This week on Finding Your Bliss, we have our annual holiday special! Life Coach and Bliss Expert Judy Librach is joined by Prima Ballerina Heather Ogden (The National Ballet of Canada) and our very own film critic, Thom Ernst! 

Heather Ogden was born in Toronto and she trained at the Richmond Academy of Dance in British Columbia before joining the National Ballet of Canada in 1998. She was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2005. 

Heather is a powerful dancer of extraordinary depth and range and she has performed nearly every lead role in the classical repertoire. She shines equally in contemporary work and has long been a favourite of visiting choreographers. Most recently, Heather debuted as Toby in the world premiere of Wayne McGregor’s "Maddaddam". Heather’s repertoire with the National Ballet includes principal roles in "Swan Lake", "The Sleeping Beauty", "Romeo and Juliet", "The Nutcracker", "Onegin", "Nijinsky", "The Merry Widow", "La Bayadère", "Cinderella", "The Winter’s Tale", "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland", "Anna Karenina", "Le Petit Prince" and "Carmen". She has an extensive George Balanchine repertoire and she has danced in many contemporary works, including new creations by such choreographers as Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, Crystal Pite and Jorma Elo. Heather has danced leading roles in ballets by James Kudelka including the title role in "Cinderella", "Summer in The Four Seasons" and Hélène in "An Italian Straw Hat".  

As a guest artist, Heather has performed with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, which she considers to be her second home away from home, the Stuttgart Ballet, The Hamburg Ballet, the Munich Ballet and various galas such as The Hamburg Ballet’s 40th Anniversary Gala, Gala des Étoiles, Stars of the 21st Century Gala, The Banff Centre’s 60th Anniversary Gala and the International Ballet Festival in Havana Cuba.  

In 2011, Heather was chosen by Evelyn Hart for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Mentorship program. In 2014, she became an ambassador for Rolex Canada. 

Heather starred in the beautiful short film "Lost In Motion II", in a stunning performance, which debuted at the Dance on Camera Festival in New York City in 2014. In 2021, "Lulu", a film created as part of The National Ballet of Canada’s Expansive Dances series that featured Heather, won the Best International Short Film at the 2020 Milan International Film Festival, MIFF Awards. 

Also on the program, we have film critic Thom Ernst!

Thom Ernst is a Toronto-based film critic, writer and member of the (TFCA) Toronto Film Critics Association. His work has appeared in various publications including Playback Magazine, The Toronto Star, and The National Post.  

Thom is known to CBC Radio listeners for his lively contributions to Fresh Air, Metro Morning, and CBC Syndication as well as appearing on-air for CTV New Channel and The Agenda with Steve Paikin. 

 Thom is perhaps best remembered as the host, interviewer and producer of television’s longest-running movie program Saturday Night at the Movies. Currently, Thom’s reviews can be read on Original-Cin.ca and NorthernStars.ca.

Thom’s first book, "The Wild Boy of Waubamik: A Memoir" is available from Dundurn Press.

To listen to Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers", you can go to the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKcZL8q1eBw

For more on Finding Your Bliss, you can follow us @theblissminute on Instagram and Facebook. Or you can visit our online magazine at findingyourbliss.com and take one step closer to finding your bliss.

Listen live every Saturday at 1pm on Zoomer Radio