Canada's National Ballet School
400 Jarvis Street M4Y 2G6 Toronto, ON, Canada

Discover the physical, emotional, and social benefits of danceat home! Sharing Dance Older Adults, developed by Baycrest and Canada’s National Ballet School, offers accessible, high-quality dance programming that supports overall health and well-being. Now it is easier than ever to bring more dance into your lifetake classes In Your Seat or On Your Feet, anywhere, anytime when you subscribe to the app. No dance experience required! Learn more and enjoy the benefits of dance by visiting https://oa.sharingdance.ca/

Since October 2020, NBS has been incredibly lucky to host more than 30 speakers as part of our Spark Talks series. Through this program, NBS Professional Ballet-Academic Program students hold twenty-minute virtual lunchtime conversations with their peers, alumni, and leading professionals working in the dance sector. Spark Talks explore a depth of artistic topics, including equity, diversity, and inclusion, both in the dance world and in our communities. Though many of our st...udents and staff have been able to experience these talks, we are excited to begin sharing highlights from them with our wider community! Our first Spark Talks Spotlight feature is Esie Mensah. Esie is a dance artist, choreographer, teacher, and NBS' Artistic Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant. In this Spark Talks excerpt, Esie speaks about her experience in the dance industry, and her work Shades, which explores the roots, realities and effects of Shadeism. To learn more about Esie's work, including Shades, visit: www.esiemensah.com Esie Mensah the Artist Stay tuned for more Spark Talks Spotlight features! www.nbs-enb.ca/sparktalkspotlight

Join this year's NBS Sharing Dance Choreographer Lua Shayenne for this special twenty-minute online workshop! Follow along with Lua as she teaches West African steps, accompanied by Cécé Habad. You may recognize some of these steps from this year’s NBS Sharing Dance Choreography! This workshop is perfect for all ages to participate in a fun dance activity from home, and no prior dance experience is required. Learn many styles of dance during NBS Sharing Dance Day 2021, taking... place on May 28 @ 12:30pm live on Facebook, YouTube and our website. Visit www.nbs-enb.ca/sharingdanceday to learn more about how to get involved in NBS Sharing Dance Day, including how to send in your own video of the NBS Sharing Dance choreography. Your video could be part of the collaborative video collage that will be featured during the May 28 online event. The 2021 NBS Sharing Dance Day broadcast is hosted by Canada’s National Ballet School, and programmed in partnership with Arts Umbrella L’École de danse de Québec Halifax Dance Royal Winnipeg Ballet School.

Be a part of this year's NBS Sharing Dance Day Collaborative video featuring dancers from across the country! To participate, film and share a short clip of your favourite part of this year’s NBS Sharing Dance Choreography and submit by visiting: www.nbs-enb.ca/sharingdancechoreography The deadline for submissions is May 10th, 2021! Join us online on May 28th at 12:30pm EST for NBS Sharing Dance Day! Watch live on our Facebook, YouTube or NBS website. ... PS: stay tuned later today for a special online workshop with NBS Sharing Dance Choreographer Lua Shayenne! #SharingDance

During this time when we are physically apart, our community has come together with kindness and genuine care in a way that has enabled Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) to rise and face great challenge with strength and resilience. This inspired ARISEan initiative to help NBS’ many participants continue to overcome challenges and experience the joy of dance, a need that grows stronger every day. ARISE shares stories of resilience and innovation, and about what it means ...to be a dancer at this unique moment in historystories like those of Professional Ballet-Academic students Marley, Jane, Wesley and members of NBS’ Artistic Staff, featured in this new video. As Professional Ballet-Academic Students are again training online, this video was filmed when they were on-site (from February 16th to April 6th). It shares these students' experiences of dancing during this Pandemic and the importance of the support they feel from the NBS community. Through your ongoing support, Canada’s National Ballet School can continue to share dance with participants across all of our programs, in-person or online. With a gift of any amount, we hope you will join ARISE and the NBS community in helping more people access the life-changing benefits of dance, now and in the future. Donate today at www.nbs-enb.ca/joinarise

