A teacher leads a ballet class with young dancers

Ideas Exchange for Ballet Teachers 2024

Ideas Exchange for Ballet Teachers 2024

Engage in a series of in-person professional development workshops, classes and discussions.

 

Join us for our popular Ideas Exchange for Ballet Teachers! Ideas Exchange is a unique professional development opportunity, where dance educators from across Canada and beyond gather to share expertise and strengthen community. Join NBS’ faculty for engaging conversations and workshops on November 6, 7, and 8, 2024.

 

There are two workshop streams participants can choose from, focusing on pointe work or partnering and use of imagery:

 

Pointe Progressions – This workshop series will include sessions in pointe shoe fitting and customization, conditioning for pointe work, progression from beginner to intermediate level pointe training, a class observation, and more! 

 

Click here to register.

 

Classical and Contemporary Partnering & Use of Imagery – This workshop series will include sessions in partnering, integrating visualization with a focus on its use in training, elements of visualization, student observation, movement sessions, and more!

 

Click here to register.

 

Dates: November 6-8, 2024

Location: In-person at Canada's National Ballet School's campus at 400 Jarvis St., Toronto, ON
Fees: $500.00 
Alumni Discount: Please email ttp.admin@nbs-enb.ca 

 

 

Meet your instructors

Learn more about the Ideas Exchange 2024 instructors and presenters!

Dr. Rachel Bar

Elements of Visualization

Dr. Rachel Bar is the Director of Research and Health at Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS). She is a graduate of NBS’ Professional Ballet/Academic Program and danced with English National Ballet and the Israel Ballet. After retiring from performing, she completed her PhD in Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University (previously Ryerson University) and her Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Trent University's Trent Centre for Aging & Society. In her role at the school, Rachel manages NBS' Artistic Health Department and Research Institute. Her research focuses on dancers' health and dance for the health and wellness of the community.

 

Kiah Brubacher-Cressman

Anatomy Parts I & II

Krista Dowson

The Dancer’s Sole: Introduction to Pointe Shoe Fitting; Breaking-In & Customizing Pointe Shoes

Krista Dowson is an alumni from Canada’s National Ballet School and the National Ballet of Canada and danced on pointe for more than 20 years. 


As the Lead Pointe Shoe Fitter at The Shoe Room, Krista has had the privilege and pleasure of supporting the dance community one pair of pointe shoes at a time since 2017.

 

Lauri Fitz-Pegado

Panel Discussion

Kahina Haynes

Panel Discussion

Young Joo Lee

Build Ups & Progression

Young Joo Lee received her early dance training at the Sun Hwa Dance Academy in Seoul, Korea. She has an extensive dance education and holds a BA and M.P.E. in dance, both from Ewha Womans University. From 1995 to 1996, she studied the Vaganova teaching method at the Universal Ballet Academy also in Seoul, and in September 2004, joined the Teacher Training Program for professional dancers at Canada's National Ballet School.

 

As well as possessing an impressive dance teaching education, Young has performed professionally with the Ballet Blanc from 1989 to 1999. An artistic staff member at NBS since September 2006, she currently teaches in both the Professional Ballet Program as well as in the recreational Associates Program.

Keith Morino

Gaga Movement Class; Classical & Contemporary Partnering Workshop

Keith Morino is a graduate of Canada's National Ballet School. He began dancing with the Nederlands Dans Theatre II in The Hague, Netherlands, and continued his professional career in contemporary dance in Barcelona, Spain with Catalan choreographer Ramon Oller.

 

While in Spain Keith combined freelance performing with choreography for dance, theatre and opera, and teaching in different European companies and conservatories. In 2001 he joined the faculty of the Professional Dance Conservatory of Barcelona (EESA/CPD) as a contemporary dance teacher. From 2009– 2018 he was the Artistic and Academic Director of this Conservatory.


In September of 2018, Keith joined the teacher training program in the movement language method of Gaga, in Tel Aviv, Israel. He became a certified Gaga teacher in June of 2020.


He is currently part of the contemporary dance faculty of the EESA/CPD in Barcelona, and the artistic faculty of Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto, teaching both Contemporary dance classes and Gaga.

Phillip Payne

Movement Class; Classical & Contemporary Partnering Workshop

Born in Newfoundland and Labrador, Phillip started his ballet training at Quinte Ballet School of Canada and later completed his training with Murray and Nancy Kilgour at the Alberta Ballet School. As a dancer, Phillip has performed with companies such as Alberta Ballet, Ballet Jorgen Canada, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens and Opera Atelier.

 

In 2018, he joined Canada's National Ballet School's Teacher Training Program for Former Professionals. Two years later he graduated with distinction, was the recipient of the Betty Oliphant Award and joined the artistic staff at NBS. As a teacher, Phillip hopes to foster a positive learning environment where his students can explore their musicality, strengthen their technical ability and develop their artistry.

 

Ashleigh Powell

Pointe Conditioning

Ashleigh Powell is a teacher in the Professional Ballet Academic Program at Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS). As Head of Community Dance Programs, Ashleigh works with partners across the education, community programming and sport sectors to bring the widespread benefits of dance to all Canadians. A graduate with distinction from NBS’ Teacher Training Program, she is a recipient of the Carole Chadwick and the Betty Oliphant Awards for teaching. In addition, Ashleigh has worked extensively as a theatre choreographer and holds an Honours Degree in History and Sociology from the University of Toronto.

Rebekah Rimsay

Movement Class

Rebekah Rimsay received her ballet training at Canada's National Ballet School and, upon graduation, joined The National Ballet of Canada for a thirty-three-year performing career. As a First Soloist, she performed leading roles in The Nutcracker (Kudelka), La Sylphide (Bournonville), La Fille Mal Gardée (Ashton), and Serenade (Balanchine), as well as performing contemporary works by James Kudelka, William Forsythe, Paul Taylor, and Jiří Kylián. Rebekah went on to perform as a Principal Character Artist in roles such as Carabosse in Nureyev’s The Sleeping Beauty and The Other Stepsister and The Stepmother in Kudelka’s Cinderella. During her time at NBoC, Rebekah was also a guest rehearsal director and stager for ballets such as The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Cinderella. Rebekah joined NBS as a guest faculty member and rehearsal director in 2023 and has recently completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Dot Walker

Panel Discussion