Overview

Relaxed Performances are designed to welcome the Disability Community into artistic spaces. We are excited to welcome families who can find access to the arts limited to see ballet in a more relaxed and approachable environment. The National Ballet of Canada held our first mainstage performance in 2022 with The Sleeping Beauty followed by Cinderella in 2023. Each Relaxed Performance is structured to ensure that children and adults who are Neurodiverse, members of the d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Disability Communities feel safe, celebrated and cared for.

Relaxed Performance

Accommodations and Suggestions

The National Ballet offers tickets at a nominal price and offers suggestions to accommodate various needs.

• If people know/feel they may need to move in and out of the auditorium during the performance, we recommend booking an aisle seat for ease
• Many seats require stairs to access. We provide a map noting the location of the stairs to assist people in selecting the best accessible seats
• For the partially sighted we recommend a seating area as close to the stage as possible
• We set aside seats in an ASL viewing area
• An audio describer provides a description throughout the ballet for those who wish it
• For people with a service animal, we have set aside seating areas with more room for the dogs
• We have designated an area with more space where people can sit with no one immediately beside them
• Patrons remaining in their device select certain seats to accommodate the devices
• We will make arrangements for people who require a support person for communication, mobility or medical needs

Venue Guide

A venue guide and video have been created to help people prepare for their visit.

Fact Sheet

Credits

The National Ballet of Canada’s Relaxed Performances and the accompanying Visual Guide are made possible in part through the generous support of The Estate of Helen Allen Stacey and an Anonymous Donor.

The National Ballet of Canada’s Education and Community Engagement programmes are generously supported by the Anna McCowan-Johnson Dance Accessibility Fund at The National Ballet of Canada, Endowment Foundation.