We are thrilled to share that Grade 12 student Maya Smallwood has been selected as a finalist for the Prix de Lausanne Young Creation Award. Maya is one of five finalists selected from over 54 submissions worldwide. She is both the sole female and North American choreographer amongst the finalists. Maya’s choreography is performed by Grade 11 NBS student, Ewan Hartman. The five choreographies will be judged by the Prix de Lausanne International Jury during the live-streamed competition, on February 3rd, 2021 at 10:30 am EST. Visit https://www.prixdelausanne.org/ to view the live stream. Congratulations to Maya and Ewan on this exciting achievement and opportunity to represent NBS and Canada on the world stage!

Canada's National Ballet School's Community Dance department is offering free online webinars for educators, program participants and dancers to learn new skills. Our upcoming webinar is a panel discussion about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Dance co-presented with Royal Winnipeg Ballet School taking place on February 3rd, 2021, at 5:30pm. This discussion will explore best practices for culturally responsive dance teaching and equitable learning design for dance classes. Panelists include Esie Mensah, Kevin Ormsby and Rachael McLaren, moderated by Ashleigh Powell and Johanne Gingras. Registration for the panel closes TODAY January 29th, 2021, at 4pm. Register by visiting: nbs-enb.ca/upcoming-webinars

Bring more dance into your home this winter! We are excited to share that a new term of Baycrest NBS Sharing Dance Seniors at Home begins January 26th, 2021! Created by Baycrest and Canada’s National Ballet School, Sharing Dance Seniors engages older adults in meaningful dance activity that benefits physical, cognitive and overall health! Available for free on demand at your convenience, dancers can join at any time. Seated and standing online course options are available. No dance experience required! Join in by visiting www.nbs-enb.ca/sharingdanceseniors

Happy New Year from Canada’s National Ballet School and The Shoe Room!

Meet Isabella and Ewantwo Professional Ballet-Academic Program students at Canada’s National Ballet School, preparing a variation for a special virtual presentation last year for their families. Follow them through this process from the studio to the stage, get a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and achievements of performing a variation, and learn more about the support and inspiration teachers provide along the way. Do you know a passionate dancer who dreams of their moment on the stage? Auditions for NBS’ Professional Ballet-Academic Program are taking place online this year. Visit www.nbs-enb.ca/PBPauditions to learn more.

You can still audition online for Canada’s National Ballet School's Professional Ballet Program! Auditions will take place over Zoom video conferencing this Winter and will involve small groups of dancers, with each dancer joining individually from their home, studio, or a space of their choice. Register for an online audition today and discover all the ways dancing opens doors! Visit www.nbs-enb.ca/crosscountryauditions

Know someone who could benefit from the joy of dance at home this holiday season? Baycrest NBS Sharing Dance Seniors programs are designed to engage older adults in meaningful dance activity that benefits physical, cognitive and overall health! Seated and standing online course options are available. No dance experience required! Share the transformative power of dance with someone for the holidays! www.nbs-enb.ca/sharingdanceseniors

During this time of year, NBS would usually be touring to communities across Canada, holding auditions for our Professional Ballet and Teacher Training programs. While we can't meet you in person this year, we invite you to join us for our online auditions! Taking place over Zoom video conferencing this Winter, auditions will involve small groups of dancers, with each dancer joining individually from their home, studio, or a space of their choice. Register for an audition today by visiting: www.nbs-enb.ca/crosscountryauditions

