Maritime dancers audition for Canada’s National Ballet School

A group of young Maritime dancers took part in early auditions for one of the world’s most prestigious ballet programs Saturday.

The first-round of auditions made Halifax one of only 11 North American cities to offer in-person auditions for Canada’s National Ballet School, based in Toronto.

Students in Grade 6 jumped at the opportunity to show their passion for dance in hopes of scoring a spot in the program.

“It is a great opportunity for the dancers to have the experience of how it’s going to be training in Canada’s National ballet school,” says Talar Margarosyan, a teacher at the school.

“Of course, it’s not exactly the same because time is limited but (it) gives them a chance to explore some of the movements with one of our artistic staff and show their talent, joy of dance, love for dance, musicality and how much they think that the dance is their language.”

13-year-old Mackenzie Snow travelled from New Brunswick to attend the Halifax auditions.

“It’s my third time auditioning,” Snow says. “I feel like I’ve worked very hard over the past few months and I’m just excited to show them what I can do.”

12-year-old Danica Guest says her goal is to follow in her older sister’s footsteps, who is currently attending the school.

“I was really excited because it’s a great opportunity to learn new things,” says Guest. “And I really wanted to see my sister more often.”

Margarosyan says students that are the “right fit” will be invited to the second stage of auditions in July.

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