Photo by David Cooper
- Emma Galvin. Little Match Girl. Photo by Sylvain Senez
TAGS: #TheLittleMatchGirl #BelleSpirale #VancouverChamberChoir #KevinODay #DavidLang #VancouverDance #VancouverArts #TanzMünster #WestcoastGermanNews