Chloe Bruce is one of three new mentorship students with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen. In this interview, the recent graduate of George Brown Dance’s two-year diploma program shares her excitement about working with CBJ for the 2019-2020 season.
“I knew that by pursuing a mentorship with the company I would constantly be surrounded by professional dancers from whom I could learn.”
Why did you decide to pursue a mentorship with the company?
I decided to pursue a mentorship with the company to help me transition from a student to a professional dancer. I knew that by pursuing a mentorship with the company I would constantly be surrounded by professional dancers from whom I could learn.
What will you be working on this 2019-2020 season?
This 2019-2020 season I will be working on Anne of Green Gables – The Ballet™. I have been learning many different roles in the ballet, and I can’t wait to perform some of them with the company. This season I will also be working on The Nutcracker. Many dancers grow up performing The Nutcracker every year, but this will be my first time. I am very excited to participate in this tradition! I have also been having a lot of fun performing in Ballet 101s at schools, libraries, and community centres all around Ontario. I’m learning many things from these performances, like how to perform in different environments, improvise quickly, and become different characters. The children get to choose characters for the dancers at the end of each presentation. At first, I found it difficult to think of movements that could represent specific characters, but now that I have been performing in more Ballet 101s, I’m getting better at it!
“In the mentorship program, we have a different teacher every day for our morning ballet class, and we are constantly working on new choreography in rehearsals.“
What do you hope to gain from this experience?
From this experience I hope to gain more confidence in myself and my dancing, develop my artistry as a dancer, and get a taste of what it is really like to work in a professional ballet company.
Describe a typical day in the life of a mentorship student.
A typical day begins at 9:30 a.m. with company class. After class, we move into rehearsals. We often don’t know what exactly we will be working on, so every day is a surprise. Lately, we have been working on scenes and choreographing the new production, Anne of Green Gables – The Ballet™. Lunch is usually between 2:15 and 3:15, and then we carry on with rehearsals until 6:00p.m. I like this schedule because each day is different. In the mentorship program, we have a different teacher every day for our morning ballet class, and we are constantly working on new choreography in rehearsals. Having a new schedule every day is challenging, but it makes me work harder and improve faster.
Interested in pursuing a mentorship with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen? Graduates of GBD’s P105 Dance Performance Program are eligible to apply. To learn more about your pathway from GBD to a mentorship opportunity, click here.
Written by Victoria Campbell Windle, CBJ Communications Contributor.
Follow us on Facebook @balletjorgencanada to stay current on news, events and performances.