Performances, Festivals, & Competitions
Throughout the year, the Edmonton School of Ballet and the Edmonton School of Ballet Society participate in and host special events.
Although costumes are provided for students for all group performances, students will need to provide tights, jazz pants, and shoes for each dance. New tights/jazz pants are required for performances.
Students are expected to know and perform the choreography with accuracy. Students should strive to meet the technical and artistic requirements of the piece. Students who meet the requirements will be included in performances. Performing is a privilege that must be earned by students at ESB and in the ESBS Dance Program. Students can earn the privilege with strong attendance, active participation, positive attitude and consistent effort in all classes. Students may be removed from choreography and performances at the discretion of the teacher/choreographer and/or Artistic Director at any time. Please be aware that practice by oneself and/or knowledge of the choreography is not sufficient to perform. Just like team sports or other group activities, dance requires group practice to achieve excellence in timing, spacing, staging and emotion by every performer. “I’ll do it for the show” is not an appropriate attitude and doing so does not allow choreographers to clean the dance. Such cases often result in mistakes and even injury to the dancer or other dancers.
Students are responsible for the care of all costumes provided for performances. Please remember that there is absolutely no eating or drinking (except water) while in costume. Students will be charged for repair and cleaning costs if they are damaged or soiled beyond regular use. Students must return costumes in the condition they were received, on a hanger with a name tag and all accessories carefully attached. All students, regardless of age, are required to use deodorant while in costume. Every student should own a garment bag which they can use to transport costumes, should the need arise (i.e. Alberta Dance Festival and other competitions).
Students will need to purchase all of the make-up needed for performances. Students and parents should carefully read the 'stage make-up and its application' pages for guidance on colours and how do prepare the standard Edmonton School of Ballet make-up look. Teachers will specify whether or not their group should follow the standard school make-up look or if they need anything special. It is very important that dancers in a group look uniform and professional, so focus on colours for eyes, lips, and cheeks is of utmost importance. Hair for performances will be determined by the choreographer. All hair should be neat and professional looking. Hair must be a suitable color for performances.
Stage make-up and its application
Summer School Review - Held on the last Saturday of every Summer School, the Summer School Review is the culmination of 2 weeks of intense training. Dancers demonstrate choreographic works in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, and Musical Theatre. This is a costumed performance and is held at a local theatre.
Fall Showcase - Held on a Sunday in November, this in-progress performance allows dancers the opportunity to demonstrate the work they have already accomplished early on in the season. It is also the performance where students get to showcase their own choreography.
Spring Show - All ballet students at the ESB and ESBS perform in the Spring Show (with the exception of classes starting in January). Students are required to attend rehearsals for the Spring Show. These include the set/prop, rehearsal, the dress rehearsal and photo day and the technical rehearsal. Further information regarding the dates of these rehearsals can be found in our monthly newsletters. They are normally held on Sundays in February and March. The Spring Show is typically held the third Sunday in March at the Jubilee Auditorium. Please see the Event Calendar to confirm this date.
Junior and Senior Contemporary Shows - All students in jazz, tap, modern, hip hop, or musical theatre classes are required to attend a dress rehearsal and photo day held at the school in April. The Junior and Senior contemporary shows are typically held the 2nd week of May at the Myer Horowitz Theatre, SUB, University of Alberta. Please see the Event Calendar to confirm this date.
Novice Show - The novice show is a special performance for our youngest students. All Beginner 3-4, 5-6, 7-9, Nursery, and Primary classes perform in this theatre show each June, with special guest appearances from some of our more experienced students.
Variations Rehearsal - Students in the Dance Program will be required to attend a special rehearsal at the Myer Horowitz Theatre to prepare their variations for festival. In 2006, this event coincided with the Contemporary Show technical rehearsal. Please watch for information about this important and mandatory rehearsal.
Solo/Duet Rehearsal - All students registered to perform solos, duets, or trios in the ADEA Dance Festival are given the opportunity to perform at this show.
Others - Students from the ESBS and/or the ESB may be involved in other performances or may wish to attend performances they are not dancing in. Such performances may include the Novice Show in June, small shows that are not currently scheduled, Santa Claus Parade or performances by either of the schools affiliated companies—Edmonton Festival Ballet or Edmonton Contemporary Dancers. Past performances have included work with the Edmonton Opera Company and the Edmonton Symphony. Information concerning upcoming performances will be made available in the monthly newsletter.
Please remember that when watching your child’s performance several important factors help everyone enjoy the show. Turn off all cell phones and pagers. Do not enter or exit during the performance and do not move around the theatre. Please stay and enjoy all the performances so that each student in our school has an audience for their dance – do not leave at Intermission. Please be as quiet as possible during the performance. These small points educate our children on theatre etiquette and make for a positive and enjoyable dance event. Students may not leave any performance early without prior arrangements with and approval by the director.
When attending or participating in performances and competitions, students are acting as representatives of the Edmonton School of Ballet. Impeccable behavior is expected both in the audience and backstage. Students should clap enthusiastically to show their appreciation and support, but screaming, calling out the dancer’s name or whistling is inappropriate.
ADEA - Alberta Dance Festival - In May, the Alberta Dance Educators Association hosts the Alberta Dance Festival at the Myer Horowitz (SUB) Theatre. The Festival allows dancers to perform in front of other dancers, receive evaluation and feedback from a professional adjudicator and work together as a corps de ballet. The Festival runs for 10 days in May and always includes the long weekend. Students may be scheduled to perform at any time and it is not possible to move groups. It is very important that every student participate as missing students cause a great disruption and affect the group mark. Please do not let your group down and be sure to keep the entire Festival time frame free (including the holiday weekend), until schedules are available in late March.
ESBS students are included in appropriate Festival group numbers as part of their training and costs are included in the student fees. Students also have the option of participating in a solo, duet, trio or quartet of their choice (see performing privileges). Registration information for solos/duets/trios/quartets will be available from the Dance Office in September. The fees charged for these optional performances include choreography, rehearsal and entry fees. Students (under the direction of their choreographer) are responsible for their own costuming for solos and duets. Costumes may be rented from the ESB wardrobe room.
Some competitions that our dancers have performed in (where appropriate) include Dance Power, American Dance Awards, Terpsichore, and Can Dance.
The Edmonton School of Ballet is excited to offer many different performance opportunities to our dancers and many of the city's best theatres. These venues include the following the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Myer Horowitz Theatre, Eva O. Howard Theatre, and the John L. Haar Theatre. Please click here for further information on our many venues.
