The capital of Canada is called Ottawa. It is a very cosmopolitan city and full of culture. It is a very clean and safe city with an excellent standard of living and not a lot of people that are unemployed. Being a center for Canada's culture, this city nurtures many different branches of creative's, with one of its most popular and beautiful creative branches being the dance form of ballet. Over the last century many
ballet schools in Ottawa have been established and many good dancers have come out of them.
Ballet in Canada has been established for many years and is an old and well respected form of dance. As a dance form it has roots in the 15th century renaissance courts of Italy where it started out as a performance dance. It later evolved into a form of concert dance that took hold primarily in France and Russia. Today it has become a global attraction, and has been influential in the formation of many of the foundations of other dance genres.
In Canada this dance was not very popular until the mid 20th century. Although it had been introduced by the French in their colonization of Canada, it was usually only taught to the children of the rich by private tutors who had come from France to make a living. Only in the 1930's did it really take off and the great Canadian teachers emerged.
These teachers came from overseas where they had honed their skills and introduced them to students in Canada. Finally there were dancers of a professional standard starting to come out of the great white north. However because there were no dance companies in Canada at that time, these talented students had to go overseas to places like France or England to gain any recognition and respect. These students when they came back started the first Canadian dance companies.
A question we need to ask ourselves is that why has this form of dance been so influential in the global setting? One of the reasons for that is that it is a wonderful form of expression. It can be used as a partner to a musical piece, or used to tell a story; even by itself it leaves things very open to interpretation. The fluidity and grace of the movement in this dance form manages to rise above all petty human differences and reach into people's hearts.
Although it is wonderful to look at, it is not an easy life. Dance classes in Canada's capital city are hard on the dancers bodies. They often have to start dancing when they are very young and carry on well into adulthood. This physical and mental conditioning turns them into the beautiful dancers we see today.
The wear and tear on a dancer's body over the years can really add up as well. Because of the strenuous and almost constant exercise muscles are more likely to be damaged, not to mention the issues that come with having to stand on your toes for long periods of time. So dance schools in this area are not for the faint of heart.
Although there are challenges in the life of a dancer, many find it worth it when they can get out onto the stage and perform. If they are noticed by the right people they may find themselves swept up in the whirl wind of fame and fortune. The dancers of Canada's capital city have been feeding this whirlwind of creativity for over 85 years and show no sign of slowing down.