~ Interview by Lucas Batista, Marketing Associate at Ballegro Player

Suzanne, originally from Vancouver,  trained and danced with some of the world's finest ballet companies. From Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet to Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, London England’s Dance Centre to the Pacific Ballet Theatre, and being Ballet Mistress at Ballet BC for 5 years to being the founding director of Ballet BC’s Mentor Program under Artistic Director John Alleyne, Suzanne has done it all. She has worked as a rehearsal director for James Kudelka, Paul Taylor, Jean Grand Maitre, Reid Anderson, Anna Marie Holmes, Simone Orlando, Joshua Beamish and Jennifer Mascall.

Suzanne has also performed as a lead dancer, singer and actress in professional musicals with the Vancouver Playhouse, Calgary’s Stage West’s Nunsense, and several productions for TUTS, MUSSOC and Winnipeg’s Rainbow Stage. She has guest taught and adjudicated...

~ Written by Danielle Lee-Hogervorst, Outreach Coordinator at Ballegro, Dancer at Arts Umbrella’s Graduate Program; and Lucas Batista, Marketing Associate at Ballegro.

Having just recently launched Version 3 of our app on our website, one of our most important tasks lately has been to share Ballegro with the world!  AND with dance competition season heading into full swing, what better way to do this than to get involved with these festivals!  We have contacted many competitions that tour across Canada in order to reach out and let our dance audiences know that we are here to help them out!

Ballegro Player is music streaming app that recreates the experience of having a Live Pianist. It features an ever-expanding Ballet Music Library with a unique Music Player; it lets you adjust the tempo and helps dance teachers or any dancer to practice in the tempo that they need.  Moreover, you can upload your own music, and play your personal music...

~ Written by Danielle Lee-Hogervorst, Outreach Coordinator at Ballegro Player, Dancer at Arts Umbrella’s Graduate Program

I took my first ballet class at 2.5 years old - a mother-daughter class - and have never stopped since.  Currently training at Arts Umbrella in their Graduate Program, I partake in the study of ballet 6 days a week. It is a never-ending practise.  One where you are constantly striving to be better than you were yesterday. One where you feel like you have gotten progressively worse since last week, but you nevertheless continue to show up everyday to persevere and challenge yourself, because you have a vision of what you can and hope to achieve.  One where you discover something new about your body, mind, relationship to others in space and time everyday.

 But is this practise and strife for consistency and possibly perfection giving us, as aspiring and professional dancers, everything we need to succeed in the 21st century dance world?...

Mama, I love you
Mama, I care
Mama, I love you
Mama, my friend
You're my friend

Mama is a song by the British girl group the Spice Girls.

On Sunday, 13th of May, we are celebrating our amazing moms. They wash your clothes, cook your food and look after you when you need them. But what makes your mom a dance mom?

These 5 things will show if your mom is a dance mom or even if YOU are one of them.

1. You know how to do the perfect ballet bun and have bobby pins all over your house. Sometimes, you even find them in the corners of your couch.
   
   
   
2. It all started with one visit at the dance studio, and now, it is your second home. You know everyone at the dance studio and even take dance classes yourself now. To be a good example, you even think of belly button, point your toes and straight your leg in a good, rotated, turned-out first position.
   
   
3. Also, when you see your child nail the choreography you burst out with a big ‘YEAH!’ and want to run in the room to cheer them. 
   
   
   
   
4. All...