Professional Ballet-Academic Program

Class sizes are small, allowing for enriched learning within the classroom. Our academic teachers are highly qualified subject specialists, most of whom are Ontario Certified Teachers.

Our staff members address the varied learning styles of our students including, most significantly, the kinesthetic; dance-oriented activities are included in subjects when the opportunity arises. Students follow the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum and, upon successful completion, graduate with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Although most graduates naturally go on to dance professionally, we ensure that our students are prepared for university and careers beyond dance.

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.

For Day Students and Boarding Students alike, life at NBS offers both the fulfilling experience of being in a thriving educational environment alongside key leadership opportunities.

From Student Council to the yearbook committee, art fashion show to performances and assemblies, candy grams and other fundraisers to school dances and picnics and more, the student life experience at NBS is both rich and abundant. In addition, students often sit on planning committees with our staff to bring their voices and participation to events that engage a broader audience of stakeholders and supporters. They also join their peers from ballet schools around the world to help drive decision-making for key international initiatives such as Assemblée Internationale, World Ballet School Day and more.

With a network of 24 partner schools from Montreal to Winnipeg, New York, Australia, Germany and beyond, NBS students have the opportunity to experience the best of the dance world through exchange!

At NBS, we strongly believe that training experience in other professional ballet schools and exposure to different teaching styles broadens a student's dancing and performance skills. Our senior students are encouraged to spend at least one summer school abroad, studying ballet at one of our international partner schools. The experience enhances their dance knowledge, exposes them to other dance teachers and helps keep the global dance community network thriving!

To their teaching, our staff bring a love of dance, years of experience and training expertise honed through professional dance experience and/or continuing professional development.

From garnering their own experiences on the world stage to honing their dance teaching skills through the Teacher Training Program at NBS, our ballet teachers are excellent at what they do while modeling lifelong learning for their students. Our ballet teachers are at the forefront of our student-first values, and lead the charge on innovation and evolution of ballet training art form.

Get to know our ballet staff