Dance Masterclass gives dancers the chance to develop their own voices

The class began with a typical ballet barre exercise, and some of the 18 emerging dancers were nervous.  It’s not every day they get the chance to participate in a masterclass with Meredith Webster, Ballet Master for Alonzo King LINES Ballet.

Then something unexpected happened.  Meredith asked the dancers to make her laugh.

In that single class Meredith helped these emerging dancers develop their own voices,” recalls NAC Dance Education and Teaching Artist Siôned Watkins. “Meredith taught the students the importance of making personal choices and it was very empowering.”

After the exercise, Meredith taught the students repertoire from the company’s show Sutra.  “They were so excited to learn repertoire they’d just seen on stage,” says Siôned.  “They got a lot out of the opportunity.”

Masterclass participant, Kira Zanyk Davey, agrees, “It’s a privilege to take classes from visiting artists and see their performances that same night.  The classes offer Ottawa dancers exposure to a wide variety of training experiences.”

Learning opportunities like this one are possible thanks to donor support.  Says Siôned, “I want to thank donors for exposing youth in the National Capital Region to world-class teaching artists.”