Lloydminster Catholic School Division showcases their students with help from the Alberta Ballet School.
Tuesday, December 10, pre-kindergarten to grade two students showed off the skills they have learned this semester in their Movement and Motion class. Each class had their own special performance of The Nutcracker. Taryn Klassen, Head of Junior School for Alberta Ballet, explains this show gives them an opportunity to showcase the program.
“We started a partnership with the Lloydminster Catholic School Division to bring Movement and Music into the schools. Our pilot head launch has been with Mother Teresa Early Childhood Education Centre, the students of the school actually participate in Movement and Music classes three times per week.”
Klassen says this course gives young students an excellent opportunity to build self-confidence and coordination. She also explains dance helps develop fine and gross motor skills.
Mayor Gerald Aalbers was in attendance for a performance and is pleased the LCSD was able to start this pilot project in the Border City.
“It’s great to see the kids being involved in the Alberta Ballet school and learning something that you wouldn’t expect to see in Lloydminster on a everyday occasion. It’s really great to see the kids participate. It all leads to physical fitness, and that’s something that’s very important to have the city moving.”
Last year, the LCSD and Alberta Ballet started the pilot project. Holy Rosary High School also has a credited Ballet course.
Principal Shelia Jurke says the Music and Movement class provides another outlet for the young students to move and learn while having fun.
“It’s really very exciting because we’ve been building this program in our school division for the last couple years. To have them in house, in our school, sharing their talents and joy of dancing with our students is wonderful.”
Klassen mentions that music and rhythm helps develop language skills. She also believes this provides an excellent opportunity to the students to explore music and dance, when they may not have been able to do so before.
“We brought some of our Alberta Ballet trainees with us to provide a nice surprise for the students and also to see what they could aspire towards, give them something to look up to and see what could be their potential one day, should they decide that that’s something they’d be interested in,” says Klassen.
Mother Teresa is the first school outside of Calgary and Edmonton to have a program with the Alberta Ballet to be offered. The instructor of the class, Nicole Pigeau, is from the Alberta Ballet. The Nutcracker is the first performance the classes have done for their parents.