How does it feel to be in the studio for so many hours a day dancing?
Anna: It really takes a toll on your body, we are used to dancing quite a bit but it’s very much like you’re dancing every hour.
Kelsey: I was just on a 3-week break and I went from no dance to a lot of dance in a short period of time. It was a shock at first, but they do keep you busy here. All the chorography keeps your mind busy so it doesn’t seem that long after a few weeks.
How is it different from your previous schedule?
Kelsey & Anna: It’s almost the same as the aspirant program back in Winnipeg. We start at 9:30 am and go to 2 pm. But in aspirants we usually finish around 5 pm and here we always finish at 6pm. It’s just that extra hour.
How is it different between your dance studio/school and Ballet Jörgen?
Anna & Kelsey: I think one of the main things is that Winnipeg is not nearly as humid as Toronto and so it’s hard on the body. Everything here is a lot stickier here and my body has to get used to it
Is there anything you want to experience during this 5 week program?
Kelsey: I want to experience as much new chorography and learn from the dancers all around me
Anna: What’s great about Ballet Jörgen is the amount of chorography that we do, it’s all set around one ballet so you get to see the whole progression of the one ballet
What motivates you?
Kelsey: Coming into the studio and trying to make things better. Some days its feels really long but once in a while you’ll do a rehearsal and you’ll start really enjoying the choreography. You’ll feel like it’s really in your body and you really start to enjoying yourself. Then you perform and it reminds you why you started and love to dance.
What was your favorite class this week?
Anna: My favorite experience so far is doing Ballroom for Anastasia, I love the music and it’s partnering. It’s also a waltz and it makes you feel really pretty and elegant.
Kelsey: One of the teachers, Saniya [Abilmajineva], has a piece with 3 boys and 6 girls and some are Spanish and some are Eastern. It’s fun and really different, we get to be sassy and coy. Kelsey is Eastern and I’m Spanish.
Is there anything new you learned this week?
Kelsey & Anna: We have a performer from New Zealand and Red Sky and his choreographing is nothing that I have ever experienced before. It’s very physical and there are a lot of jumps, I am learning how to use my whole body in different ways. There is a lot of fast chorography and you have to be fast on your brain and it’s a lot of brain teaser combinations.
What do you like to do after a day of dance?
Anna: We love to just go home, eat and then go to bed.
Kelsey: Go home and eat! We have a 4 course dinner and it keeps on coming then we hit the food coma and crash.
Have you explored Toronto yet?
Kelsey & Anna: Yes! We went to Fort York and Ripley’s Aquarium and the AGO.
Is there anything you want to do in Toronto?
Kelsey & Anna: There are so many food and dessert places. We like to hit 1 every week if possible. We just recently went to Sweet Jesus, and we got the strawberry shortcake and the cookies cookies and cream.
What do you do on weekends?
Kelsey & Anna: We sleep in and then we go sightseeing. We pick 2 things that we really want to do and then we go and explore them.
What do you miss most about home?
Kelsey & Anna: Family! We been have away from home for quite a number of years but we always miss our families the most.
Learn more about Junior Company here!