Canada’s National Ballet School celebrates Canada 150 with Sharing Dance Day

Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) will kick off its nationwide celebration for Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation beginning June 2 at Sharing Dance Day event at Eau Claire Market.

A Canada 150 Signature Project, NBS’ Sharing Dance Day aims to bring Canadians and their communities together by empowering them to enjoy the physical, social, emotional and cultural benefits of dance.

The event includes professional dance performances, open free dance classes, activity booths, music and engaging activities for all ages and abilities. The highlight of each Signature Official Event will be performances of the 2017 Sharing Dance choreography, which has been taught and rehearsed across the country in dance studios, schools, community centres, long-term care facilities, and via online rehearsal videos - by children and youth, seniors and everyone in between - since January.

Nearly 200 communities (and counting), including schools and community spaces from coast-to-coast-to-coast - Vancouver to Yellowknife, Nunavut to Newfoundland - will be holding grassroots Sharing Dance Day events beginning June 2.

One of the events kicking off on June 2 will be held in downtown Calgary at Eau Claire Market ( 200 Barclay Parade SW) from 4-6pm. 

Led by NBS artistic staff, four Canadian choreographers, each representing distinct styles of dance, cultural backgrounds and geographic locations, collaborated to give voice and movement to a unique work that embodies and celebrates Canada’s diversity and artistic identity. Choreographers include Kimberley Cooper (Calgary, AB), Eugene Baffoe (Winnipeg, MB), Tracee Smith (Toronto, ON) and Roger Sinha (Montreal, QC).The choreography is set to a piece of Canadian music that was specially remixed for Sharing Dance, featuring throat singer Tiffany Ayalik, born in the Northwest Territories and of Inuit ancestry.

NCBS invites Canadians of all ages to put on their dancing shoes and make the most of Canada 150 through this inclusive and interactive celebration of dance, movement and our country.

To learn more about Sharing Dance or Sharing Dance Day, please visit: www.sharingdance.ca

Images Courtesy of Sharing Dance, Facebook.

Tagged as: #Canada150, #IAMDOWNTOWN, Canada National Ballet School, Sharing Dance