Company Life Program

A Segue to the Professional Dance World

Through the Company Life Program, we provide students the opportunity to experience the intensity and rigours of life in a dance company while still within the supportive environment of an educational program.

 

Today’s professional ballet dancers are expected to be more versatile and adept at managing their own professional development than at any other point in ballet’s history. Our Company Life Program concentrates on the refinement of skills and the professional development of a dancer after their completion of academic high school. We provide a supportive and flexible transition from completion of training to full-time professional practice. 


The primary difference between the life of a dance student and the life of a professional dancer in a company is the intensity of the rehearsal and performance schedules. Not only do dancers in a company spend many more hours a day rehearsing and performing, they are also expected to pick up new choreography quickly and are often called upon to rehearse several works at once. In addition to physical endurance, this requires significant mental stamina. Dancers must learn to manage their time and energy while taking full responsibility for their professionalism. By mirroring the demands of professional company life, students can explore who they are as artists while receiving educational support.

 
Two dancers gracefully perform in Giselle during NBS Spring Showcase

Highlights of the Company Life Program

Throughout the school year, our Company Life Program students will:

  • Follow a program of intensive daily training in the morning, followed by rehearsals and/or performances in the afternoon and evening.

  • Train with and be coached by professionals from across the industry in order to gain exposure to the wide variety of dance styles and approaches they will encounter in the professional world.

  • Develop time management skills.

  • Perform for live audiences in the Betty Oliphant Theatre.

  • Have opportunities to participate in performances with the National Ballet of Canada.

  • Be guided in their career planning process and receive support in developing professional materials for their audition portfolios.

This full-time program runs from September to July. Attendance at Summer School is mandatory, except for students selected by the ballet faculty to participate in NBS’ Student Exchange Program.

 

Who can apply: Graduates of our own Professional Ballet-Academic Program, as well as other students with a high school diploma who have reached an appropriately advanced level of training, may apply for this program. 

Audition

Take an important step in your professional dance career and audition for the Company Life Program today!

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Performance Opportunities

Dancers in the Company life Program have the opportunity to work with a range of world-class choreographers and explore a diversity of innovative and dynamic repertoire.


Through numerous performance opportunities at NBS’ Betty Oliphant Theatre—a professional-sized stage—our dancers are able to explore their artistic and technical potential. Performance opportunities with The National Ballet of Canada are also possible for dancers.

Health & Safety

We are committed to developing confident, self-aware dancers capable of fully exploring their artistic potential. We continue to pioneer the use of health professionals to support this goal.


Our on-site specialists include nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, psychiatrists, social workers and nutritionists; consultants are also available to individual students upon request. For resident students, a pediatrician is on call and consulted as needed. All of our buildings are monitored by 24-hour security personnel and all visitors are required to sign in at the reception area. The school facilities have been constructed in accordance with the Ontario Building Code and are inspected regularly by the City of Toronto.

Living In Residence

NBS’ residence buildings are part of the School’s state-of-the-art campus in downtown Toronto.


NBS students who live in residence experience a wonderful combination of new and old architecture. Our main residence building is on Maitland Street, and our students take their meals on site at either the Celia Franca Centre or in the residence dining hall at Currie Hall.

 

Our residence staff are friendly and caring, respect the specific needs of each student and work diligently to ensure a comfortable and safe home away from home for each of our students.

 

Note: due to the limited space available in residence, students in the NBS Post-Secondary Program may be responsible for their own accommodations.

*Additional fees for all students include $100 Registration fee and an $80 Yearbook fee. Internationals student will also pay an additional $630 for Elite Health Insurance. The fee for Elite Health Insurance can be waived with proof of private health insurance coverage. These amounts are subject to change.

      

Day Students

Boarding Students

Canadian Students

$19,410

$38,610

International Students

$33,140

$52,340

MathildeRoberge

Mathilde Roberge, Company Life Program Student

If you are looking to do another year of vigorous professional training after graduating, I would most definitely recommend the Company Life Program. This program is the perfect bridge between your training years as a student and your professional career.

Riku

Riku Hirakoba, Company Life Program Student

This program is designed to experience what it is like to join a professional ballet company and I really think there were a lot of things I learned and experienced this year. Not only ballet but also contemporary dance and new pieces that really improve the growth of body movement.

Emma Olivier, Company Life Program Student

My first year in Canada National Ballet School’s Company Life Program was pivotal in my training. I believe it was the year I grew the most as a dancer both physically and mentally.

Do you have a question?

If you have any questions about the Company Life Program, including inquiries about auditions, please email registrar@nbs-enb.ca.