Held in Toronto from April 28 to May 4 and staged for the second time by Canada’s National Ballet School, the event played host to students and artistic staff from 18 ballet schools from various corners of the globe, all of which offer international-calibre professional training.

“By watching our students dance alongside students from the top schools, I could see that our teaching is definitely headed in the right direction,” said Ms. Bissonnette, back on terra firma in Montreal. “We were able to impress a highly knowledgeable audience with our choice of choreography – a pas de deux by James Gregg created especially for the occasion and set to music by Vivaldi, recomposed.”

This week-long schedule of shows, continuing professional development activities and discussions enabled L’École supérieure to forge ties with the other major schools in Canada.

“A richly deserved word of thanks goes out to Mavis Staines, Artistic Director of Canada’s National Ballet School, for doing an excellent job of organizing this event. From every standpoint, this international gathering was fantastic,” added Ms. Bissonnette.

For its debut participation in the Assemblée Internationale, L’École supérieure de ballet du Québec received financial support from two generous donors, Linda Dagg and Kenneth Wiener.

>> The official Assemblée Internationale 2013 website

Performed by the young dancers under the direction of Anik Bissonnette, these signature works from the 20^th century are a testament to the choreographic genius of the man credited with steering classical ballet in a modern direction. The two works will be presented as part of Corps de ballet, presented in collaboration with Mondor. The show takes place at Salle Pierre-Mercure (located at UQÀM’s Centre Pierre-Péladeau) on May 29 and 30, 2013.

“As a ballerina, I was especially fond of this great choreographer’s repertoire,” says Anik Bissonnette. “That’s why I wanted students at L’École supérieure to enjoy from the same experience. The students had to hone their technique for two years before the George Balanchine Trust gave us permission to publicly present these ballets.”

The students at L’École supérieure benefitted from the expert supervision of Joysanne Sidimus, who has served as a repetiteur with the George Balanchine Trust since 1983. Earlier in her career, Ms. Sidimus was a Principal Dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, and she is the recipient of a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.

In keeping with tradition, the second part of L’École supérieure’s annual show will be dedicated to creation, with the presentation of made-to-measure choreographies meant to allow the 140 or so students in the Professional Program to showcase both their mastery of the classical technique and the strength of their respective personalities. New activity this year: Thanks to support from Telus, the presentation of a school matinee was added so that tomorrow’s dancers have a chance to meet tomorrow’s audiences.

A glimpse of our 2012 performance
Backstage footage of last year's show

She was 89. A celebration to remember this important figure who has profoundly shaped the dance landscape in Quebec wil take place at L’École supérieure on May 10, at 17:00. More details to come.

>> Eva von Gencsy's biography

The Pensionnat is the only Quebec establishment – all levels of education included – to be singled out in this international publication, which highlights best practices in education in 150 organizations throughout the world.

The Cambridge University Students’ Union and UK-based publisher St James’s House selected the Pensionnat for its emphasis on creativity while providing excellent academic standards. Citing the artistic training offered and efforts by these institutions to mould citizens of the world, the guide mentions the dance-academic program jointly offered by the Pensionnat du Saint-Nom-de-Marie and L’École supérieure de ballet du Québec, the only French-language institution in North America to offer international-calibre training in ballet.

“We’re pleased to have a prestigious institution like the University of Cambridge recognize the quality and integrity of our joint program, which combines solid training in classical dance with rigorous secondary education,” said a delighted Anik Bissonnette, Artistic Director of L’École supérieure.

L’École supérieure teamed up with the Pensionnat du Saint-Nom-de-Marie more than 15 years ago in order to offer students at the secondary level the best possible academic training and supervision. Reserved for young women at the outset, the Pensionnat now accepts boys in the professional dance program, and since last September, boys have also been accepted in the music-academic program offered in partnership with L’École de musique Vincent d’Indy.

>> Cambridge University Students' Union 2013 Guide to Excellence

Photo : Pensionnat du Saint-Nom-de-Marie

Launched in 1999 by two former dancers of the Bolshoi Ballet, YAGP is the world’s largest student ballet competition. Participants have the opportunity to receive contracts to dance companies worldwide. The documentary First Position brought a larger attention on the competition last summer.

“ We focus on developing great dancers, and we are pleased, yet not totally surprised, with the YAGP officials’ recognition of our institution’s level of exellence, ” states Artistic Director Anik Bissonnette.

L’École supérieure distinguished itself because of its students’ versatility, who showed their mastery of the classical technique and their great ease in contemporary dance. A total of 10 students from the Professional Program presented variations to the jury. Aged from 10 to 18 years old, these young dancers ranked among the best, and will participate in the New York City Finals which will take place from April 12 to 17. On this occasion, the winners from all the Semi-Finals held in Brazil, France, Japan and in 12 major U.S. cities will perform on stage at the Lincoln Center.

Rehearsal pictures on Facebook