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Youth Ballet Company of Saskatchewan |
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The director and staff of the Youth Ballet Company believe that dance classes offer any young child the opportunity to grow in self-confidence, grace, coordination, flexibility, strength, musicality, artistry and creativity. As the children grow older within the dance school, they may choose to dance recreationally or to commit to intensive training to reach their full potential as a young dancer. Serious dance students, age 11 & up, often choose to audition for our pre-professional performing company. Youth Ballet Company offers classes in Kindermusik, Rhythm and Movement for preschoolers, Ballet, Modern dance and Jazz. Students range from age three to adult, with levels of instruction ranging from beginner to advanced. The Company boasts a highly qualified and experienced staff of eight teachers. Younger students have several opportunities to show what they’ve learned. Parents are invited to view classes on pre-set parent days. The annual recital is held in May at the Saskatchewan Center of the Arts, and presents the students from age three to senior dancers.
TEACHING, FACULTY ~ 2007/2008 SEASON
Connie holds an Honours B.A. in Dance from York University and a Masters of Education (Arts Education focus) from the University of Regina. She has danced professionally for twenty years, working with several dance and theatre companies. She has also worked across Canada as an independent soloist and choreographer. Connie is an experienced modern dance teacher with extensive training in dance education.
Richard Zimich Ballet
We welcome Richard as our new ballet teacher and choreographer for the 2007/2008 season. Born in Vancouver, Richard began dancing at the age of three. He trained at the Goh Ballet, Pacific N.W. School of Dance, Banff Centre for the Arts and the National Ballet School of Canada. He went on to dance with the Vancouver Opera, Ballet British Columbia, Alberta Ballet, Les Sortileges de Montreal and Ballet North. He also was a principal dancer with Ballet Ouest de Montreal and has been guest artist and adjudicator on several occasions across Canada. His teaching career has taken from B.C to New Brunswick and into the US. Richard is enthusiastic about moving to Regina and sharing his talents with our students.
Jacqueline Morrow Ballet RTS RAD, ACDTA, AISTD
Jacqueline holds teaching certificates from the Royal Academy of Dancing, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, and the Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association. Her early training was at the Hammond and Bush Davies Schools in England. Moving to Canada in 1987, she taught ballet throughout British Columbia, establishing her own school in Cranbrook (the Dance Arts Centre) in 1990. Moving to Saskatchewan in 2002, she now teaches at the Youth Ballet Company.
Barbara Cameron Ballet A graduate of the Royal Ballet School in London, England, Barb took her teacher training at the Ottawa Dance Centre, with several summer courses at the National Ballet School and Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Moving to Regina in 1980 she eventually became Artistic Director of Regina Modern Dance Works school. She has extensive experience on cultural boards in Saskatchewan, and enjoys both the teaching and management sides of her work with the Youth Ballet Company.
Paula Skotnitsky Adapted, Modern, Rhythm & Movement B.Ed
Paula has many years of Ballet and Modern Dance training. She graduated in 1998 with a degree in Physical Activities Studies Adapted (pertaining to working with Special Needs individuals) from the University of Regina. She has recently earned a 2nd degree in Arts Education and has completed a certificate in Special Education from the University of Regina. Paula has presented her own solo work at both the Stream of Dance Festival and W.I.P Series (Saskatoon).
Angelika Nixdorf Kindermusik
Angelika is a parent of two, a Kindermusik educator, and a speech-language pathologist. She understands how the well-developed Kindermusik curriculum provides a strong foundation in the areas of music,language, cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. She also understands how developmentally appropriate activities in those areas helps prepare students for school.
Dominique Chartrand Jazz, Modern, Rhythm and Movement B.FA, M.FA Dominique graduated from York University in 2000 with an Honours B.FA (Dance). She mounted her first site-specific choreography in her hometown of North Bay ON receiving a creativity grant from the Laidlaw Foundation . She then moved to Montréal where she taught and choreographed. She has shown and performed her work in FIDA 2001 and 2004. In 2002, Dominique left Montréal to attend the U. of Oregon to pursue her MFA in Dance. She taught modern, ballet and jazz during her three year stay at the U of O. In June 2005 she graduated with her MFA in Dance and moved to Regina to join the YBCS faculty. Sanchea Wasyliw Ballet ARAD Sanchea has been a student at YBCS since the age of three and a member of the Performing Company since 2000. She has achieved the RAD Advanced 2 level. Sanchea has attended various professional ballet summer schools including the National Ballet School, Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Quinte, and Banff Centre. She is also an instructor at Chaban Ukrainian Dance School. Sanchea is a second year pre-med student at the University of Regina. Ann Kipling Brown Modern Ph.D Ann is presently a professor in Dance Education in the Arts Education Program at the University of Regina. Working extensively with children, youth and adults in public and dance studio settings, she has choreographed and led classes in technique, composition, and notation. her research and publications focus on dance pedagogy, the integration of notation in dance programs, the role of dance in the child's and adult's lived worlds, and technology in arts education.
