From Our Families…
Lea Baird – Parent of PTP graduate
Please accept my sincere thanks and appreciate for the support and kindness you’ve shown Katie over the past 3 years. Katie loved her time at QBSC and will miss everyone very much.
Colleen Galway – Parent of PTP graduate
We got some wonderful news. Cameron has been accepted to the post graduate dance program at the Alberta Ballet School. Chris and I are very appreciative of all of the financial help we received for Cameron from QBSC’s bursary and awards program while he was at QBSC.” .
Nicola Jones – Parent of PTP student
It was difficult to let my 12 year old daughter move across the country, from BC to Ontario, to attend QBSC. It has turned out to be the best decision we have made. She knew the Quinte Ballet School of Canada was exactly where she wanted to be and I am grateful that we trusted her judgement.
This is my daughter’s third year at QBSC and I am truly amazed by the changes that I see in her each year. The incredible faculty at QBSC have created a supportive environment with excellent training. My daughter has grown in many ways from her technique to her confidence and I am excited to see what the future will bring.
The Professional Training Program at QBSC has exceeded my expectations!
Melissa Strangway – Parent of PTP graduate
My daughter has been attending QBSC for three years and is now graduating this year. The decision to place her with a homestay family in grade 10 was a hard one, but one of the best decisions we have made for our daughter. QBSC is more than a professional dance studio, it is a strong knit family composed of students, teachers and staff who are there for each other in good times and hard times. My daughter has not only become a better dancer, but she has become a stronger, more confident individual who now has a QBSC family behind her no matter where her future takes her.
Tina Antle – Parent of former PTP student
My daughter joined the Quinte Ballet School of Canada this year, and I have been pleased with how quickly she was able to settle in and feel at home. In my mind, this is a testament to the quality of the school’s leadership and the welcoming and supportive attitude that has been nurtured within the school. After only a few months in their Professional Training Program, I have already noticed significant improvement in my daughter’s overall strength and technique, and am grateful for the rigour of the training program itself, and the quality of instruction in particular, in helping this be possible.
Jennifer Greenan – Parent of PTP graduate
My daughter has only recently joined the Quinte Ballet School of Canada and I am very grateful that she has had the opportunity to participate in the Professional Training Program. The coordination of the dance program with the academics at Centennial Secondary School is unique and provides a wonderful balance between dance training and academic education. The dance training itself is excellent and I have already seen improvement in my daughter’s dancing in the short time that she has attended the school.
Eydie Vandenberg – Parent of former PTP graduate
I have found the QBSC to be very welcoming to our daughter. It provides a warm, family atmosphere where dancers are challenged to meet and exceed their personal goals while learning to work collaboratively as a team. QBSC staff are supportive and encouraging but assertive in their teaching, they have high expectations of their dancers and except nothing less than their best effort.
It is hard having our daughter live away from home at such an early age but the strong billet program has dispelled any worries I may have had. It provides a warm, caring environment with balanced meals, a clean home, transportation where ever needed, a liaison with the school and parental like guidance when required.
I couldn’t say enough. The school and the billet program is second to none.
Talia Gauthier – PTP Graduate 2019
The Quinte Ballet School of Canada teachers and staff truly want the best for their students and will push you to see your potential. I can confidently say as a student I learned a level of discipline, respect and work ethic. QBSC challenged me to become the dancer I am today and supported and cared for me treating me as family. I would spend the same amount of time at the studio rehearsing, eating, teaching, etc. as being with my family at home, so a sense of trust and communication was built with the staff at the studio. I was treated as an adult which gave me more confidence and it made me develop at a quicker pace. I would recommend the Quinte Ballet School of Canada Professional Training Program to any young artist who wants to seriously continue their passion for dance.
Melenka Kustec – PTP Graduate 2018
My time at the Quinte Ballet School has provided me with professional training that has helped me grow immensely into the dancer and person I am today. All of the dancers have such a special relationship which has created a positive and supportive environment. This experience has been incredible and I am so fortunate to be graduating from the Quinte Ballet School.
Cassidy Boone- PTP Graduate 2017
I had a great experience at the Quinte Ballet School, everyone is very welcoming and friendly, while I was there it felt like we were one big family. The training at Quinte is very technical and helped me improve a lot in a short amount of time. Also the staff really makes sure you’re prepared for your graduating year, there was a lot of support in the decisions I was making for my future as well as suggestions that really helped me find the best fit for me. The Quinte Ballet School truly is a wonderful school and you’ll make a lot of new friends and new experiences.
