Ballet Montreal Performing Arts School
54 boul.Brunswick H9B 2L3 Pointe-Claire, QC, Canada

VERSATILITY Our Alumni dancers and teachers have chosen versatility as a key element to have in a dancer’s back pocket. Not only do you want to have as many doors as possible open for you, but the current freelance industry, and even repertoires of ballet companies, are extremely diverse in styles. ... It’s a given that you have your favourite, but it’s equally crucial to expose yourself to different disciplines, techniques, and movement approaches. Technique is supposed to help you express, not hinder you. - Frederic Moore, rehearsal director at The Ailey School. The more languages you have in your tool box, the more options, the more refined, the more expressive you become. LOOK OUT for our Alumni Guest this month, a truly exquisite dancer with whom we will discuss the importance of training in a variety of disciplines. CHECK OUT the variety of styles we offer on our website balletmontreal.ca Gabriella Sibeko pictured by Lexi Dysart

DETERMINED To make a change. We invite you to join us in creating a video montage that expresses ... WHY dance is essential to our community WHY dance schools should stay open 3 EASY STEPS: STEP 1: Hold your phone vertically and start recording your video STEP 2: Mon nom est/my name is_________ STEP 3: J’ai besoin de la danse parce que / I need dance because... J’ai besoin de mon studio de danse parce que / I need my dance studio because ... EN or FR By Tuesday, Nov. 10th!! As short, or as long as you would like Sent to our DMs or to our email [email protected] Let’s GO!!!!

WHY do we need dance? It’s easy to forget the WHY of things. Remembering our purpose is one of the most important steps when asking for change. ... WHY is dance a necessity in your life? WHY do we practice, everyday single day? WHY is it important for us to be in the studio with our peers? We invite you on this brainstorm to clarify our position Share with us in our comments or in our DMs, if that resonates with you Stills from Intermediate Contemporary, mid-September

CALLING YOU We have been feeling extremely disappointed with the recent red zone regulation extension. ... We’ve closed in the spring, and shifted our program Online neatly and out of necessity. We’ve then reopened in the summer strictly following the guidelines. We’ve had successfully running safe and effective Fall classes. Our students and teachers have been so awesome at embodying the protocol to pursue our activities. Yet here we are; malls open, dance studios closed. The very same kids in their respective classes, distanced and masked did not make the cut. 500 schools, more than a 130 000 kids enrolled. These kids need dance in their lives. A study done by Reseau Enseignement Danse claims that 80% of dance schools in Quebec are on the verge of not making it through financially. Dance keeps getting thrown into and out of the sports category depending on their convenience. Dance is fundamental to our physical and mental health. It’s life. It’s hope, happiness, discipline, sanity, expression, identity. We are currently collecting letters that express our needs of dancing in a studio, especially as we enter this coming winter season. REACH OUT to us for more guidance in composing these letters, and other resources DM US for a petition to be signed as well We want to be here for you, for your children, for our community At this time, we need your help to have our students back in our studios Sending all the strength to you as always, BM

COMMUNITY CONNECTION Something about reminding each other that we are all in this together has brought us strength and hope. Every moment, virtual or not, seems a little more precious these days. ... Enjoying watching our students continue their artistic journey one arabesque at a time. Stay tuned for our online offerings: Coffee Chat with Alumni Thursday 30