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| Press Releases
RWB School On the Road Again (Winnipeg, Manitoba; November 6, 2007) – Talented, young artists from Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division will soon be boarding a bus and hitting the road to share their talent, hard work and passion for dance with students in Winnipeg, rural Manitoba and rural Ontario. Concert Hour Ballet, an annual tour running this year from November 19 to December 3, allows RWB School students to experience the demands of touring while bringing the excitement of a live performance to audiences in their own communities. The Winnipeg portion of the tour will perform in 11 schools while the rural tour will make eight stops, including three in Manitoba and five in Northern Ontario. Concert Hour Ballet is an epic undertaking, touring with approximately 23 people, including the students, a member of the artistic faculty, a pianist, technical crew including wardrobe personnel and a bus driver all heading out on the road, sometimes as early as 6 a.m. A unique aspect of the program is that everyone, dancers included, pitches in getting ready for the show, performing tasks that would normally be done by only the technical crew. Costumes, dance floor, sound and lighting equipment, drapes and curtains, stands and dance barres all need to be unloaded, carried into the venue and set up. “The dancers gain invaluable insight into what it takes to put on a performance in a professional company,” says Arlene Minkhorst, RWB School Director. “They are expected to work as technical crew, setting up the stage before the show and, after the excitement of the performance itself, helping to take everything down and get it loaded back onto the bus. It serves them well in their future careers to have gained an appreciation for how touring functions and helps them learn how they need to function as artists in such an environment.” Concert Hour Ballet performances begin with a dance demonstration and narration to introduce the audience to dance terminology, the history of ballet and a dancer’s training. The dancers, made up of senior level students from the Professional Division, then perform a varied repertoire, comprised of excerpts from great classical ballets, contemporary dances and works choreographed especially for Concert Hour Ballet. Each piece is introduced to promote understanding and appreciation of the performance. Concert Hour Ballet is made possible by generous support from sponsors. The rural portion of the tour is being presented by RBC Financial Group. "RBC Financial Group, through RBC Foundation, is proud to be supporting the 2007 Concert Hour Ballet Tour for the 13th consecutive year. Bringing live dance to children and youth in rural communities and providing opportunities for aspiring artists to develop professionally are causes that are close to our hearts," says Kirk Dudtschak, Regional President for Manitoba, Saskatchewan & NW Ontario, RBC Financial Group. "At RBC, we believe a community's prosperity isn't just limited to its economic outlook; healthy communities also celebrate and enjoy arts and culture. Which is why we are committed to supporting organizations that harness and promote creative talent, as well as improve access to the arts, such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School."
“Investors Group believes that appreciation of culture is integral to a well-rounded education and to personal development,” says Richard Irish, Investors Group Assistant Vice-President of Community Relations. “The Concert Hour Ballet program gives students of the RWB School an opportunity to perform in front of an audience while hopefully generating interest among other young people to pursue dance as a career, a pastime or as a supporter.” The Manitoba Arts Council also contributes to the Concert Hour Ballet Tour. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School also recognizes the general support of its programs from Canadian Heritage, Arts Stabilization Manitoba and the Manitoba Arts Council. Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division was founded in 1970 by former RWB Principal Dancer David Moroni, C.M. Internationally recognized as a centre of excellence in dance, the RWB School is a respected training institution for talented students aspiring to become dance professionals. Concert Hour Ballet was conceived by Mr. Moroni as an opportunity to provide school-aged audiences with dance. Its goal is to bring the art of dance to students who would not necessarily have an opportunity to experience the performing arts otherwise. - 30 - A media call for Concert Hour Ballet will be held Wednesday, November 14th at 2 p.m. in the Founders’ Studio, 380 Graham Avenue. It will feature performances of Concert Hour Ballet repertoire including Macabra Cadabra and excerpts from Nutcracker and provide opportunities to interview artistic staff and students involved in Concert Hour Ballet. If you are unable to attend or wish to gather further footage and/or interviews at a performance please contact Heather Saxton. For more information contact: |