Community
Education and Community Engagement
The National Ballet of Canada is committed to sharing the creative power of movement and dance with our communities outside of our mainstage performances. Through our engagement programmes, we share the joy of dance in a range of styles and formats, from traditional in-theatre performances to online content, including livestream events and activities with schools. With the generous support of donors, community partners and our dance colleagues, we returned, when possible, to in-person events for young people in the 2021/22 season and debuted new initiatives to make the National Ballet more accessible to all.
Sharing the Stage: Outdoor Residency at Harbourfront Centre
August 9 – 29, 2021
Sharing the Stage at Harbourfront Centre.
In our first-ever residency in partnership with Harbourfront Centre, The National Ballet of Canada offered an eclectic free programme of live performances and an open studio with rehearsals, drop-in dance classes and conversations with participating companies and choreographers. We were proud to share our love of dance along with our four guest companies – Esie Mensah Creations, Human Body Expression, Little Pear Garden Dance Company and Lua Shayenne Dance Company – and all the participants who joined us.
YOU dance
2022 YOU dance National Livestream.
YOU dance is the National Ballet’s signature community programme to engage students through dance and promote movement, creative expression and a greater appreciation of the arts. While students were unable to partake in workshops and performances in person, the dancers of the RBC Apprentice Programme hosted 10 Virtual Classroom Visits to invite the students to see their work in the studio. On May 5, 2022, the YOU dance Livestream reached 23,000 students in 400 schools in 176 cities across Canada.
Share the Magic
With the return to select in-person events, the National Ballet was able to resume its longstanding programme Share the Magic, which offers children and families free access to live ballet performances. On December 9, 2021, 500 audience members from 18 community-based organizations attended a performance of James Kudelka’s The Nutcracker.
Relaxed Performance
Sylvia Jonas and her Service Dog at the Relaxed Performance. Photo by Johan Hallberg-Campbell.
On March 22, 2022, the National Ballet became one of the first companies in Canada to offer a main stage Relaxed Performance of a full-scale ballet production. 709 members of the d/Deaf and Disability communities enjoyed Act III of Rudolf Nureyev’s The Sleeping Beauty in a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment at the Four Seasons Centre with important accommodations, including an ASL Interpreter and Audio Description for the Blind/Partially Sighted community.
In Studio
While continuing online classes, The Walter Carsen Centre also reopened to the public in 2021/22, offering In Studio classes in classical ballet, contemporary dance, Pilates, Hip Hop and more. In Studio attracted 3,102 students of all ages in person once we reopened and 15,197 online over the course of the season.
Community & Digital Engagement
