Find Great Ballet Schools In Ottawa

By Helen Scott


Canada's capital city, Ottawa is a hub of culture and modernity. Being one of the cleanest and safest cities in the world, with low unemployment and a high standard of living, the city is a perfect place to nurture and grow the very popular form of dance that is Ballet. There are many old and established Ballet schools in Ottawa that year after year produce excellent dancers that really contribute to the cultural richness of the city.

This form of dance in Canada has been around for a long time and is very highly thought of. Its origins can be traced back to the renaissance courts in Italy in the 15th century where it was a performance dance. Years later it evolved into a concert dance that became widespread in France first then Russia. It is a globally recognized art today and had been very influential in other forms of dance.

In Canada this form of dance was mostly a spectator sport for Canadians, the French introduced it in the 17th century when they colonized parts of Canada but it was mostly taught to the upper classes children, those who could afford to pay the expensive private French teachers for lessons. It really took off in the 1930's where great Canadian teachers started to emerge.

These teachers were foreigners that had danced in the dance capitals of the world of that time, namely France and Russia. Thanks to these teachers for the first time Canada has professional dancers coming out of it. However no dance companies had been formed yet. So the students that were taught by the masters of the 1930's left to greener pastures and came back well respected and started the first great dance companies in Canada.

A question to ask ourselves is why has this dance been so influential on global culture? One of the reasons is that it is very expressive. It can be used as a visual counterpart to a musical piece, or used to tell a tale; even just by itself it can be interpreted in many ways. It has managed to transcend all boundaries of race, culture and borders and bring people together to enjoy an expression of ideas and emotions through the beauty of movement.

Dance classes in the capital city of Canada, as with everywhere else where this dance is practiced, are very strenuous. Often dancers are required to start young and go through many years of training for their minds and their bodies before they are considered professional.

A dancer's body is often put through the wringer. The exercises that are required and are repeated, often damage muscles and cause injuries. Bone deformation can also happen from the uncomfortable positions they have to put their feet in. Taking up dance is definitely not a light decision to make.

Although it is a hard life being a professional dancer, it pays off exponentially when one finally gets the opportunity to dance for a full house. Expression with movement is one of humanities most beautiful forms of communication. Dancers that come out of the studios of Canada's capital city have been weaving these stories for over 85 years now and don't show any sign of stopping.




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