Alberta Ballet School invites you to our 2023-2024 season!

With the new year upon us, Alberta Ballet School is beginning to make arrangements for the 2023-2024 school year. We’ll continue to offer a variety of world-class training options for students attending the school, as well as those living in Calgary and Edmonton who wish to seek out supplementary dance training. Our goal remains the utmost excellence in dance education and training as the top priority. We will accomplish this through on-site academic education, classical training, and contemporary training. All of our programs offer the opportunity to engage with an internationally-recognized ballet curriculum. Students are guided by mentorship and instruction from experienced faculty, guest teachers, and Alberta Ballet’s professional dancers. Alberta Ballet School continues to prioritize a holistic approach to movement, learning, and academics; this will see the preservation of many of our supplementary programming to carefully consider the overall wellness of all dancers.

Programming for 2023-2024

The 2023-2024 season will include a significant portion of the programming our dancers and students have come to know and love. Alberta Ballet School is currently conducting auditions for the Professional Division as well as the 2023 Summer Intensive.

The Professional Division is designed for students in grades 7-12, providing academic instruction and artistic training. For those with aspirations to become professional dancers, this school-year program allows for the pursuit of this long-term goal while accomplishing learning requirements. Instruction is divided into halves each school day, with one half featuring academic instruction and the other involving artistic instruction with a carefully procured group of dance faculty, professionals, and guest teachers. Because it is designed to resemble an academic program like any other, students have the opportunity to engage in extracurricular activities. This facilitates school spirit, leadership and life skills, and friendships, and allows students to plan and participate in community and school events.

For any dance who is interested in learning more about our program, building their skills, or trialling what the school’s programming might be like, we also off the Summer Intensive. This is a three-week program recommended for students looking to get their feet wet in the world of professional ballet. The dates for the 2023 Summer Intensive Program are July 17 – August 4, 2023, taking place in Calgary, Alberta. Instruction will focus on Ballet, Pas De Deux (for select levels), Variations, Pointe Work, Repertoire, Character Dance, Contemporary, and Body Conditioning. This summer program is an exceptional way to work with experienced professionals, as well as an opportunity to be considered for placement in the 2023-2024 Professional Division Program.

Alberta Ballet School also offers a Post-Graduate program for students who have completed their high school diploma and are hoping to receive more dance training before auditioning for professional dance companies. This two-year program is designed to nurture the skills of aspiring professional dancers and focus on both technique and artistry. International students are invited to participate in the post-graduate program, and post-graduate students are eligible for the residence program at Alberta Ballet School should they be joining us from outside of Calgary. Please note that we require all students (regardless of age or specific program) to live in residence if they are not living in Calgary.

Audition Process and Schedule

2022.2023 Alberta Ballet School from Alberta Ballet School on Vimeo.

There are many ways you can audition for the 2023-2024 season. Select cities, listed below, have opportunities for in-person auditions – we are also completing virtual auditions on March 17, 2023, as well as inviting prospects to audition via video. These auditions will be used for consideration for the 2023 Summer Intensive and the 2023-2023 Professional Division Programs. The Winter Schedule is as follows:

Junior & Senior Dance Auditions

Junior dancers are those who will be entering academic grades 6 through 9 in September 2023.

Senior dancers are those who will be entering academic grades 10 through 12 in September 2023.

Winter audition dates:

• Ottawa – Friday, February 3, 2023
• Toronto – Friday, February 3, 2023
• Saskatoon – Sunday, February 5, 2023
• Burnaby – Sunday, February 5, 2023
• Nanaimo – Monday, February 6, 2023 – Brand New Audition Location!
• Calgary – Monday, February 6, 2023
• Edmonton – Monday, March 6, 2023

Harness your opportunity to bolster your skills and artistry in your ballet technique. Find the audition option that works best for you and connect with Alberta Ballet School today. See the video audition instructions below.

To accommodate budgetary and/or scheduling constraints, we are accepting video auditions to support those who will not be able to make in-person appointments. Specific requirements are needed in your video to be considered; below are the requirements for junior and senior students to audition via video submission:

• Barre Work; not to exceed 5 minutes in length and one side only

> Pliés

> Battement tendus

> Adage

> Grands battements

> Please be sure to film straight on or on a diagonal, and avoid sideways.

• Centre; not to exceed 5 minutes in length and demonstrated on both sides

> Adage

> Pirouettes, en dehors and en dedans

> Petit allegro

> Grand allegro

• Pointe Work; aged 12 and over, one side only

> Slow rises

> Echappé relevé

• Centre; for dancers aged 14 and over

> Echappé relevé in 2nd and 4th, relevés and relevés passé

> Pirouettes en dehors and en dedans (both sides)

> Diagonal turns of choice

• Male Identifying Applicants; aged 14 and over

> Echappé battu

> tour en l’air

• Variations; for dancers aged 14 and over

Post-Graduate and Alberta Ballet Trainee Program Audition requirements:

• Barre Work; not to exceed 5 minutes in length and one side only

> Pliés

> Battement tendus

> Adage

> Grands battements

> Please be sure to film straight on or on a diagonal, and avoid sideways. 

• Centre; not to exceed 5 minutes in length and demonstrated on both sides

> Adage

> Pirouettes, en dehors and en dedans

> Petit allegro

> Grand allegro

• Pointe Work; one side only

> Slow rises

> Echappé relevé

• Centre

> Echappé relevé in 2nd and 4th, relevés and relevés passé

> Pirouettes en dehors and en dedans (both sides)

> Diagonal turns of choice

• Male Identifying Applicants

> Echappé battu

> Tour en l’air

• Variation(s)

If you intend to submit a video audition for any of our programs, you may do so here.

The intentional structuring of the experience at Alberta Ballet School is meant to establish a long-term welcoming and exciting environment for all students who walk (and dance!) through our doors. We are continuously taking feedback from students and research partners to find new ways to enrich the experiences of our attendees. Our holistic approach to dance education ensures students will prioritize health and wellness, artistry, and academics. We also aim to make our school as accessible as possible for international students, regardless of their country of origin. As noted, there are a variety of different opportunities to audition for Alberta Ballet School – we hope you’ll find the best fit for you and consider auditioning. If you have any further questions about any of our programs or the audition process, please feel free to reach out to our team. You can send us a note on our website, email us, or give us a call at 403.245.2274 ext. 722.