ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The program, running from January 2 – 5 2025 offers pre-professional and professional dancers aged 15-22 a four-day intensive of skills-based classes designed to offer participants a deep dive into the practices of improvisation and floor work. Each day will focus on honing technical abilities while encouraging personal exploration and creativity within these key areas. Participants will leave with enhanced movement quality, control, and a broader understanding of these essential components in contemporary dance.

Auditions for the 2025 Winter Intensive are now closed. Sign up to receive notifications when auditions open next year.

WHO IS THE WINTER INTENSIVE FOR?

The Ballet BC Winter Intensive is for those who are eager to refine and develop specific skills required in a professional dance company setting, including improvisational techniques and fluidity in floor work.

PROGRAM

• Free Movement: Each day will begin with a two-hour Free Movement session, designed to gently awaken the physical body while tuning into the subtleties of the energetic body. This class invites participants to move intuitively, exploring their unique movement style in a non-judgmental space. Through improvisation and spontaneous exploration, dancers will deepen their connection to their own physicality, discovering new possibilities within their bodies, and entering into a dynamic, playful relationship with movement and self-expression.

• Improvisation: In this session, participants will be guided through various improvisational techniques, offering fresh perspectives on how to generate movement in the moment. Through exercises and prompts, dancers will gain a deeper understanding of their own impulses and choices, learning how these decisions shape the material they create. This process of self-discovery and exploration will allow participants to refine their approach to improvisation, ultimately enhancing their creativity and presence as movers.

• Floor Work: This class focuses on refining participants’ ability to interact with the floor in a seamless, organic way. Building on foundational floorwork techniques, dancers will work on increasing their control, fluidity, and speed while transitioning in and out of the floor. The aim is to help participants develop a sense of ease and confidence in using the floor as an integral part of their movement, transforming the way they engage with gravity and space.