Medhi Walerski became Artistic Director of Ballet BC in 2020. Raised in France, Walerski danced at the Paris Opera Ballet and the Ballet du Rhin before joining Nederlands Dans Theater in 2001. For more than a decade he contributed to NDT’s famed innovative style, and was awarded the Dutch dance prize VSCD Zwaan in 2013. Walerski has created with and performed works by Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, Crystal Pite, Johan Inger, and Wayne McGregor among others. Since his choreographic debut in 2008, he has created numerous acclaimed works for NDT and Ballet BC including Petite Cérémonie (2011), Chamber (2012), Romeo and Juliet (2018), Silent Tides (2020), and just BEFORE right AFTER (2022), as well as works for Bern Ballet, Goteborg Ballet, StaatsBallett Hannover, Charlotte Ballet, and more.

© Michael Slobodian

Rupert Tookey held previous positions as Curator and Artistic Producer for the Nederlands Dans Theater, where he helped guide the company through several transitional phases including COVID 19, as well as Associate Artistic Director of Arts Umbrella Dance. Since 2022 he is Director of Artistic Operations at Ballet British Columbia dealing with inter/national touring and revenue generation at the company’s new home on Granville Island, and in October 2023 took on the role of Interim Managing Director. Upon retiring after a 15 year professional dance career, most notably with Nederlands Dans Theater, Tookey gained a Master’s degree in Arts and Cultural Management with a focus on leadership in dance. Tookey founded the Dancer’s Council (Netherlands) with the intention to support dancers in developing their voices to challenge outdated beliefs and processes still present within the artform today. The Dancer’s Council is generously supported by Omscholing Dansers Nederland and continues to support dancers in both the Netherlands and across Europe.

Sarah Pippin was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she completed her early training. In 2020 she earned her BFA from The Juilliard School, under the direction of Alicia Graf Mack. Upon graduation, she joined Ballet BC, where she has performed works by Medhi Walerski, Crystal Pite, Sharon Eyal, Marco Goecke, Felix Landerer, and Imre and Marne van Opstal, among others. Sarah is a National YoungArts winner as well as the recipient of the 2020 Martha Hill Award from The Juilliard School.

Originally from Austin, Texas, Rae Srivastava began training at an early age. In 2020, he achieved his B.F.A. from the USC Kaufman School of Dance, under the direction of Jodie Gates and William Forsythe, and in 2021 he earned an M.S.L. from the USC Gould School of Law. Since joining Ballet BC in 2020, Rae has performed works by choreographers such as Medhi Walerski, Sharon Eyal, Crystal Pite, Imre and Marne van Opstal, Marco Goecke, Felix Landerer, and Ethan Colangelo. Most recently, Rae participated in the 2022 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala in Ottawa's National Arts Centre, performing a duet from honoree Crystal Pite’s Body and Soul.