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Showcase Series

Exploring Dance with Erica Lall and Shaakir Muhammad from the National Ballet of Canada

Thursday, February 12 at 12 p.m.

Join First Soloist, Shaakir Muhammad and Second Soloist, Erica Lall from the National Ballet of Canada as they share and explore the world of dance.

This interactive hour of learning and movement will feature selected performances from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, with particular focus on "White Swan Pas de Deux." Both dancers will also share personal stories of challenges and triumphs they have had to navigate, as people of colour in the world of classical dance. Patrons will have the opportunity to engage in a Question & Answer period towards the end of the performance.

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Meet our Artists

Erica Lall

February 12 Artist

Erica Lall was raised in Cypress, Texas and trained at Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy and American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. Before joining The National Ballet of Canada as a Corps de Ballet member in 2024, she danced with ABT Studio Company and American Ballet Theatre. In 2025, Erica was promoted to Second Soloist.  

Most recently, Erica debuted as Myrtha in Sir Peter Wright’s Giselle and danced the role of Kitty in Christian Spuck’s Anna Karenina. Her repertoire with the National Ballet includes Swan Lake, Silent Screen, The Leaves Are Fading, and King’s Fall. 
 
With American Ballet Theatre, Erica’s repertoire includes Amour in Don Quixote, Moyna in Giselle, Wayne McGregor's Woolf Works, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Petite Mort, In the Upper Room, Jessica Lang's ZigZag, Marcelo Gomes' AfterEffect, Michelle Dorrance’s Dream within a Dream (deferred) and James Whiteside's New American Romance. She created leading roles in Helen Pickett's Desire and Christopher Rudd's Lifted, Adele in Cathy Marston's Jane Eyre and featured roles in Darrell Grand Moultrie's Indestructible Light and Michelle Dorrance's Praedicere. She also performed the leading role in Kevin Thomas' Firebird.  

Erica received the Jennifer Alexander Award for the 2023/2024 season and was a Clive Barnes award finalist in 2021. An ABT National Training Scholar from 2012 to 2013, she also received Houston Ballet Academy Award in 2013 and the Josephine Premice Fales Award/ABT Project Plié Scholarship from 2013 to 2015. 
 
Erica is the co-founder of Opportunitix, a US non-profit that provides students of the arts tickets to performances at the highest level where they can see themselves reflected on the most prestigious stages. 

Shaakir Muhammad

February 12 Artist

Shaakir Muhammad was born in Brooklyn, New York and trained at Brooklyn Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. He danced with Houston Ballet 2, Norwegian National Ballet 2 and Norwegian National Ballet before joining The National Ballet of Canada in 2024 as a First Soloist.

Most recently, Shaakir debuted as Benno in Karen Kain’s Swan Lake and as Stiva in the North American premiere of Christian Spuck’s Anna Karenina. His repertoire with The National Ballet of Canada includes featured roles in Silent Screen and King’s Fall as well as The Nutcracker, Giselle, Angels’ Atlas, and Bolero.

Shaakir’s repertoire with Norwegian National Ballet includes Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Giselle, La Bayadère, Valse-Fantaisie, Manon, and Dido and Aeneas. He performed in the Norwegian premiere of Wayne McGregor’s Chroma and has danced in Jiří Kylián One of a Kind, Alexander Ekman's Cacti and the world premiere of Anaïs Touret's Wagō.