2010/11 Annual Report - The National Ballet of Canada

Engaging our Audiences:
Education and Outreach Programmes
As Canada’s premier dance company, The National Ballet of Canada seeks to foster an appreciation for the
performing arts in communities nationwide. Reaching out to young people and promoting the expressive
possibilities of dance are efforts consistent with the National Ballet’s mandate to encourage a flourishing
cultural presence in Canada. To further these important goals, the National Ballet has dynamic education and
outreach programmes that engage young people in innovative ways.
YOU dance
Established in 2007, YOU dance introduces young
people in the Greater Toronto Area to ballet through
workshops and performances in the Betty Oliphant
Theatre at Canada’s National Ballet School. Using a
multi-layered approach, YOU dance engages students
in grades four to six through interactive exercises
and 16 moderated ballet performances provided
by members of the RBC Apprentice Programme. In
2010/2011, the National Ballet expanded the YOU dance
programme to include extended residencies in the
Northern Ontario communities of Sudbury, Thunder
Bay and Parry Sound. The YOU dance residencies in
these communities saw a total of 64 workshops, 10
student shows and five master classes, reaching over
4,000 students and 1,200 audience members.
Major Partner:
Dance About
Dance About is the National Ballet’s longest-running
youth outreach programme, having staged
performances in Ontario schools for the past 40 years.
Four dancers, a piano accompanist and a narrator
guide students through a day in the life of a dancer,
including ballet class, pointe work, partnering,
make-up and wardrobe. Designed for students in
kindergarten through grade six, Dance About provides
a positive and formative experience of live ballet
within the students’ familiar school environment. In
2010/11, Dance About held nine performances for
2,700 students in the Greater Toronto Area.
Dance About is sponsored by
The Stratford Joint Project
Started in 2009/10, the Stratford Joint Project is a collaboration between the Stratford Shakespeare Festival
and 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 students
perform their own works and receive feedback from their peers.
Exploring Ballet
Exploring Ballet is a workshop-based initiative that
organizes dance presentations in schools across
Toronto where socio-economic challenges are
common. Designed for students in grades one
through six, the interactive workshops are led by a
National Ballet dancer or a professional choreographer.
In 2010/11, over 600 students participated in 25
Exploring Ballet workshops.
Exploring Ballet is made possible by an anonymous
donor to The National Ballet of Canada.
Tutu Project
In 2010/11, the National Ballet launched the Tutu
Project, an outreach initiative in celebration of the
company’s 60th Anniversary Season. The Tutu Project
involves the creation and display of 60 unique tutus
throughout the 2011/12 season, including several
from great moments in the company’s history. The
final exhibit will feature tutus created by professional
and emerging artists, community groups and visitors
to such events as Word on the Street and the Pride
Parade.
The Tutu Project is generously sponsored by
The Volunteer Committee, The National Ballet of Canada.
Master Class with
Rex Harrington
To celebrate Culture Days, the National Ballet
presented a Master Class led by former Principal
Dancer and current Artist-in-Residence Rex Harrington
via live webcast. On September 25, 2010, ballet
students across Canada participated in a class that
streamed live on the internet from the company’s
rehearsal studios at the Walter Carsen Centre in
Toronto. Eighteen dance studios from across the
country participated in the event.
DanceBreak
Since 2007, DanceBreak has offered $30 same-day
tickets to audience members between the ages of
16 and 29. Today, there are 23,501 members of
DanceBreak. In 2010/11, DanceBreak enjoyed a new
opportunity to participate in the National Ballet’s
annual fundraising gala, MAD HOT, through the MAD
HATTER Best Hat Challenge. DanceBreak members
wore hats of their own design to the gala and guests
voted via text for their favourites. The DanceBreak
member with the most votes joined the VIP dinner
onstage 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 joint
initiative. Photos by Setareh Sarmadi.
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