As a talent incubator, Les Grands Ballets strongly believes in the importance of preparing the next generation of artists and professionals and integrating them into the community. As a high-calibre ballet company, it is the standard-bearer of Canadian excellence and identity, and has a duty to train the next generation of dancers true to its national and international reputation.
Full-time apprentices are hired on an annual basis to join the company, in addition to the 24 extra dancers hired every year for The Nutcracker, and the 125 children who get their first taste of the professional stage thanks to this production!
Les Grands Ballets and its Artistic Director, Ivan Cavallari, are working in close collaboration with the École supérieure de ballet du Québec (ESBQ), a training ground for budding young dancers who receive world-class instruction, preparing them to become apprentices with Les Grands Ballets. Training future talent, especially homegrown talent, is a priority for Ivan Cavallari.
Designed for graduating students and professional dancers in search of more in-depth training, this initiative illustrates Les Grands Ballets' desire to play an active role in the training of Quebec's next generation of dancers.
Each master class is carefully tailored to the needs of the participants and the areas they wish to explore in greater depth. The company's principal dancers share their expertise, acquired through their singular journeys and diverse training, sometimes extending beyond the bounds of traditional ballet. This diversity makes for an enriching, comprehensive and unique learning experience. Our dancers are happy to share their knowledge and contribute to the artistic development of each participant, thus helping to ensure the excellence of future generations of dancers.
We strongly believe in the importance of making this opportunity accessible to as many people as possible, and it is with this in mind that we offer these master classes free of charge, thanks to the support of the RBC Foundation.
Les Grands Ballets supports the cultivation of a new generation of choreographers, starting with its own dancers, by holding choreography workshops every year in the private theatre of the company. These workshops are a central focus of a mentoring program that includes apprenticeships in the wide range of disciplines needed to stage a show. Dancers can try their hand at creation as well as lighting, costumes or stage management. They can therefore experience all the different aspects involved in creating a complete production on stage.
But the company doesn’t stop there. It also invites some of its dancers or former dancers to create productions that will be integrated into its regular season, such as this year's mixed program featuring creations by Étienne Delorme, Jérémy Galdeano and Věra Kvarčáková.
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens hasn’t forgotten emerging international choreographers either, like Étienne Béchard, Garrett Smith and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.
Dina Gilbert, the Grands Ballets Orchestra Principal Conductor, is one of the music world’s most inspiring up-and-coming talents. Hailing from Quebec’s Beauce region, the young conductor is known for her energy, precision and versatility. She is just as excited to interpret classics of the symphonic repertoire as she is to tackle brand new compositions.
In addition to her bachelor's degree in clarinet, she holds a master's degree in orchestral conducting and a doctorate from the Université de Montréal. Dina trained as assistant conductor to Kent Nagano at the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. She was also musical director of the Orchestre symphonique de l'Estuaire and the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra. Since then, she has been invited to conduct the Orchestre Philarmonique de Radio-France, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the Orchestre métropolitain, in addition to numerous appearances in Asia and the United States.
A dancer’s career is very short, with an average retirement age of just 38. Dancing is one of the most demanding occupations—physically, emotionally and financially. That’s why Les Grands Ballets believes it is essential to help its dancers move on to the next phase of their professional lives. Assisting with the process is the Dancer Transition Resource Centre (DTRC), to which the dancers and the company contribute a fixed percentage of their income.
The DTRC’s services include:
Les Grands Ballets also offers its dancers a variety of apprenticeship and hiring opportunities with its in-house teams to make transitioning easier after a career as a professional dancer. The company’s learning and retraining resources include Studios GB, which regularly hires Grands Ballets dancers or former dancers as teachers.
The company also trains dancers or former dancers in dance therapy or dance-adaptation, and some are hired at the end of their training at the National Centre for Dance Therapy for year-round courses.
Finally, other dancers become ballet masters. Steve Coutereel, Hervé Courtain and Francine Liboiron are wonderful examples of such successful career transitions!
Preserving a tradition of philanthropy is also a company priority. Les Grands Ballets is delighted to have its own committee of young philanthropists, the Jeunes gouverneurs. This committee of young professionals between the ages of 25 and 45 has set itself the mission of educating a new generation about charitable giving and the importance of supporting the arts and the community by holding networking and fundraising activities in support of Les Grands Ballets. The company’s commitment to training a new generation of philanthropists helps ensure its own future and a reliable pool of artistic talent. Established in 2012, the committee has roughly 20 members for whom Les Grands Ballets serves as a mentor, always ready to listen, advise and lend a hand.
