Your chance to audition for Canada's National Ballet School

ABRIDGED NEWS RELEASE

NATIONAL BALLET SCHOOL

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Canada’s National Ballet School announces 2014/2015 national audition tour and open class dates

Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) is pleased to announce that the 2014/2015 National Audition Tour (NAT), which includes Auditions and Open Classes, will commence in Halifax, Nova Scotia on November 3. 

This year’s NAT, which is presented by Sun Life Financial, will visit 20 cities across Canada before concluding in Toronto on February 8, 2015.

Auditions for the Professional Ballet Program – which offers full-time dance training, academic education and residential care for students in Grades 6 to12, and full-time dance training to post-secondary students (Post-Secondary Program) – take the form of a specially designed ballet class where dancers are assessed for quality of movement, coordination and overall suitability for the demands of classical ballet.

The minimum age to audition is 10, and no prior ballet training is required for students aged 12 and under.

Open Classes are offered by NBS artistic staff as an outreach component of the national audition tour. 

These classes are for junior and senior dance students regardless of their intent to audition for the full-time program.

Designed for young dancers who are eager to explore movement, these classes give participants a dynamic sense of dance and performance.

NBS also offers a full and part-time teacher training program to high school dance majors, professional dancers seeking a career change and practicing ballet teachers who would like to enhance their knowledge and teacher skills.

Entrance into the teacher training program is by DVD audition submission. Information detailing the application process is available on NBS’ website at www.nbs-enb.ca/professional.

“This is the fifth straight year that Sun Life Financial has supported NBS’ National Audition Tour as Presenting Sponsor, and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Paul Joliat, assistant vice-president, Philanthropy and Sponsorships, Sun Life Financial. “We believe that arts and culture should be celebrated within our communities and made accessible for everyone. Through Sun Life Financial’s support of the National Audition Tour, we are helping talented emerging dance artists from across the country achieve their dreams.”

“NBS’s national audition tour serves multiple purposes; while its primary intent is to seek out the most talented youth across the country, following closely behind is the desire to engage with all who have an interest in participating and celebrating the art of dance,” said Mavis Staines, NBS artistic director and CEO. “Through the open classes held in each tour stop, NBS is able to connect with Canadians from coast to coast. On each of the tours that set off from Toronto, NBS artistic staff look forward to sharing and learning from the teachers and students they meet across Canada. We are thrilled once again to have Sun Life Financial help ‘make the Arts accessible;’ their support has allowed us to truly live up to being, Canada’s National Ballet School.”

From the more than 1,000 young dancers who audition each year, up to 175 are chosen to participate in the second-stage assessment, a four-week Summer School held at NBS’ state-of-the-art training facilities in Toronto in July.

NBS continues to make its website the key source for information on all its programs, projects and initiatives. 

The School’s Facebook page now boasts upwards of 8,000 fans, and its YouTube Channel has more than 115 videos. 

NBS is also on Twitter, and can be found under the handle @NBS_ENB. 

Registration for open classes and audition dates is now open, check NBS’ website, www.nbs-enb.ca for details.
 
Local national audition tour 2014/2015 date:

Sault Ste. Marie - Tuesday, November 18, 2014

About Canada’s National Ballet School

Established in 1959, Canada’s National Ballet School is a world leader in the training of professional dancers and teachers.

Dedicated to moving the world by teaching and celebrating dance, NBS is committed to promoting the art of dance through community initiatives, as well as offering recreational and professional programs.

NBS alumni can be found as dancers, teachers, choreographers and artistic directors in over 80 dance companies and schools around the globe.
 
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