‘Intimate’ shows free to George Brown students and staff

Are you an avid ballet fan but also a student who can’t afford tickets to the National Ballet? Good news, Canada’s Ballet Jorgen (CBJ) and George Brown College (GBC) are bringing an affordable production of Sleeping Beauty to Casa Loma campus in January.

The shows are part of CBJ’s Ballet in the Studio series, and are talking place in the company’s GBC practice space. The performances are free for GBC students and staff.

Ballet in the Studio is a great opportunity to watch professional dancers live in the studio, said Amanda Horn, marketing and publicity coordinator at CBJ. She added that GBC and CBJ have been partners in dance education supporting one another since 1992.

According to Horn, “currently there are four GBC graduates as Ballet Jorgen members.”

Heather Lumsdenn-Ruegg graduated from GBC’s dance performance studios in 2011 and has been with Ballet Jorgen ever since. Starting with a mentorship program there and becoming an apprentice, she now dances multiple roles and has six costume changes in Sleeping Beauty.

With about 15 people involved in the Ballet in the Studio, “the performance is a great chance to see ballet up close in an intimate environment,” said Lumsdenn-Ruegg. “It’s also inexpensive and a chance to meet dancers and ask questions after the show.”

The world premiere of CBJ’s Sleeping Beauty took place on Oct. 2 in Burlington. The full production will come to Toronto in March 2016.

Performances take place on Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m. and Jan. 27 at noon. To RSVP call 416-961-4725 or email info@balletjorgen.ca . Tickets for guests who are not GBC students and staff are between $15-20.