Kids can keep active this holiday season with Canada’s National Ballet School’s (NBS) Dance on Demand online resources! Facilitated by NBS' community dance teachers, press play and engage your child in age-appropriate, themed creative movement activities that build physical literacy skills using elements of dance as a foundation. NBS’ Dance on Demand courses are free, organized by school grade, and allow kids to make creative choices to move in the way that feels best for the...m. Special thank you to Canadian Tire Jumpstart for your support through the Sport Relief Fund! The fund helps NBS continue to provide access to sport and play for Canadian kids. Along with Jumpstart, we understand the role sport plays in the health and well-being of kids and their families and are doing everything possible to help community sports continue. #SportReliefFund Start dancing with Dance on Demand today by visiting: www.nbs-enb.ca/danceathome/kids

From the NBS family to yours, warmest of wishes for health and happiness during this holiday season and through the coming year. The global NBS community has radiated extraordinary care and generosity during this past year. We would like to extend our most heartfelt thanks for your support and belief in Canada’s National Ballet School. This holiday season we celebrate youand the many people across Canada and around the world who, despite the challenges that these times presented, kept dancing. May you continue to find joy and inspiration through your connection to dance and to NBS.

Explore Canada's National Ballet School's (NBS) Fall in Love with Ballet series! This free online resource features performances and supporting materials curated and created to provide a glimpse, through the lens of young artists, into the world of ballet. Watch "Swan Lake", "Come In" and "Arise" performed by NBS Professional Ballet Program students and access behind-the-scenes content, and educational materials that deepen your appreciation of each performance. From the spark of inspiration through to the final performance, Fall in Love with Ballet covers it all! Visit www.nbs-enb.ca/loveballet

An exciting part of the new school year has been launching NBS' student-directed Speaker Series, which broadcasts during lunch breaks for students. Through this program, NBS Professional Ballet-Academic Program students invite two speakers per week for virtual lunchtime conversations about topics related to what they are learning in dance and beyond. So far, Tuesdays have been focused on artistic topics, and have featured NBS students, alumni, and professionals working in the dance sector. Thursday talks delve deeply into topics related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, both in the dance world and in our communities. This creative new initiative has students excited to learn both inside and outside of the studio and classroom!

Canada's National Ballet School's Community Dance Program is hosting a live back-to-school webinar for our online dance community. Bringing together dance and movement educators from across Canada to share ideas and best practices for teaching dance in the upcoming school year. What a great way to learn more about keeping your students engaged and active during these times! Register for our upcoming "Distanced Dancing" webinar taking place on November 4th with two available sessions at noon and 5pm (EST). Registration closes TODAY at 4pm; reserve your spot: https://bit.ly/3mObgyr

This fall, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival will add Beyond Movingthe feature-length film following the remarkable journey of NBS alumnus Siphe Novemberto its Docs for Schools program, which makes curated educational content available to teachers using select documentary films in their classrooms. Follow Siphe November as he leaves his small township in South Africa to follow his dreams at Canada’s National Ballet School. The rising dance star soa...rs on stages around the world, all the while reflecting on what it means to be a Black ballet dancer and figuring out how to give back to the community that raised him. Learn more about the film and Siphe during a Q&A on November 5th at 2 pm. Q&A: https://www.hotdocs.ca/p/dfs-events Learn More about Beyond Moving and "Docs for School" here: https://www.hotdocs.ca/p/dfs-focus

Happy #WorldBalletDay! To celebrate, we’re throwing it back to NBS’ segment from World Ballet School Day in July, which features excerpts from several powerful choreographic works, including Aszure Barton’s Come In and Jera Wolfe’s Arise. Learn more about Come In, Arise, and Swan Lake by exploring Canada’s National Ballet School’s Fall in Love with Ballet series. This online resource features performances by NBS students, interviews with dancers, teaching guides for the class...room, and choreographic workbooks for kids who want to explore their creativity. Whether you are a ballet connoisseur or watching a performance for the first time, we hope you will enjoy falling in love with ballet. Visit www.nbs-enb.ca/loveballet Come In: Choreography: Aszure Barton Music: Vladimir Martynov Arise: Choreography: Jera Wolfe Music: Ólafur Arnalds