Annual Training Seminar

August 19 & 20, 2023
Theatre Dept. University of Ottawa
10 Daly Ave., Ottawa, ON.

 

We invite SCBVM members and guests to join us for our annual Raising the Barre 2023 training webinar and to celebrate the Society’s 50th anniversary. The weekend of master classes, lectures, round-table discussions and performances will culminate with an awards ceremony hosted by our executive and Society alumna.

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Please check back soon for further information. 

Location

Raising the Barre 2023 will take place in the heart of downtown Ottawa in the LabO facilities, which are housed and managed by the University of Ottawa’s Theatre Department. The studio and black box theatre are conveniently located at 10 Daly Ave. between the Novotel and Les Suites hotel complexes.

The LabO facilities are just steps from the Parliament Buildings, The National Gallery, Ottawa’s iconic Byward Market, the National Arts Centre and the Rideau Canal, making this a wonderful location to kickstart a family vacation.

Accommodation, Parking & Building Access

There are numerous and varied accommodations available within walking distance to the seminar. The following hotels have graciously offered discounts to seminar participants (Note discounts subject to room availability.):

• Les Suites Hotel Ottawa – One bedroom suites for 1-4 people and two bedroom suites for 1-6 people are available. Contact operations@scbvm.org for information brochure. Parking available.
• Novotel Ottawa – To receive your discount use the following booking code: 1074453. Parking available. 
• Parking is also available nearby at the Rideau Centre, and at the University of Ottawa’s surface parking lot on Stewart St. all day on weekends. (Rate $5.50/hr or $11.00/day.)
• Important note regarding building access:  The City of Ottawa will be doing road resurfacing on the dates of the seminar. The affected roads are Besserer, Nicholas, and Daly. Access to the building during the evening will likely be affected. The City is not closing any roads, but note that lane closures are expected. We encourage you to use alternative forms of transportation to access LabO during the construction period.

 

To Register

• Have registration or other seminar questions? Contact operations@scbvm.org.
• Download a registration form in Word or Pages format.
• Please remit a completed registration form with your payment information to info@scbvm.org no later than August. 5, 2023.
• Our first 50 registrants will receive a swag bag of items from various dancewear brands courtesy of Brio Bodywear, Ottawa.

Awards Night

If you would like to attend our Awards Night event, but are unable to participate in the full seminar, tickets are available for $30.97 plus tax per person. Please use a registration form to reserve your tickets for the evening.

Fees

Membership Level	Seminar Fee (due Aug. 5)	Early Bird Discount (due June 15)
Member	$300.00	$275.00
Student Teacher-in-Training	$125.00	$110.00
Non-Member	$400.00	$375.00
Dancer (Master Class Fee)	$35.00	n/a
Awards Night & Reception Only Ticket	$30.97	n/a
Performance Only Ticket	$13.27	n/a
T-Shirt (see image below)	$20.00	n/a

All quoted fees are in Canadian dollars and do not include 13% Ontario tax.

Early Bird Discounts:
To receive the early bird discount, pay your seminar registration fee by June 15, 2023.

Referral Rewards:
Refer non-members to our Seminar and receive 50% of the value of their seminar registration fee as a credit on your account for 2023/24. Please see the registration form for full details.

Schedule & Topics 

Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023 (subject to revision):

• 9:00-9:30am – Registration
• 9:30-11:00am – Fundamentals & Core Values of Vaganova Styling with Ekaterina Trunina, Bolshoi Ballet Academy
• 11:00-11:15am – Break
• 11:15-12:30pm – Music for Dance Teachers with James Wright, Ph.D
• 12:30-1:30pm – Lunch (not provided)
• 1:30-3:00pm – Vaganova Style Participation Class with Sonia Franco de Batres – open to registered seminar participants
• 3:00-3:15pm – Break
• 3:15-4:30pm – Revised Syllabus Presentation #1 with SCBVM Examiners Merle Adam & Leica Hardy
• 4:30-6:30pm – Supper Break
• 6:30-7:30pm – Champagne & Appetizer Reception
• 7:30-9:00pm – Awards Night Celebration with performances by SCBVM alumna.

