Reaching a New Generation

Ballet BC’s Outreach work aims to increase access to exceptional contemporary dance with programs that support wellness through movement and self-expression, empower embodied creativity in individuals and groups of all ages, and cultivate a creative and dynamic dialogue between the company’s artistic work and the people we engage with.

By sharing Ballet BC performances, workshops and creative processes in schools and communities across the province, our work creates an expanded space for the relevance, application, and understanding of our art form, on and off the stage. 

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Moving Schools

In School Classes & Workshops

Ballet BC offers classes and workshops at elementary and secondary schools throughout Metro Vancouver, and at our studios on Granville Island. Fully subsidized for public schools, these sessions consist of creative movement, contemporary technique, Ballet BC repertoire elements, intermodal arts explorations, and/or discussion. Classes are adapted to dance and non-dance students alike, and for dance programs of all styles, and provide an embodied learning experience related to a current Ballet BC work. Classes engage elements of the BC Ministry of Education’s Know-Do-Understand approach to learning, to support an empowered relationship to contemporary dance and personal creativity.

Studio Tours

Studio tours offer an opportunity for students and educators to visit our facility on Granville Island, engage in an on-site workshop, and get up close and personal with our staff and dancers and the operations of a professional arts organization.

Student and Community Dress Rehearsals

Ballet BC offers school-aged students and community groups and organizations the opportunity to experience a live dress rehearsal ahead of each program performed at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Access to the student dress rehearsal is free, but pre-registration is required. Both in-person and virtual participation are available. 

  • Elementary and secondary school groups
  • Seniors groups
  • Community organizations working with underrepresented groups
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Ballet BC Annex

Ballet BC Annex, a collaboration with Vancouver’s Arts Umbrella Dance and Modus Operandi, offers an invaluable opportunity for students throughout BC to engage in world-class dance education and programming. Providing meaningful career experience for pre-professional dancers and enabling Ballet BC to increase its reach and impact in its community, Annex brings professional repertoire, performances, and workshops to schools across the province.

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Moving Communities

Ballet BC’s work in the community aims to allow a diverse public to engage with our art form, bringing accessible movement and dance-based workshops to a number of non-profit organizations in the Greater Vancouver area. 

Current collaborations include:

Ageless Dancers | Seniors-55+

Administered by the Vancouver Park Board in association with the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre, and led by Ballet BC Outreach and Engagement Manager Heather Myers, this dance program supports community and creative expression later in life, exploring themes related to Ballet BC work. 

Union Gospel Mission

Ballet BC partners with Vancouver’s Union Gospel Mission, offering contemporary dance and somatic movement practices to children and youth which support creativity and self-expression.

Big Sisters

Ballet BC partners with Big Sisters for a workshop series in which mentors and mentees connect to themselves and each other through movement-based expressive arts.

Dance Studios

Ballet BC offers viewing and workshop packages for studios wanting to provide a professional dance experience to their students, including a master class taught by one of our company artists.

Community Comps

Our Community Comps program identifies and engages local organizations doing great work with underrepresented communities in the Vancouver area, inviting them to share a QET performance experience with us at no cost. 

Moving Ideas

Creative Immersion Workshops

Throughout each season, Ballet BC connects dance and visual art through public Creative Immersion workshops. These expressive arts sessions, led by Manager of Outreach and Education Heather Myers, will explore themes related to our mainstage programming and are open to all. 

Pre-Performance Talks

Prior to each Ballet BC performance at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, join us on the Mezzanine Level (second floor) from 7-7:30pm, as choreographers and other guest artists or artistic staff engage in conversation about what you will experience on stage, the creative process, and our art form. All ticket holders are welcome!

For more information please contact Ballet BC Manager of Outreach and Engagement Heather Myers: hmyers@balletbc.com