Annual Report for Our Donor Community - The National Ballet of ...

Engaging our Audiences:Education and Outreach ProgrammesAs Canada’s premier dance company, The National Ballet of Canada seeks to foster an appreciation for theperforming arts in communities nationwide. Reaching out to young people and promoting the expressivepossibilities of dance are efforts consistent with the National Ballet’s mandate to encourage a flourishingcultural presence in Canada. To further these important goals, the National Ballet has dynamic education andoutreach programmes that engage young people in innovative ways.Exploring BalletExploring Ballet is a workshop-based initiative thatorganizes dance presentations in schools acrossToronto where socio-economic challenges arecommon. Designed for students in grades onethrough six, the interactive workshops are led by aNational Ballet dancer or a professional choreographer.In 2010/11, over 600 students participated in 25Exploring Ballet workshops.Exploring Ballet is made possible by an anonymousdonor to The National Ballet of Canada.Tutu ProjectIn 2010/11, the National Ballet launched the TutuProject, an outreach initiative in celebration of thecompany’s 60th Anniversary Season. The Tutu Projectinvolves the creation and display of 60 unique tutusthroughout the 2011/12 season, including severalfrom great moments in the company’s history. Thefinal exhibit will feature tutus created by professionaland emerging artists, community groups and visitorsto such events as Word on the Street and the PrideParade.The Tutu Project is generously sponsored byThe Volunteer Committee, The National Ballet of Canada.YOU danceEstablished in 2007, YOU dance introduces youngpeople in the Greater Toronto Area to ballet throughworkshops and performances in the Betty OliphantTheatre at Canada’s National Ballet School. Using amulti-layered approach, YOU dance engages studentsin grades four to six through interactive exercisesand 16 moderated ballet performances providedby members of the RBC Apprentice Programme. In2010/2011, the National Ballet expanded the YOU danceprogramme to include extended residencies in theNorthern Ontario communities of Sudbury, ThunderBay and Parry Sound. The YOU dance residencies inthese communities saw a total of 64 workshops, 10student shows and five master classes, reaching over4,000 students and 1,200 audience members.Major Partner:Dance AboutDance About is the National Ballet’s longest-runningyouth outreach programme, having stagedperformances in Ontario schools for the past 40 years.Four dancers, a piano accompanist and a narratorguide students through a day in the life of a dancer,including ballet class, pointe work, partnering,make-up and wardrobe. Designed for students inkindergarten through grade six, Dance About providesa positive and formative experience of live balletwithin the students’ familiar school environment. In2010/11, Dance About held nine performances for2,700 students in the Greater Toronto Area.Dance About is sponsored byThe Stratford Joint ProjectStarted in 2009/10, the Stratford Joint Project is a collaboration between the Stratford Shakespeare Festivaland the National Ballet. Four high school classes join with choreographers and actors to create innovative,non-verbal interpretations of a play and a ballet. The project culminates in a day of workshops where studentsperform their own works and receive feedback from their peers.Master Class withRex HarringtonTo celebrate Culture Days, the National Balletpresented a Master Class led by former PrincipalDancer and current Artist-in-Residence Rex Harringtonvia live webcast. On September 25, 2010, balletstudents across Canada participated in a class thatstreamed live on the internet from the company’srehearsal studios at the Walter Carsen Centre inToronto. Eighteen dance studios from across thecountry participated in the event.DanceBreakSince 2007, DanceBreak has offered $30 same-daytickets to audience members between the ages of16 and 29. Today, there are 23,501 members ofDanceBreak. In 2010/11, DanceBreak enjoyed a newopportunity to participate in the National Ballet’sannual fundraising gala, MAD HOT, through the MADHATTER Best Hat Challenge. DanceBreak memberswore hats of their own design to the gala and guestsvoted via text for their favourites. The DanceBreakmember with the most votes joined the VIP dinneronstage with the artists of the National Ballet.Ji Min Hong and Skylar Campbell at a Dance About performance. Photo by Setareh Sarmadi.From top to bottom: Youth Exploring Ballet. YOU dance Family Day. Participants at a Stratford Shakespeare Festival and National Ballet of Canada jointinitiative. Photos by Setareh Sarmadi.16 17