Katrina Currie graduated from the National Ballet School in 1997. She attended the Hamburg Ballet School as part of an exchange program during the summer of 1997. Katrina performed the Swan Lake pas de deux (Act II) at the Governor General's Awards in honour of Karen Kain in November 1997 and apprenticed with the National Ballet of Canada for the 97/98 production of the Nutcracker. Upon embarking into the exciting world of modern dance, Katrina trained at the School of Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg and was a company member of Ruth Cansfield Dance in 1999 and 2000. In Regina, she has performed as part of New Dance Horizon's Emergence Rooted (1998), Pelican Nocturne (2001), Stream of Dance (2003) and was a guest artist in the New Dance Horizons anniversary concert in the spring of 2006.
Our School
We offer an adapted program for special needs students.
We offer Kindermusik programs for infants to 3 years.
This program, designed for students aged three to five, encourages children to have fun with movement, rhythm, and creativity, while developing coordination, balance, flexibility, musicality as well as some pre-ballet steps and skills.
Ballet is the basis for all dance taught at the Youth Ballet Company. We believe that a good education in ballet can benefit dancers in all forms of dance. Our Pre-Ballet Program starts at age 5 and includes both creative and technical elements. Our ballet program is based on a combination of methods and syllabi, including the Royal Academy of Dancing Syllabus. The curriculum is designed to take students from the beginner to the advanced level. An optional RAD examination program is available for students who wish to take exams. \
RAD Exam Program All RAD grades are offered from Grade 1 to Advanced. This is an optional program with RAD classes being held at special times within the schedule. Candidates must have approval from the teacher before registering in the RAD program. The RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) is a global organization founded in 1920 to advance the standards of teaching in classical ballet. RAD exams give dancers a goal to work toward as well as recognition from the world's largest ballet examining body.
This program is offered to our ballet students, as well as others who have an interest in this dance form. Our modern program utilizes ballet technique as well as modern dance qualities, including swing, drop, contraction, flow, fall, groundedness, free and creative movement. We believe these modern dance skills are necessary in today’s dance world. Dance composition and choreography is also taught within our modern dance program.
Combining the strength and flexibility of ballet, jazz employs movements which are angular and percussive.Emphasis is on quick, clean movements to jazz and popular music. Many styles of jazz are taught, including lyrical, funk and hip hop.
The Youth Ballet company offers recreational classes for adults in ballet, modern dance and jazz. No experience is required.
We offer classes to teens with little or no previous dance training.
Our students regularly achieve higher than the national average in ballet exams.Renowned guest choreographers who work with our company, frequently comment that our dancers are very well trained.
The Youth Ballet Company of Saskatchewan presents a spring school concert at the end of May at Conexus Arts Centre. This concert features all the students in a professionally presented format including costumes, lighting, and sets. It has been the custom of the Company to adapt full ballets for the young students. In the past the Company has presented works such as: ‘The Tin Soldier’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘Les Sylphides’, Shostakovich Ballet Suite’, ‘The Tales of Beatrix Potter’,'Madeline and the Gypsies', 'The Pink Planet'. ' Coppelia', and 'Shel Suite' (based on the poetry of Shel Silverstein).
Under special circumstances, the Youth Ballet Company can offer scholarships to committed students and dancers who are in need. For more information, please contact the Artistic Director. We are committed to small class sizes for our young students. This means individualized instruction at the Youth Ballet Company. Students progress faster since instructors give corrections to each student. In addition, a family atmosphere develops between students, instructors and volunteers. Although our classes for older students can be larger, we are committed to limiting overcrowding and maintaining each student's right to individualized attention by providing qualified teacher assistants.
The Youth Ballet Company is available for consultation, workshops, and performances in Regina schools. For Further Information call 306-352-9908. |
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| photo by Trevor Hopkin |
| photo by Trevor Hopkin |
| photo by Trevor Hopkin |
Artistic
Director: Connie Moker Wernikowski BA (Hons), M.Ed
