We're looking back at some of the biggest stories in Canadian arts and culture from the year 2000. Today, on your toes... because, whether you like it or not, the biggest dance story of 2000 was the shoot-out at the National Ballet's corral.

James Kudelka and Kimberly Glasco walked twenty paces, drew their guns and fired. But who was left standing? At first it looked like Kudelka was down for the count when Glasco was re-instated by judge's order.

But did Jimbo listen to the judge? No way. When it came time to cast Cinderella, Kudelka passed over the prima ballerina and chose Chan Hon Goh to dance in the leading role. Glasco kicked up her glass slippers, but an arbitrator ruled that Kudelka and the National Ballet didn't have to change its casting decision. So it appears the Kudelka won.

While many artists cheered for Glasco, feeling that she'd been fired because her artistic director felt she might be too old, there's another important issue to address. Is it right for a court to hold ultimate sway over artistic decisions? Artistic directors across the land are holding their breath over this landmark court case.

In other dance news:

Duelling Nutcrackers: The Royal Winnipeg Ballet made waves by Canadianizing the traditional Nutcracker. The Sugar Plum Fairy danced with Mounties on ice rinks. Apparently you either liked it or you didn't! No gray area here.

Hero Moment: We all love a hero -- the guy or gal who dances in to save the day. This year William Marrie from the National Ballet of Canada stepped on stage at the American Ballet Theatre's production of Taming of the Shrew in the Big Apple. Here's one of the rave reviews: "Mr.Marrié, who had never danced with Ballet Theater or Ms. Dvorovenko before, found an intense, mutual rapport with his ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera House ... Mr. Marrié turned a cardboard role into a major one; his Petruchio was complex, with stretched-out phrases of movement that suddenly changed direction or tempo, the equivalent of asides to the audience. This was great dance acting that had a rarely seen maturity. His technique, if initially soft, exploded into speed and bravura by the end. It was a triumph for both principals." What a Cinderella story! Well done William.

Literary Scuttlebutt: A couple of good dishy dance reads hit bookstores this year. Toller Cranston and Frank Augustyn decided to put pen to paper and serve up some tasty ballet anecdotes. Want to hear all about Augustyn's affair with Karen Kain? Then you should put Dancing From the Heart: A Memoir on your 2001 must read list. When Hell Freezes Over - Should I Bring My Skates is a racy book that follows controversial Cranston's even more controversially crazy sex life.

Top Dance Dogs: While James Kudelka got the most ink for his dogfight with Glasco, the artistic director for the National Ballet also made some significant creative inroads in this year's world of dance. His Firebird and The Four Seasons got great reviews in Canada, as well as a major thumbs up in from the New York critics.

Suck on This: The Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Mark Godden's interpretation of the immortal bloodsucker Dracula left the prairies and made a triumphant tour of the Atlantic provinces. Is it just me, or are the RWB and the National Ballet currently the creative hotbeds on the Canadian dance frontier?

Fine Tuning: On the Thursday edition of This Morning, Shelagh Rogers talks with three award-winning Canadian magicians about the unique contribution Canada has made to the art of magic. Personally, I think she should be asking Jean Chretien how he pulled off his third majority government in a row, because there's the real magic. But, since Chretien and Doug Henning are both absent, we'll have to do with whatever she's conjured up for This Morning, 9:06 to noon, (9:36 to 12:30 NT) on CBC Radio. One.

More from our year-end review: