Kieron Harper, Olivia MacLean, Mollie Oates-Johnson in Alice the Ballet at the Spatz Theatre Feb 17

Kieron Harper, Olivia MacLean, and Mollie Oates-Johnson are in the cast of Alice the Ballet, hosted by Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts and The Conservatory School of Dance. 

The ballet takes place February 17, 2019 at the Spatz Theatre in Halifax. There are two performances, at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.

Kieron Harper, second from left, will play
the Mad Hatter in Alice the Ballet.

Kieron Harper will play the Mad Hatter in Alice. 

He received a Talent Trust dance scholarship in 2017 and attended the School of Alberta Ballet.

Kieron was one of the winners of the Collective Creation Award for choreography in the 2018 Dance Nova Scotia Taking Steps to Fly competition.

Dancer Olivia MacLean.

Olivia MacLean recently received a pair of Talent Trust dance scholarships to support her studies. 

She attended the four-week 2018 Summer Intensive at Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) in Toronto, and in the fall of 2018 Olivia studied dance at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts in Halifax.

Dancer Mollie Oates-Johnson.

Mollie Oates-Johnson received Talent Trust dance scholarships in 2017 and 2018. 

She’s studied at the Leica Hardy School of Dance and attended summer intensive programs at the School of Alberta Ballet, Dallas Conservatory, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and National Ballet School. 

Mollie was in the lineup for KiDanCo’s spring 2018 season and more recently appeared in the beloved holiday favourite The Nutcracker at the Rebecca Cohn in Halifax.

Alice the Ballet features 35 dancers ages eight to 18 from the conservatory’s award-winning School of Dance, including senior students from the professional program dancing the lead roles.

This adaptation, filled with elaborate costumes, outlandish characters and vivid sets, combines elements of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. The ballet is set to the score of Edvard Grieg.

The School of Dance’s annual children’s production provides students and the community with a rare opportunity to experience a full-scale classical ballet.

Children of all ages are welcome to attend a pre-show Alice the Ballet craft event at 12:30 p.m. in the lobby of Spatz theatre. 

During intermissions the audience will be able to have posters signed and photos taken with the dancers from the ballet.

For more information, see the Alice the Ballet Facebook event page.

Details
Alice the Ballet
Sunday, February 17, 2019
1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Spatz Theatre, Halifax

Tickets $20 and $15
Purchase tickets online from the Spatz Theatre.

Devoted to Dance - Meet Ballet Dancer and Student Maggie Oates-Johnson

Maggie Oates-Johnson is one of the Talent Trust’s younger scholarship recipients. She's also one of the seven who appear in our 75th anniversary scholarship campaign video.

Maggie received her first scholarship and won the Talent Trust Robert George Jackson Award in 2017. 

That award was established in 2011 and, if merited, is awarded to a scholarship recipient who shows exceptional commitment and potential in dance.

Behind the scenes at the Talent Trust video
shoot. Photo: Filet Production Services.

Maggie received a second scholarship in 2018 to study at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Connecticut. In the summer of 2016 and 2017 she attended Canada’s National Ballet School. 

Maggie began her journey in dance at the age of three, under the watchful eye of teacher Leica Hardy. She’s danced with KiDanCo, the pre-professional company at the Leica Hardy School of Dance in Dartmouth, Halifax Dance, the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, and has performed in Symphony Nova Scotia’s The Nutcracker since 2014. She recently performed as a Local Participant in Anastasia with Canada’s Ballet Jorgen.

Tina Oates-Johnson watches daughter Maggie rehearse.

Dance is a big part of the Oates-Johnson household. Maggie’s elder sister Mollie is also a Talent Trust scholarship recipient. She began her studies with Leica Hardy, and in addition to being part of the KiDanCo company, Mollie has attended summer sessions at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Canada’s National Ballet School, and The School of Alberta Ballet.

In addition to great teachers and mentors, family often plays a significant role in a young artist’s development. Dancers need clothing, footwear and lessons, and there’s the time and travel to rehearsals and performances. It takes a lot to get a performer to the stage.

Maggie’s parents, Tina and Trevor, appear with her in our 75th anniversary scholarship campaign video. We’d like to thank them, along with Maggie, for being so generous with their time to work with us to make our video project truly special.




Want to be part of the campaign to double Talent Trust scholarship funds? Click here to donate. And thank you!

A Postcard from the Summer Ballet Intensive at the NBS

Summer is the time when most of us expect students to be doing anything but studying. We figure they’re busy with summer jobs, spending time at the beach, hanging out with their friends, and making the most of that brief, magical couple of months when school is out.

It can be a whole other world for arts students. For them, summer is the time for intensives, art residencies and master classes. School is most definitely in.

This summer we got a lovely summer greeting from Olivia MacLean, who received a Talent Trust scholarship to attend a four-week Summer Intensive at Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) in Toronto.

This isn't a casual thing — students need an invitation from NBS to attend, after passing an audition during the Fall/Winter National Audition Tour. Approximately 175 students attend the summer session each July.

