March 30
Student Exchange to North America
The four of us (Brenton Doherty, Brodie James, Lisa Craig and Hayley Donnison) were all very excited to be given the news by Miss Rowe that we were to represent The Australian Ballet School on the student exchange to the National Ballet School of Canada in January 2011. We all felt extremely privileged to be given this amazing opportunity and we began counting down the days until the 1st of January.
Despite the little sleep from New Years eve and the long plane trips, we were all ecstatic to finally touchdown in Toronto. The -10 degree temperature was definitely “refreshing” and the first sight of snow was a new experience for the boys. We were greeted by Dasha, one of last year’s exchange students to ABS and were shown around the schools residence where we were to live for the next three weeks. The atmosphere of the school was made so inviting by both students and teachers, so it didn’t take long to feel at home.
We were lucky enough to be taught by several different teachers including the director of the school, Mavis Staines. We found the classes different with every teacher and very different to what we are used to at ABS, but it was great to experience the variety of styles, techniques and teaching methods. We all felt like we came away with new knowledge to add to our dancing and appreciation for what every teacher has to offer.
Highlights included a visit and tour of the National Ballet of Canada where we saw a company class and rehearsal, costume department, shoe room and even a squirrel without a tail! The frosty and snowy weather allowed us to go outdoors to make snow angels and to have plenty of Starbucks to keep us warm. We took a limo to Niagara Falls on our final weekend in Toronto where we marveled at the beautiful scenery.
The farewell after our three weeks came far too quickly. A final goodbye get together from the students was made extra special with maple cookies, cake, and karaoke. We left NBS with signed pillowcases from the students, and we will always remember the friends we made and the experiences we had. It was hard to say goodbye.
Our minds were soon thinking about arriving in New York City and lucky for us we arrived on the coldest day they had had in 2 years! We joined in with a class at The School Of American Ballet which we found very different as they did the entire classical class en pointe. Even our teacher wore pointe shoes! After a very difficult journey to get to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School we arrived only to find out that they were having a snow day, so no classes.
As tourists we went to Times Square, Mary Poppins on Broadway, The Empire State Building, The American Museum of Natural History, 5th Avenue, Central Park and were locals at the diner next to our hotel.
We would like to thank Miss Rowe and the ABS for this amazing and unforgettable experience which has opened our eyes to the wider world of ballet.
Lisa Craig and Hayley Donnison
Click here to see some photos from their trip!
