NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA'S MILLENNIUM SEASON.

TORONTO--The National Ballet of Canada's 1999-2000 season remains firmly committed to the company mandate of full-length classics and mixed evening repertoire, the latter to include three world premieres. "The classical works highlight the training and roots of the company," says artistic director James Kudelka. "The original ballets are part of the vital and unique choreographic signature I want to create for the National."

Kudelka is a champion of Canadian artists and themed evenings, and the fascinating mixed program "Inspired by Gould" (November 20 to 27) reflects these two interests. Internationally acclaimed Toronto-born pianist Glenn Gould is the point of departure. The legendary musician (1932-82) is a Canadian icon, a true eccentric who gave up a brilliant concert career at age 32 to concentrate on a series of recordings that are marked by controversial, yet landmark, interpretations. Choreographers Kudelka and Dominique Dumais, a former company member, are working with Canadian composers John Oswald and Timothy Sullivan respectively to create two new works animated by Gould's genius. To complete the evening, guest company Ballet British Columbia will perform William Forsythe's The Vile Parody of Address set to Gould's interpretation of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier.

Montreal-based choreographer Edouard Lock will also create a world premiere (May 10 to 16), his first for the company. The hallmark of his movement vocabulary is an ability to distort perception, encasing his dancers in the illusion of defying gravity. His sexy, in-your-face, punk dance has made him a favorite with audiences. The evening is rounded out by Fokine's classic Les Sylphides and Kudelka's lushly romantic Desir, set to Prokofiev waltzes.