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Here's where to audition for the National Ballet School

Aspiring ballerinas are invited to audition for Canada’s National Ballet School as it launches its nationwide audition tour Oct. 28. The tour will visit 20 cities across Canada between Oct. 28 and Feb. 10.
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Young dancers are invited to audition for the National Ballet School's Professional Ballet Program.

Aspiring ballerinas are invited to audition for Canada’s National Ballet School as it launches its nationwide audition tour Oct. 28.

The tour will visit 20 cities across Canada between Oct. 28 and Feb. 10.

The school’s Professional Ballet Program offers full-time dance training, academic education and residential care for students in grades 6 to 12, and full-time dance training to post-secondary students through its Post-Secondary Program.

Auditions for the programs take the form of a specially designed ballet class where dancers are assessed for quality of movement, coordination and overall suitability for classical ballet. The minimum age to audition is 10, and no prior ballet training is required for those aged 12 and under.

From the more than 1,000 young dancers who audition each year, about 175 are chosen to participate in the second-stage assessment, a four-week summer school held at the National Ballet School in Toronto in July.

See www.nbs-enb.ca/Professional-Ballet for all the details.

In addition to auditions, the school is also offering open classes, which give both junior and senior dance students a chance to experience a class with National Ballet School artistic staff regardless of whether they intend to audition for the full-time program.

As a special bonus this year, the National Ballet School is offering a contest connected to Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which comes to theatres Nov. 2. Those who register early will be entered to win advance screening passes to the film or a movie-themed prize pack.

The contest closes on Oct. 21, so register soon.

The audition tour includes B.C. stops in Victoria, with open class on Sunday, Oct. 28 and auditions on Monday, Oct. 29; Kelowna, with open class on Thursday, Nov. 1 and auditions on Friday,  Nov. 2; and Vancouver, with open class on Saturday, Nov. 3 and auditions on Sunday, Nov. 4.

To register, see www.nbs-enb.ca.