Adult Ballet Classes - Canada

[mom2]

Hamilton CAN be very nice - just like any city I suppose there are some not so wonderful bits.

 

There are dance classes at McMaster University, also Hamilton City Ballet and the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts.

 

My daughter took class a few times with the fellow from Hamilton City ballet (Max Ratevosian) - she enjoyed his classes. At the time he was also teaching adult open classes at McMaster University - I don't know if he still does.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

m2

[rgzannie]

In London, ON, there is one called Errington-Graham Dance which offers adult classes and claims to be a pre-pro school, and is fairly centrally located.

In Metropolitan Toronto, the TTC (ttc.ca) is a convenient way to get around, and all of the studios mentioned so far in the toronto area are accessible by TTC. Like any large city, there are many areas that are very nice to live in that are close to the public transit, and some that are less desirable. Looks like there are a few on this forum that can help you with suggestions for neighbourhoods.

Further outside of the metropolitan area, there is also Go Transit (rail and bus) available.

[whatsthepointe]

Hi,

 

I am taking classes both at the NBS (adult recreational program, level II/III) and at Dance Teq (still beginner!), in Toronto.

Both schools have their ups and downs, but I find their teachers generally good. It depends on your level: there are many more classes at NBS geared towards beginners than advanced dancers - while at Dance Teq it is the opposite. I find the program at NBS more coherent, classes are well organized and if you take one of Bob's classes, you're bound to have fun, too!

I tried one of the intermediate classes at Dance Teq: there were many ex-professional dancers and I believe the level of the class was aimed more at them than to intermediate students. Dance Teq's biggest pro is the open class schedule.

 

Hope this helps.

 

BTW, does anybody know where to take pointe classes in Toronto? I started in Montreal with my teacher (the astounding, awesome Victoria Yakobov), but I cannot find neither pointe classes nor Vaganova teachers (for 30-something people) here in Toronto...

[rgzannie]

whatsthepointe - Where in Toronto do you want to go? Downtown, east end, west end, uptown? It would help to know what area you want to travel to in order make suggestions. Thanks.

[Clara 76]

Haha!! Love the screenname, whatsthepointe!! Oh, and welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers!!! We have a great group of adult ballet students here so welcome to the club!

[whatsthepointe]

Haha!! Love the screenname, whatsthepointe!!

When I told my sister-in-law I was taking ballet classes at the age of 30, she actually exclaimed: "what is the point?". She could not believe some people would do ballet for the pure joy of it... Her loss, I s'ppose...

 

I live downtown Toronto. I took pointe classes over the summer @ Dance Teq, but I do not feel comfortable to practice on my own (except basic exercises for strengthening - I have a weak left foot). I am willing to travel a bit, but not having a car, I have to rely on public transit...

 

Thanks!

[kylara7]

I'm moving to Toronto by the end of the year and am actively looking at ballet studios that hold adult classes. I've read through this thread and have looked up many of the places mentioned, but does anyone have any updated info/recent reviews? I'll be living downtown, near the financial/Univ. of Toronto area and using public transportation. I'm looking to take class 3-5 times per week (if I can swing the schedule and the $) and am aiming for pre-pointe/point in the near future. I've been going to 3 different places for the past 2 years (two different studios w/ adult classes and also taking ballet through the Dance dept at my university and want to keep going/keep pushing myself. Any recommends would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

[dbleon]

http://danceteq.com/

[gav]

kylara7, looking forward to seeing you around!

 

The recommendations in this thread are still good. None of the downtown studios currently offer adult pointe, but DanceTeq might again next summer. I don't know what exactly you're looking for (definitely shop around for schedule/level/teacher/location/etc.), so here are some pros/cons/characteristics of the downtown studios:

 

DanceTeq (www.danceteq.com): nice studios, plenty of classes, wide variety of levels and teachers. Levels skew high. Open classes.

 

Metro Movement (www.metromovement.com): most classes roughly the same (middle-ish) level and taught by the same teacher. Studio kind of "old school", physically speaking. Open classes.

 

NBS (www.nbs-enb.ca): good classes that vaguely follow a syllabus. Skew more towards lower levels. Several teachers with quite different personalities. More expensive and registration by session. "Try a class" available to find the right level.

 

Hart House at UofT (www.harthouse.ca): a possibility for students at the university. Sessions correspond with school terms. Generally lower-level classes during the day. Level of personal attention is fairly high.

[kylara7]

Thanks dbleon and gav! I appreciate the info...DanceTeq was definitely on my list and NBS looks like it might be a little out of my budget range. I'm looking at working in research at U of T, so the Hart House info was a very good add...much appreciated

[kylara7]

Just wanted to add an update and thanks again for the great info. I'm in Toronto for a short bit and was able to take some classes at Dance Teq and loved it. I'm going to explore more when I get here full time!