At Footprints Dance Centre we believe in the principle of whole dance education. To us, we do not want to just educate our dancers to ball change battement with the best of them, we want our dancers to explore really explore what dance is and what it means to them. To gain a greater understanding of dance we encourage our dancers to experience dance outside of the regular studio context. This includes providing our dancers the opportunity to visit dance themed exhibits (like Woodstock Art Gallery’s Evelyn Hart exhibit and workshops (like Dance Attack Workshop) and to professional dance experiences (like last year’s trip to Shaping Sound!). On Thursday March 15 we road tripped to see The National Ballet of Canada’s performance of Sleeping Beauty.
Going to the show was open to any Footprints dancer or parent who wished to attend. Rides were coordinated through the parents and everyone arrived smoothly. Getting to see our dancers (and dance teachers) outside of the regular sweaty, messy ponytail and leggings is always a treat! Our dancers certainly cleaned up well!
Going to the Ballet for the first time is such a memorable experience (you can read about my first time here). For many of our dancers this was their first experience seeing a professional ballet performance. Our dancers were mesmerized by the spectacular sets, the pretty costumes and of course, the very talented dancers on stage.
Sleeping Beauty is one of the very most classical ballets. First performed in 1890, Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty became the crowning jewel in choreographer, Marius Petipa’s career. When choreographer, Rudolf Nureyev later revisited the ballet and premiered with the National Ballet of Canada in 1972, the company began to receive international acclaim. The choreography of Nureyev, who was also dancing the part of Prince Florimund, was later filmed by Norman Campbell and CBC TV and won international accolades as well as an Emmy Award. This performance included now Artistic Director of The National Ballet, Karen Kain. In 2006 the production was re-staged to great acclaim by Karen Kain and is the version we witnessed now in 2018. The show was a beautiful piece of Canadian dance history to witness.
Our dancers were so excited to see how the lilac fairy, Stephanie Hutchison, floated across the stage and Prince Florimund’s, Harrison James, grand solos. Our little dancers loved when the pussycats, Miyoko Koyasu and Laurynas Vejalis, danced their pas de deux in act three. Of course, watching Svetlana Lunkina dance the part of Princess Aurora left us all speechless.
It was a late night, but a night I am sure all of our dancers will remember!
I can’t wait to plan next year’s Footprints Field Trip!
Dancingly Yours,
Miss Lainy
