Fall 2008
-All levels begin September 15, 2008. New students may register at anytime for the General Division.
-Professional division applicants ages 8-11 must attend a placement lesson audition.
Summer 2008
Our summer intensives were a great success this year. The Aspire programme also included dancers auditioning for professional ballet company Ballet de Printemps and also for our trainee programme. The high calibre of dancers included dancers of the famed Vaganova Choreographic Institute, Russia, Vancouver pre-professional ballet students from local ballet schools were in attendance as well and several international dancers were invited to Ballet de Printemps. Aspire represented a mix of both professional and student dancers. Our different levels of summer intensives also included dancers from Australia, Korea, South Africa, Canada, USA, and Japan. Students from the junior levels were accepted into the professional division level I.
Summer Intensive 2009 information will be available by November.
Spring 2008
-Only 20 students from the Lower Mainland were invited to attend a special master class led by Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Johnny Chang. Two of the 20 were Mainland Academy students Samantha Smith and ParisaMehregan
-Student Samantha Smith appears in ballet film OASI by Shelagh Mackenna.
2007
-Pas de Deux instructor Kyle Toy was the assistant choreographer for the dance film Center Stage II filmed in Vancouver.
-Ballet teacher Caitlin Griffin completed a highly successful Nutcracker tour with Ontario Ballet Theatre performing soloist roles.
-Summer intensives welcomed students from throughout Canada, Japan and Mexico.
-The 2006 production of "A Faerie's Tale" choreographed by Jelena Bagaric-Mandic, performed by students of Mainland Academy and guest professional dancers including Zeph Caissie of Riverdance , was invited to be performed at the TOBAV International Festival.
2006
-Nippon Television Special. Nippon Television of Japan filmed a ballet documentary at our academy and mountains of North Vancouver featuring the academy's director and three pre-ballet student triplets, Monica, Julia & Stephen Bowman. Broadcast aired summer 2006 in Japan.
-Mainland Academy is nominated in the category of "Favourite Dance Studio" in the 10th annual reader's Choice Awards arriving in the top 3.
-Special guest Georgian Ballerina Julia Kipshidzhe presents Vaganova master classes.
2005
-With a small group of dedicated students, our pre-professional programmes began in September. The immediate results of their training in such a challenging and unique programme have shown with those students successfully passing all of their auditions to leading ballet institutions in Canada.
-Our 1st annual summer intensives included dancers from throughout BC, Alberta and Japan. The Aspire programme ran for 6 weeks ending with a performance at the Kay Meek theatre in West Vancouver. Teachers included Larissa Rog and Marek Fiertek.
-Special guest Larissa Rog, renowned prima ballerina Kirov and Estonian Ballet companies, demonstrates and teaches at the Sunday Seminar Series.
January 8, 2005 Mainland Academy opened its doors on Bowser Avenue offering drop-in lessons and seminars.
