Guillaume Côté is seen kissing Greta Hodgkinson in a scene from the National Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty. The Western Canadian tour of the production has been postponed due to the 'difficult economic environment.' (Bruce Zinger/National Ballet of Canada)Facing "a deficit situation" for the first time in years, the National Ballet of Canada has indefinitely postponed its fall tour of Western Canada.

"The National Ballet of Canada recently enjoyed a very strong season at the Four Seasons Centre, is travelling to Ottawa this week to perform to sold-out houses and anticipates a robust June season," Lucille Joseph, chair of the company's board, said in a statement released Monday afternoon.

"However, despite continued support of our audiences and the generosity of our donors, the company faces a deficit situation for the first time in a number of years."

Executive director Kevin Garland called the postponement "a decision we make with the deepest regret but one that is necessary in the current difficult economic environment."

The Toronto-based company had been slated to perform The Sleeping Beauty in five cities across Western Canada in September: Calgary, Edmonton, Nanaimo, B.C., Vancouver and Victoria. Originally, the run was also to have included shows in Saskatoon and Winnipeg, but those were eliminated due to financial constraints.

Artistic director Karen Kain vowed that taking the National Ballet's dancers on the road remained an important goal for the company.

"My belief in the importance of touring this wonderful company has not changed and we will work diligently to return west," she said.

The company intends to reschedule the tour "when a more predictable and stable economic situation returns."