Sunday, August 20, 2023 (subject to revision):

• 9:30-10:30am – Pointe Shoe Fitting Guidelines with Gilbert Russell owner of Brio Bodywear & master pointe shoe fitter
• 10:30-10:45am – Break
• 10:45-12:00pm – Revised Syllabus Presentation #2 with SCBVM Examiners Merle Adam & Leica Hardy
• 12:00-1:00pm – Lunch (not provided)
• 1:00-1:30pm – Annual General Meeting
• 1:30-2:30pm – Character Participation Class with Olesia Egorov – open to registered seminar particpants
• 2:30-3:15pm – Enchaînement Presentations with SCBVM Examiners Jane Pound & Denise Vitali
• 3:15-3:30pm – Break
• 3:30-5:00pm – Pre-Elementary/Elementary Master Class with Sonia Franco de Batres – open to registered seminar participants and master class ticket holders

Presenter Biographies

Olesya Egorov was born in Krasnoyarsk, Russia and began her movement training in rhythmic gymnastics at age seven. Ballet training at the Krasnoyarsk Ballet Academy in the class of Olga Akinfeeva followed. After graduating in 2002 she taught at the Theatrical Ballet Studio and performed numerous soloist roles at the Omsk Opera and Ballet Theatre in Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Giselle. During this time she also performed with the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 2010 Olesya moved to Israel where she performed with the Israel Ballet and in 2013 began teaching and choreographing for dance and rhythmic gymnastics. Her love of exploring the human body and its muscle functions led her to become a certified Pilates instructor in 2016. Further travels took her to Winnipeg, where in 2020 she entered the Teacher Training Program at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, joined their Professional Division faculty in 2021 as a ballet and character dance instructor, and graduated as a Cecchetti Associate in 2022. Other studies include professional development with the Vaganova Ballet Academy in 2021.

 

Sonia Franco de Batres studied the Vaganova Method and Graham technique at the National School of Dance El Salvador from 1965-1976. She then went on to study at the San Francisco Conservatory of Ballet, graduating with a Certificate of Ballet & Theatre Arts in 1978. While in Canada from 1991-1994, Sonia was the Artistic Director of the Youth Ballet Company of Saskatchewan. She then returned to El Salvador to become the Artistic Director of the National School of Dance until 2006. While there received her Elementary and Intermediate certification in Cuban Methodology for Teachers in 1998. From 2006-2014 she taught creative movement to young children and ballet up to advanced levels at the Centro de Danza Sonia Franco. Since returning to Canada Sonia was a guest instructor for Ballet Jörgen Canada at the George Brown campus in 2018, and from September 2019 has been on the faculty at the Woodbridge School of Dance.

 

Gilbert Russell is a master pointe shoe fitter, who’s first pointe shoe sale took place on a Halifax backstreet, under a street lamp, on the hood of a car. It looked like a drug deal. Since that odd start, Gilbert has fitted well over 20,000 dancers, from beginners to members of the Kirov Ballet. Having seen the problems of the traditional fitting technique, Gilbert has developed a more diagnostic approach to pointe shoe fittings that produces better results. Over the years, as the owner of Brio Bodywear, Gilbert has consulted and helped create new pointe shoe models for Sansha, Bloch, and Só Dança. Gilbert looks forward to sharing what he’s learned from thirty-six years of finding dancers the right pointe shoe.

 

Ekaterina Trunina is a graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, having trained under some of its leading pedagogues such as: Madame M.K. Leonova, Natalia Revich, Irina Syrova, and others. Upon her graduation she was accepted as a soloist to the acclaimed Stanislavski Danchenko Theatre in Moscow, where she performed extensively in its repertoire in Russia and abroad including: Le Corsaire, Swan Lake, Giselle, La Esmeralda, Chopiniana, Don Quixote and many others. Ms. Trunina returned to the Academy as faculty in 2015 where she continues to teach and instruct master classes in Russia, Italy and Bulgaria.

 

Dr. James Wright has worked as a ballet pianist with numerous ballet schools and companies, such as: the National Ballet of Canada, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Kirov Ballet, the Houston Ballet, the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Joffrey Ballet.  During the 1990s and early-2000s he received his most important formative training as a ballet pianist working with his mentor Merle Adam at the National Capital Dance Educators studio in Ottawa.  In 2002 he was the winner of a Governor General’s Gold Medal from McGill University.  Since then he has taught at McGill University, Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Ottawa, and at Carleton University, where he is currently a Full Professor of Music in both the School for Studies in Art and Culture and the College of the Humanities. He is also a prolific composer whose works have been performed on five continents and recorded by the Naxos, Analekta and Leaf Music labels. All of James Wright’s music reflects his lifelong passion for dance.

Souvenir T-Shirt

Help support and promote our Society with the purchase of our 50th anniversary t-shirt. The cost is $20.00 plus 13% tax. You can pre-order your size and purchase via the registration form or purchase one at at the registration desk during the seminar.