April 24, 2004 -

Ottawa -- Building on the great success of the first CONNECT LIVE event earlier this year, the National Arts Centre is excited to invite Ottawa’s young professionals to connect again at the second CONNECT LIVE event on Friday, April 30.  Enjoy cocktails at Helsinki, a brief guided walking tour of haunted Ottawa, a spectacular dance experience with the Bayerisches Staatsballet production of Raymonda and the chance to win a terrific Lord of the Rings giveaway prize package.

Everyone knows how important networking is to career advancement.  But how to go about it?  And if you have a busy career, when is there ever time to socialize, never mind squeeze a little culture into your calendar?

Connect Live is a painless way to get together with friends, make new business contacts, enjoy a light bite and see a terrific performance at the NAC at a discounted ticket price – you buy your ticket, show up and we take care of the rest!  We choose a fun meeting place, introduce you to other “connectors,” feed you and get you to the NAC on time.  What could be easier!

The second Connect Live event will start at Ottawa’s hippest lounge and disco, Helsinki, located at 15 George Street.  Join us anytime after 5:30 p.m.  Get your evening off to a great start with one of the specially created Connect Live cocktails and enjoy complimentary finger foods; spend some time chatting to new and old friends and take advantage of the opportunity to “network” in a fun, non-stressful environment with like-minded young professionals. Then, let NAC staff steer you in the direction of Southam Hall, via a tour of some of the fascinating haunted sites of Ottawa. Led by the well-informed, fun staff of Haunted Walks Ottawa, you’ll learn all about the gruesome ghoulies lurking in the most unexpected places in the short distance between the Market and the National Arts Centre – you’ll never see the City in the same way again!

After a haunting jaunt, you’ll find yourself at the National Arts Centre, where you can relax in your seat in Southam Hall and lose yourself in the beauty of extraordinary dance.  Part of the Canril Corporation Ballet Series at the NAC, Raymonda, with new choreography by Ray Barra after Marius Petipa, provides a spectacular showcase for Germany's famous Bayerisches Staatsballett in their Ottawa debut. Raymonda is a classic 19th-century story ballet updated for today's audiences. This production throbs with erotic force and emotional conflict as the lovely Countess Raymonda is torn between the virile Count Jean de Brienne and a seductive Saracen prince. Raymonda highlights a wide variety of dance styles as well as a brilliant score by Alexander Glazunow.

Connectors will have another opportunity to mingle at a special intermission gathering, exclusive to member of the Connect Live family.  And last but not least, Connectors will have a chance to win a superb Lord of the Rings giveaway package which includes two tickets to the Lord of the Rings Symphony at the NAC, the complete Lord of the Rings CD collection, and an evening at the Lord Elgin Hotel!

If you’d like to find out more about CONNECT LIVE, TO BUY TICKETS  or to register online now, visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca/connectlive

CONNECT LIVE Now!

For more information about CONNECT LIVE contact:
Laura Denker
Publicity and Media Relations Coordinator,
NAC English Theatre
(613) 947-7000 ext. 389;
ldenker@nac-cna.ca

Troy Cross
Marketing Coordinator
(613) 947-7000 ext. 323;
tcross@nac-cna.ca