In the photos below we see Olivia with teachers Lin Zhou (left) and Carina Bomers.

  

We were delighted to follow Olivia’s progress over her summer studies and look forward to see what she does next.

This story originally appeared in the Talent Trust August newsletter. Click here to subscribe!

Aidan Vaudreuil Wins Place in Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division

Aidan Vaudreuil has been accepted into the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) School full time Professional Division. 

Aidan is one of the Talent Trust’s newest scholarship recipients. He was awarded two scholarships this year, including a summer 2018 scholarship to attend the RWB’s four-week summer audition program, which enabled him to be accepted into his next phase of training, which begins in September. 

The RWB School Professional Division offers classical ballet training based on the Russian system. This training is accompanied by a full program of study in complementary dance forms. This results in versatile dancers and dance teachers with the ability to find meaningful employment in their profession. 

Aidan previously studied at the Maritime Dance Academy, and received a Talent Trust scholarship in 2017. 

We'd like to congratulate Aidan on his summer success and wish him all the best with his studies in September.

Aidan Vaudreuil with RWB Professional Division teacher Kira Hauffman

Dance - Ballet Workshops with Hanna Mae Cruddas

Hannah Mae Cruddas will conduct Ballet Workshops on Thursday, June 28 at East Coast Dance Academy, 5665 St. Margaret's Bay Road. The sessions are open to all studios and dancers.

7-9yrs: 5-6pm $15
10-12yrs: 6-7:15pm $20
13+ yrs: 7:15pm-8:45pm $25 
Teacher Observation: $10 for any workshop

Pre-register to reserve your spot: info@ecda.ca

Born and raised in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Hannah Mae trained at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts and The Leica Hardy School of Dance, before moving to Toronto at age 16 to graduate from Canada's National Ballet School. 

Upon graduation, she joined Canada's Ballet Jörgen and is currently in her seventh season with the company. She's danced in many of Jörgen's works including Anastasia (in the title role), Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, and Cinderella, and had the opportunity to create the role of the Lilac Fairy in Jörgen's Sleeping Beauty. 

During her time in Toronto, Hannah Mae has been privileged to work with many choreographers and repetiteurs including Bengt Jörgen, Svea Eklof, Robert Desrosier, Malgorzata Nowaka, Aszure Barton, Peggy Baker and Lindsay Fischer. 

She is honoured to have received various scholarships and awards, including the Janice and Brian Flemming scholarship and the NSTT Lieutenant Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. 

Micaela Archer-Shee and Julia Barkhouse: Snow Queen at Alderney Landing, Dartmouth Dec 1-3, 2017

Coastal Dance Theatre Society presents:

Snow Queen
Artistic Director: Micaela Archer-Shee

Alderney Landing Theatre
Dec 1 at 7:30 PM
Dec 2 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
Dec 3 Matinee only at 2:00 PM

Poster: Jordan Horne as Snow Queen, Emily Turple as Kaya, Julia Barkhouse as Gerta 

http://coastaldance.ca/coastal-dance-theatre/

Tickets available at ticketpro.ca or call 1-888-311-9090


Coastal Dance Theatre’s 2017 adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “Snow Queen”

Hans Christian Andersen wrote The Snow Queen about 175 years ago. It is a magical story about friendship, courage and determination.

Kaya is Gerda's very best friend, but at a Christmas skating party, Kaya looks up at the snowflakes and her eye is struck by a falling piece of the Snow Queen ‘s Magic Mirror. The wicked mirror makes everything beautiful and kind look ugly and mean...and Kaya can only see hateful and nasty things. She is mean to Gerda and to all her friends and is swept away by the Snow Queen to her cold palace in the North.

But Gerda is determined to rescue Kaya and bravely follows her through many adventures until, all alone, she can save her friend from the Snow Queen 's cold grasp.

Join brave Gerda on her exciting quest to rescue her best friend Kaya from the spell of the cold Snow Queen. Meet Imps and courtiers, snowflakes and flowers, crows and robbers as Gerda travels ever North to the Snow Queen 's palace to free Kaya.

Ian Parsons choreography 'Fugitive Things' was performed by Maritime Conservatory Dance Students - have a look

Ian Parsons (2005 NSTT Pat Richard award) was back in Halifax during the summer to work with Maritime Conservatory dance students during their summer intensive. See below what the students were able to achieve with only two weeks of rehearsals and Ian's guidance. 



Fugitive Things from Ian Parsons on Vimeo.

Congratulations!
You can find more information about Ian Parsons at his website: http://www.ianparsons.com/

Hannah Mae Cruddas dances the Lead Fairy in 'Cinderella'

Photo Credit: Ballet Joergen

Hannah Mae Cruddas, (2007 NSTT Lieutenant Governor's Award) stars in Cinderella with Canada's Ballet Jörgen. She will be dancing the role of the Lead Fairy. 
Friday, April 17 and  
Saturday, April 18 at the  
Dalhousie Arts Centre in Halifax. 

More information can be found at: www.dal.ca