Canada's National Ballet School is a ballet school founded in 1959 that offers professional, teacher training, and community dance programs.
Canada's National Ballet School was co-founded in 1959 by Celia Franca and Betty Oliphant to provide comprehensive training that would contribute to Canada's emerging ballet scene. The school operates in Toronto, Ontario. Its mission is to share the transformative power of dance across Canada, with access and inclusion central to that goal. The school envisions ballet as a vibrant and thriving art form that reflects the full diversity of Canada and its people.
In March 2020, the global pandemic led the school to shift professional program students to virtual training during lockdown. In November 2020, the school announced the creation of its Lozinski Centre for Community Dance, made possible through a gift from Joan and Jerry Lozinski. The Centre is not a physical space, and it supports the development and expansion of the school's Community Dance programs. In 2021, the school co-hosted with the Dance Institute of Washington the inaugural joint Canada-U.S. symposium on racialization in ballet.
The Teacher Training Program prepares teachers to inspire dancers of all ages, abilities and aspirations. The part-time Young Dancers Intensive Ballet Program is designed for dancers aged 9-17. The Indigenous Youth Discovery Series is a 6-week introduction to ballet for Indigenous youth ages 6-18. The school also has a Research Institute and a Sharing Dance Research Project.
The school's campus facilities include the Celia Franca Centre, The Betty Oliphant Theatre, Currie Hall and 410 Jarvis.
Admission to the Professional Ballet Program is by audition, which can be held in person or by video and includes two stages.