Evidence of meeting #48 for Canadian Heritage in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was training.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Hillyer Conservative Lethbridge, AB
I have here a description of the courses your school offers, and I see that each is equivalent to a certain number of credits.
Are the credits earned at your school transferable to other schools?
4:20 p.m.
Artistic Director, Zab Maboungou/Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata
We wanted to have transferable credits. But we were told, at the time, that we couldn't proceed that way. Our funding was contingent upon on our not formalizing that approach. So we complied with the terms of our agreements with the Department of Canadian Heritage. Clearly, the reason I allot credits to courses is to show my dancers that they have learned something that will serve them well as professionals.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Hillyer Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Okay, Ballet BC and your school have different levels. You started at different levels when you were younger but your school is for college-level students, is that right, Emily?
4:20 p.m.
Artistic Director, Ballet BC
I'm a professional ballet company, which means means that once dancers start to work with me, they've finished their professional training.
4:20 p.m.
Artistic Director, Ballet BC
They're already done it, but we as a company support pre-professional training projects to make sure that we are participating and getting talent for the company. But we are not essentially a school; we are a professional company.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Hillyer Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Okay, thank you.
But Anik, your school is more for college level. Can people get government student loans for your school?
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Hillyer Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Okay, good.
Emily, you said you left home at age 10 to go to school. Are there lots of schools around the country that a 10-year-old can go to?
4:20 p.m.
Artistic Director, Ballet BC
At the time there were many dance schools across the country in various provinces. We're very lucky. But when I was 10 in Regina, Saskatchewan, if I wanted to be a classical ballet dancer, which I did, there were not very many options there. There are probably many more now, but the National Ballet School, L’École supérieure, or the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School were the only ones where I could actually graduate and be able to enter into a professional career as a classical ballet dancer. You have to know that. There are schools for various types of dance all over the country.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Hillyer Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Tell me about your school. Do you guys have people who leave home to come to your school? How do you help kids at 10 years of age deal with living away from home and parents deal with sending their kids away?
4:20 p.m.
Artistic Director, École supérieure de ballet du Québec
We have host families who take in the youngest students. Of course, it's increasingly difficult to accommodate very young dancers because families are having fewer and fewer children. Some 20 or 30 years ago, families had more children and would let young dancers go away. Today, that's more and more challenging. Some families even move to Montreal to support their child's dream.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Hillyer Conservative Lethbridge, AB
In this dance study I've been thinking about this. We're talking about professionals and the professional level but I also think that as part of our Canadian heritage, we want to think about bringing dance just to be part of the culture. I get that sense from people who run the professional schools and professional programs.
My experience growing up in a small town was that we played different sports like hockey, soccer, and basketball. We played various musical instruments. We'd take violin lessons, or piano lessons, or play trombone in the school band. Very few of us thought we were going to become professionals. We all wanted to become professional hockey players or even professional violinists. It never really was my objective, but I still invested a lot of time. My parents invested a lot of money in allowing me to do this. I would like to see that with dance more.
A number of my friends studied piano in university. They wanted to become concert pianists but knew it wouldn't be possible for everyone, so they became instructors, for no other reason than to feed their souls.
It doesn't seem that we're quite there with dance, where we just do it and spend money and time even though we don't think we'll ever become professionals, but just to do it. In your world you may see it more, but how can we make it part of my world too?
4:25 p.m.
Artistic Director, École supérieure de ballet du Québec
That's very important for many dance schools around the country. The ESBQ, for example, begins working with students at the age of three. We offer classes for parents and their three-year-olds. We introduce them to dance. They may not necessarily embark on a career in dance but they will have had exposure to it. They may attend dance performances.
More than 1,000 adults and children participate in our recreational program. Our classes are full and have very long waiting lists to get in. Children need to continue going to school, but it's also important for them to be introduced to dance, just as they are introduced to drama or music.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gord Brown
Thank you.
Ms. Sitsabaiesan, you are going to get about two minutes.
4:25 p.m.
NDP
Rathika Sitsabaiesan NDP Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
First of all, I want to apologize to Madame Bissonnette if I cut you off earlier because I only had two and a half minutes then, and now I have two minutes again. Did you want to finish what you were saying?
4:25 p.m.
Artistic Director, École supérieure de ballet du Québec
I was just thinking about classical dance because I come from a classical dance school. You're absolutely right. There are all kinds of dance. So it is I, who apologizes to you.
4:25 p.m.
NDP
Rathika Sitsabaiesan NDP Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
Thank you, and I'm sorry for cutting you off earlier.
Ms. Molnar, did you want to finish your answer from earlier?
4:25 p.m.
Artistic Director, Ballet BC
Yes. You were asking about being able to have more international presence.
4:25 p.m.
Artistic Director, Ballet BC
We create so much international work here in Canada that we need to get abroad. That could actually be helped through the touring initiatives. We need more money put into touring so that we can be ambassadors of Canadian art abroad. We need that both federally and from the provincial government. I know for the B.C. Arts Council that we don't have any touring, and right now touring has been cut as an initiative within the Canada Council. So that could be very helpful.
I just want to say one other thing about how we can get more participation in dance. We need to make a national platform about fitness around dance and get every company and every school to be organized around that in the country, so that we as professional organizations can help you as the government to actually do that.
4:25 p.m.
NDP
Rathika Sitsabaiesan NDP Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
I remember touring or pretend touring and performing in the U.S. in a couple of states, and the funding came from my parents and all of the other parents. That was basically it when we were performing across the States and in other parts of Canada.