Sylvia Berman- PTP Graduate 2016
I graduated from the Quinte Ballet School of Canada in 2016. When I began my training at QBSC in 2012 I immediately fell in love with the artistic and inclusive atmosphere. My teachers and classmates inspired me with their strong work ethic and boundless creativity. QBSC was a place for me to grow as an artist and as a person. I was challenged in daily technique classes and given the opportunity to transform into magical fairies and firey felines while rehearsing and performing in classical and contemporary roles. The faculty is attentive and professional. Always giving everything they have to the students, the staff goes above and beyond to make sure the dancers are given the best training and support. The strong and successful all women team in the office provided me with a wonderful example of leadership and determination. In my four years at the school I watched it grow and blossom, I witnessed a change in myself and in my classmates as opportunities arose and played out for each of us. Through elbow grease, blood, sweat, tears, and of course love, QBSC students have gone on to win awards in dance, dance professionally in companies, and attend world renowned dance intensives and post secondary training programs. The friends I made at the ballet school, now spread all over the globe, are some of my closest friends to this day. I will forever cherish the time I spent at QBSC. Since graduation I have been back to watch shows and work as a camp counselor for QBSC’s summer dance intensive. At my small graduation ceremony Artistic Director Catherine Taylor told my graduating class that the ballet school is our “Lily pad:” a jumping off point that we may always return to and utilize for support. What a lovely lily pad it has been and will continue to be.
William Steers- PTP Graduate 2016
I absolutely loved my time spent at The Quinte Ballet School of Canada (QBSC). I received great training from the teachers at the school, met many great people who became very close friends that I am still in touch with. The QBSC program showed me what it is like to train in dance full time. This was the first professional ballet school that I attended, and it was a very eye-opening experience for me – I learned how to discipline myself and to take responsibility for my training and the teachers were all very encouraging.
Along with full-time ballet training at QBSC, there are a variety of dance classes provided for the students. I found this to be one of the great things about this school, because it helps the students become versatile dancers with well developed technique in a variety of different styles.
Alongside training in dance in the afternoons, the high school next door, where you take your academic courses, has put in place specific assignments to pertain to our career, such as creating a resume, researching companies and schools that we may be interested in auditioning for, and doing research about the body (muscle groups, movement, and how it functions), and connecting it to our dancing. Arts courses in drama, vocals also help the dancer to build skills in other performance areas.
I really enjoyed my time spent at QBSC, and felt well prepared to take my next steps in my professional dance career.
About Our Homestay Families…
Ellen MacDonald – Parent of PTP student
I will never forget the day in August 2017 when my daughter Jessica decided that she would move to Belleville to attend QBSC. Although I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity for her I was also very, very nervous that she would be leaving our home at the age of twelve. I always knew my children would grow up and move out I just didn’t expect it to be so soon. After a good family cry on the back deck my husband and I told Jessica we would help support her dream in anyway possible and that meant letting her go.
At first it was very difficult to put my trust in another family and I had many questions. Would she be fine, happy, loved, included? I put my faith in QBSC and with much help and guidance from Desiree Botting we found a home for Jess. To be honest the first couple of months were tough, not on Jessica but on me but, my trust in her homestay family grew and I became more confident in having Jessica away. The past two years Jessica has lived with two amazing families. All my questions have been answered. She is happy, loved, cared for and included in family activities. I love that even though she is away from our family she still has a family life where she is. It is like she has another family in Belleville including grandparents. I am so very proud of the decision Jessica made and I will love QBSC and her host families for loving and caring for her.
Amanda Reindorp-Young – Parent of PTP graduate
Our experience with the homestay program contributed greatly to our overall positive experience with the Quinte Ballet School . We are grateful to the amazing families who have so kindly opened their homes and shared their lives with our daughter for the three years that she attended QBS. The possibility to live in a welcoming family environment provided her with a support system, guidance and security. This has given all of us comfort and reassurance while having her so far away from home.
Melissa Strangway – Parent of PTP graduate
My daughter has been a part of the PTP program at QBSC for three years. Homestay has been such a positive experience for her as well as the entire family. Her homestay family is a second family to her and has become an extension of our own family as well. We are lucky and thankful to have found such wonderful people to take care of our daughter and treat her like their own. Our relationship with them is one for life.
Susan Cymbaluk – Parent of PTP graduate
Our experience with a homestay has been very positive for our daughter. The home is very relaxing, clean and fun for our daughter. The homestay mom as we call her, demonstrates a great combination of supervision without hovering and guidelines or house rules for day to day living. Our daughter is thriving in her new school and in her new home away from home. We can text messages to our homestay family and her to our daughter to keep the communication open. They have a fabulous golden doodle which our daughter loves to see every day. The meals and lunches are wonderful, and we have found that our daughter has expanded her pallet to new foods while living away. Our daughter can have friends over for homework dates or fun sleep overs with a very positive relaxing time. We could not have had a better experience with the Homestay Family Program.