I had two big things in common with Sarah Mclachlan going into the world premiere of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy – the Alberta Ballet production based around her music. We could both count on one hand how many ballets we have seen, and we both left the production with a new found love and respect of the art form.

I am sure I am not the only person who will see the show, that went because of a love of all things Sarah; others may be season ticket-holders who are not that familiar with McLachlan's music. It is the perfect opportunity for both art forms to reach new fans.

"I always think it is wonderful when different mediums can cross-culturalize and perform together. For me it is definitely reaching out to a new audience, and ballet is struggling like a lot of the arts," McLachlan told GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine at an intimate press event after the show. "If this can bring a different audience for ballet and let them become aware of the incredible beauty and power that there is in dance, it is a wonderful thing."

The ballet has produced results already, said artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre.

"We know that with these ballets thousands of people have been coming to see this art form for the very first time, and many of them are becoming subscribers. Dance is usually the most difficult art form to sell, most people think of opera or a play before they think of dance. When you can bring them to the theatre just once, as this ballet will do, you will grow a new and younger audience. It is exceptional to see how audiences are reacting to such ballets."

Although the marketing is very female-centric, with the "a ballet for every woman" campaign, you don't have to be a woman to be affected by the show. It is the story of a woman's life as portrayed by 5 different dancers, through childhood, discovering the opposite sex, and the betrayal of her first love. The second act sees her picked up by her friends or "sisterhood" and fall in love again. Tragedy takes him away, and in the end she discovers happiness. When her lover dies, a dance played out with the songs Hold On and Good Enough, causing a lot of sniffing in the audience.  The show ends off with a stunning finale of Angel. Mclachlan admitted she was wearing two layers of waterproof mascara for the inevitable tears.

"I am almost speechless, right away I went backstage and congratulated the dancers and everyone else. It was overwhelmingly beautiful to see my music transformed into a physical manifestation of all the emotion, it was really, really powerful. Hold On into the beginning of Good Enough was so magical when he walks into the light. There were so many intense emotions for me as an artist watching it. Seeing the emotions translated into the physical through the body was extremely powerful. In the rehearsal I was very close and seeing the expressions on their faces, that is what brought me to tears. They were absolutely and completely in the moment with the emotion and what they were feeling."

"I asked Sarah when I met her in Vancouver how she saw the soul passing to another dimension," Grand-Maitre said.  "She said the dissipation of light. I told (video designer) Adam Larson when her lover passes away we need to see him dissipate into light. He said, how about fireflies? He did such a great job. A lot of the imagery came from our first meeting together and how the metaphors came directly from Sarah."

That emotion was a challenge for the dancers as well.

"The dancers told me that, what is really intense about this kind of creative process is, first they get to meet the singer. She came and spent time with us at the studio. Every one of those dancers knows her music. The fact that they are dancing to lyrics that they understand is something I never really thought of. When they are dancing to classical compositions, they don't understand the words but, now they are performing to lyrics that they understand as they are creating the movement and interpreting the songs. It was a very different approach choreographically – interpretively - than they have done in the past because it changes everything. Those words really resonate in their bodies. I said to them, you are going to give life to some of the most famous recordings of the last three decades. There is something about it that you have to give life to these songs. Sarah is such an exquisite singer; you have to be able to capture that essence of her voice in the movement whether it is pain or joy. They took that challenge with such commitment every day to bring that emotion and catharsis to the stage. Tonight I was very proud of these dancers. They danced with risk and pushed themselves emotionally and physically and did a wonderful job of capturing Sarah's extraordinary voice and all the emotions that come with that. It was a special night for the dancers."

It was impossible for McLachlan to pick a favourite song from the show. She was inspired in many ways, and laughed when asked if this would mean her next tour would feature backup dancers.

"I would not want them to be backup dancers I would want them in the foreground. Bring On The Wonder was exquisite, Ice was beautiful. I loved the light-hearted cheekiness of Ice Cream. Hold On was the one that I had to keep hold of my mascara for. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy too... I am going to slowly name all the songs. There was so much to see besides the dancers, the imagery was beautiful.

Whether a ballet fan, or a Sarah McLachlan fan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is an incredible journey through dance. As an added bonus, the costumes designed by Paul Hardy are both effective and revealing. There are a lot of people in very little clothing, prompting one reporter to say she felt the need to go to the gym after watching the show. You can get a video sneak peek from The Calgary Sun's Lisa Wilton. While there is certainly the "half naked" appeal, it is also amazing to see the human form move without the restriction of baggy clothing.

This was a hybrid of two art forms, and it shows why Alberta Ballet is one of the best in the world.

"I am pretty much open to any kind of creative marriage, given the right circumstances and individuals. I like things to happen organically, if it feels right let’s do it. I have had a previous relationship with Jean, when we worked together for the Olympic opening ceremonies. I got to witness him working with dancers and the end result was magical. I saw Joni's piece as well," Mclachlan recalled. "So when he came to me and asked if I would like to do a piece to my music...umm yes! Absolutely! It's an honour for me. Jean is at the top of his game, the dancers are some of the best in the world. I love allowing my music to go different places. Same reason why I give my songs to dance remixers, because it is my music interpreted by different people. It is fascinating as an artist to see what people will do and what life they will breathe into it. If there is something I would take away from this, I would like to perform live with something like this. I want to be part of the show!"

"That would be my dream as well," replied Grand-Maitre. "I'll call you tomorrow."