In This Issue 50Th Anniversary: Profiles of Our Founders New Website, Want to Dance, Debuts
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IN THIS ISSUE 50th Anniversary: Profiles of Our Founders | WantToDance.ca Debuts! NBS Alumni on SYTYCD Canada | Facebook Competitions | National Audition Tour Make a Difference, Make a Donation | Back to School | Our Student Council Returns The Shoe Room: Extended Hours for Adult Ballet | Move at Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 50th Anniversary Gala Theme | Ballet Bites: Cooking Up Something New 50TH ANNIVERSARY: PROFILES OF OUR FOUNDERS When Canada's National Ballet School was founded in 1959, the driving forces behind its creation were two incredible women, Celia Franca and Betty Oliphant. In honour of the commencement of the School's fiftieth anniversary festivities, here are brief biographies of our founders. CELIA FRANCA Celia Franca was the Founder of The National Ballet of Canada and the Co-Founder, with Betty Oliphant, of Canada's National Ballet School. Born in London, England, in 1921, Franca started studying dance at the age of four. She won scholarships to continue her studies at both the Guildhall School of Music and the Royal Academy of Dancing. After graduating, she danced professionally with Ballet Rambert, Sadler's Wells Ballet, and the Metropolitan Ballet. Read more... BETTY OLIPHANT Betty Oliphant was, along with Celia Franca, the Co-Founder of Canada's National Ballet School. Oliphant began to study ballet as a child in her native London, England. She had been diagnosed with pneumonia, and doctors recommended ballet as a way to regain her strength and breathing abilities. Oliphant studied with Marie Rambert and others, and by 17 had opened her own ballet school. Read more... Back to Top NEW WEBSITE, WANT TO DANCE, DEBUTS NBS is soon to launch a new website, wanttodance.ca. The launch will coincide with Season Two of So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Wanttodance.ca is a national dance registry allowing viewers to search for a dance style in specific locations. The goal is to encourage dance schools and studios to register and list their school, while also seeking potential dance students to register and join the wanttodance community. Registration is free and additional content will be available. Watch for our launch date announcement due in mid-September! Back to Top NBS ALUMNI ON SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA With the Top Twenty Contestants of So You Think You Can Dance Canada revealed, NBS is proud to say that for the second year running, an alumni of the School is included in the list. This year Emanuel Sandhu has made it into the top twenty. Perhaps best known for his figure skating abilities, this contemporary dancer studied at NBS before going on to be a three-time Canadian National Champion and 2004 Grand Prix winner. NBS wishes him and all contestants best of luck in the competition! Back to Top FACEBOOK-ONLY COMPETITIONS NBS' Facebook page continues to expand, we now have over 600 fans! We're about to launch some facebook-specific contests, so remember to become a Fan of NBS on Facebook in order to be eligible to win! Back to Top NATIONAL AUDITION TOUR REGISTRATION With September comes the beginning of the school year and, here at NBS, final preparation for the National Audition Tour. This year's tour kicks off on September 24, in Drummondville, Quebec. We're visiting 20 cities across the country, check our Tour Schedule for details on the location nearest you. Registration for all dates opens on August 28. Photographer: Cylla von Tiedemann Back to Top MAKE A DIFFERENCE, MAKE A DONATION Did you know that talent is the only criterion for acceptance into our Professional Ballet Program? Therefore every gift to Canada's National Ballet School, regardless of amount, is honoured and recognized as your support of our values of artistic excellence. Donate now or learn more… Back to Top BACK TO SCHOOL September means back to school, but back to school at Canada's National Ballet School is different than it is anywhere else. The 150 students enrolled in our full-time Professional Ballet Program are the first to return. Those living in residence settle into their rooms and get back into the routine of ballet and academic classes, some for the very first time while others savour their last year here at NBS. The next group to return is our Community Program participants, including students enrolled in our Associates Program (children ages four to seventeen) and our Adult Ballet Program all beginning their classes after school, in the evenings and on weekends. Photographer: Cylla von Tiedemann The return of all of our students also means the return not just of academic and artistic staff, but also all our residential counselors and staff, as well as the cafeteria crew. The Celia Franca Centre, which right now is a very quiet building, will soon be flooded with people as everyone comes to NBS excited and eager to start a new year's worth of dancing and learning. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on September 8! Back to Top OUR STUDENT COUNCIL RETURNS In last year's e-newsletters, readers were treated to a monthly column by NBS' Student Council and its President, Sasha Samion. That tradition continues this year, when newly-elected Student Council President Maria-Claire MacIsaac and her fellow Student Council Representatives will provide the e-newsletter with monthly updates as to what's happening outside the classrooms here at NBS. Stay tuned for Maria-Claire's first installment in the October newsletter! Back to Top THE SHOE ROOM: EXTENDED HOURS FOR ADULT BALLET The Shoe Room at Canada's National Ballet School is pleased to announce that it will be extending its hours of business from September 8th to September 20th to accommodate those shoppers who prefer evening and weekend hours. These new hours will make it easy for everyone to stock up on back to school and beginning of term basics! Store hours from Sept 8 to Sept 20 Tuesday 11 am – 8 pm Wednesday 11 am – 8 pm Thursday 11 am – 8 pm Friday 11 am – 8 pm Saturday 10 am – 6 pm Sunday 12 noon – 5 pm Many thanks to all Adult Ballet students who participated in our survey. We really appreciate your comments and suggestions and look forward to incorporating them into our plans for the year to come! Back to Top MOVE AT SCOTIABANK NUIT BLANCHE For one sleepless night, experience the city transformed by more than 550 artists for Toronto's fourth annual sunset to sunrise celebration of contemporary art. This year, Canada's National Ballet School has teamed up with Peggy Baker Dance Projects for the creation and presentation of move, an all-night event. The work is organized in cycles of 12 minutes each that take place on the hour, every hour, from 7pm October 3 to 6am October 4. 24 dancers will engage in a performance ritual that distills and illuminates fundamental dualities of dance practice: touching and being touched; watching and being witnessed; movement through the body and that same body's movement through space. Join us on October 3 to witness the performance! Learn more about move and many other events at Nuit Blanche. Back to Top INTRODUCING OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY GALA THEME Canada's National Ballet School is proud to announce the theme for our fiftieth anniversary gala: Fete d'Or. This year's gala will take place in February at the majestic Fairmont Royal York Hotel. To help highlight NBS' many achievements and celebrate our golden jubilee year, Fete d'Or will feature a performance by students from NBS, cocktail reception, gourmet dinner, live auction and more! The theme will be old school glamour, highlighted with black and gold to mark the splendour of our fiftieth milestone. For details on the Gala, or to purchase a table, please contact Mina Cicconi at [email protected]. Back to Top BALLET BITES: COOKING UP SOMETHING NEW NBS has, for the past year, enjoyed featuring recipes from our nutritionist, Rebecca Dietzel. We've loved sharing her recipes with you and we will continue to bring you healthy nutritious recipes. As our kitchen prepares for the new school year, we're making some changes. Stay tuned for a new batch of cooking suggestions in our next e-newsletter. Back to Top Click here to unsubscribe or change your email address. Please do not reply to this message. If you have any questions or comments, email [email protected]. The future and sustainability of Canada's National Ballet School is reliant on the generosity of our many dedicated supporters. Although we receive funding from the federal, provincial, and municipal levels of government, the School is increasingly reliant on self-generated revenue to meet its operating needs. Donations from individuals, corporations and foundations account for a significant portion of the School's revenue, and we are proud to have cultivated a diverse range of donors who share the School's commitment to helping young people achieve their full creative potential. Thank you!.