Spring Seminar

March 16 – 22, 2025

The Spring Seminar is a week-long workshop with international teachers for dance students aged 11-18 yrs, held at the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 677 Davie Street in Vancouver. Auditions are required.

Sign Up

For one week during March break, the VBS brings in accomplished teachers from Canada and abroad to lead the dance intensive, culminating in a presentation of both intermediate and advanced levels. Students spend half the day in ballet classes and the other half of the day in contemporary classes, coming together for lunch time presentations and meetings.

At the end of the week-long intensive, the students present a performance in the Faris Theatre. The guest faculty select students who will be awarded scholarships, which they receive at the performance. Each year through fundraising efforts, approximately $20,000 are awarded to young dancers from British Columbia. The VBS has been doing this for the past 20 years.

$525

Tuition

March 16 – 22, 2025

Spring Seminar Dates

Age 11+

Requirements

REQUIREMENTS

Intermediate

11 – 13 years old
Minimum Cecchetti Grade 5/6, or RAD Intermediate Foundation, or their equivalent.

Advanced

14 – 18 years old
Minimum Cecchetti Intermediate, or RAD Advanced 1, or their equivalent.

Must be a VBS member to attend the Spring Seminar and be eligible for scholarships.

Must be 11 years old by March 16, 2025.

Cost: $525 (includes GST)
non-refundable

BECOME A MEMBER

AUDITION

IN-PERSON AUDITION

Date: Sunday, January 12, 2025
Location: Scotiabank Dance Centre
Space is limited and pre-registration is required.
Cost: $45 (includes GST), non-refundable.

Advanced

10:00am – 11:30am (Group 1)
11:45am – 1:15pm (Group 2)

Intermediate

1:45 – 3:00pm (Group 1)
3:15 – 4:30pm (Group 2)

VIDEO AUDITION

Deadline: Sunday, December 15, 2024
Refer here to Video Audition Guidelines
Cost: $55 (includes GST), non-refundable.

Scholarship Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a scholarship with the Vancouver Ballet Society during Spring Seminar, you must meet these requirements:

• Be 11-18 years old
• Be a BC resident and training in BC
• Minimum Cecchetti Grade 5/6 or RAD Inter Foundation, or their equivalent
• Current membership with VBS
• Must attend the audition (in-person or video)
• Must participate in 75% of the Spring Seminar

Our 2025 Spring Seminar Audition Teacher

Nicola Earle

Nicola is a highly accomplished dance professional, graduating from the prestigious teaching program at the Royal Ballet School in London, England. Her comprehensive three-year training encompassed a wide range of dance disciplines, including classical ballet, repertoire, RAD and Cecchetti syllabus, character dance, Spanish dance, anatomy, music, History of Dance, and Benish Notation. Nicola's exceptional performance during her studies earned her the esteemed 1998 Dame Ninette de Valois Award for teaching excellence.
For a span of nine years, Nicola was a faculty member at the renowned London Studio Centre, a prominent institution specializing in performing Arts Education. Nicola held the position of Head of Year for first- and second-year students. In this role, she provided personalized guidance to each student, crafting individual timetables to meet their unique needs and career aspirations. Nicola also collaborated closely with leading dance physiotherapists, creating rehabilitation programs to support injured dancers on their path to recovery. Additionally, she had the privilege of working alongside Margaret Barbieri, a former Principal dancer with the Royal Ballet Company, assisting in European audition tours to recruit talented dancers for her professional company Images of Dance.
Since her relocation to Vancouver, Nicola has made significant contributions to the dance community in the lower mainland for over 20 years. She has been a guest teacher at Ballet BC and an adjudicator at the Prince Albert Festival of Dance. Nicola has incorporated the teaching of Progressive Ballet Technique (PBT), a discipline that aligns seamlessly with her extensive anatomical knowledge and meticulous attention to detail. She continues to impart her wealth of knowledge and unwavering passion for dance to students of all age groups, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to guide them in achieving their individual artistic aspirations.

Our 2025 Spring Seminar Teachers

Elizabeth Ferrell

Elizabeth Ferrell was born in St. Louis, Missouri and began her early training with Alexandra Zaharias. At age 14, she was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship to study at the School of American Ballet and upon graduation was chosen by Peter Martins to receive the Danish American National Cultures Exchange scholarship to study with the Royal Danish Ballet. In 1985, Elizabeth was invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov to become a member of American Ballet Theatre where she danced from 1985 to 1998. During that time she appeared in much of the classical and contemporary repertory and worked with such esteemed choreographers as Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Paul Taylor, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Anthony Tudor, Lar Lubovitch, Glen Tetley, Mark Morris, Ben Stevenson, Natalia Makarova, Kevin McKenzie, Clark Tippet, Ronald Hynd, Twyla Tharp and Agnes de Mille. She has also performed with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, New York City Opera, Alessandra Ferri’s “Stars of the American Ballet”, Papermill Playhouse, Muny Opera, Goodspeed Opera, and most recently Hong Kong Ballet. She can be seen in five “Dance in America” broadcasts for PBS and appeared in Herbert Ross‘ movie “Dancers” and Frederick Wiseman’s documentary “Ballet.” Elizabeth took part in the inaugural teacher training program of ABT’s National Training Curriculum and is now an ABT certified instructor. She has taught at such institutions as Ballet Hispanico in New York, Danceworks in London, and the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, as well as guest taught at ballet schools in the U.S., London and Hong Kong. She is currently on the faculty of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.

Adrienne Hurd

Adrienne Hurd is a native New Yorker; She began her training studying at the Joffery Ballet School, School of American Ballet, and the Alvin Ailey School, all on Scholarship. She has danced with The Neubert Ballet, Dance Brazil, Ailey II, The Jamison Project, and Earl Mosley's Diversity of Dance. She was an assistant and rehearsal director for Judith Jamison for The Jamison Project. She has worked with Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison, Michael Peters, Paula Abdul, Twyla Tharp, Garth Fagan, Donald McKayle, Graciela Daniele, Jeff Calhoun, Vince Patterson, and Earl Mosley. She has appeared on Broadway in Down To Earth, Dangerous Games and Annie Get Your Gun. As well as over 20 Off-Broadway productions including Looking For The PONY with Michelle Hurd. She has appeared on television in, As the World Turns, The Young and The Restless, New York Undercover, Law and Order, The Affair, and most recently Westworld. She is a Master Horton teacher and has taught at the NYU Tish School, University of Texas at Austin, University of Minnesota, Marymount Manhattan College, Open Look Dance Festival St. Petersburg, Russia, JKO School at American Ballet Theater, American Ballet Theater Summer Intensive NYC, Joffery Ballet School, The Eglevsky Ballet, The Metropolitan Opera, Professional Performing Arts School, Ailey Extension, The Ailey School, The Ailey School Junior Division, Steps on Broadway and Rasta Thomas' “Rock the Ballet”. She was the resident Choreographer for the Nomad Contemporary Ballet Company. She has choreographed for The Ailey School/Fordham University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Minnesota, The Ailey School Junior Division, ABT Summer Intensive NYC, Lynch Ballet Company, Professional Performing Arts School, Contemporary West Dance Theatre most recently she has been commissioned a new ballet for Marymount Manhattan College. She has choreographed original Musicals; CRACKED, The Lost Boys, Open Rehearsal at the Theatre for the New City, and SPEAK the Show for SummerStage NYC, Middle Collegiate Church Christmas special for CBS, and the Dance film Labor is a Movement.