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Artscene 27 · Wednesday, June 9, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Sign up now for guitar, bass, drums, and piano OAKVILLE'S MUSIC STORE SUPPLIED PHOTO ALBERTA-BOUND: Oakville School of Dance dancers heading west this summer to the School of Alberta Ballet include, from left, Tess O'Hare, Maggie Shipton, Jasmine Melrose, Jin Shi, Katie Campeau, Cristina Marquez and Rosslyn King. Ballet students leap into summer school By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER ADVENTURE FOR THE SUMMER: Kaitlyn DeLong, 10, is among a handful of Oakville dancers who are spending time this summer in Calgary at the School of Alberta Ballet. Calgary-based school, which has produced internationally acclaimed dancers, recently held auditions in Toronto and a number of young Oakville dancers were accepted into its program. Kaitlyn DeLong, 10, is among the dancerswho are going to spend a few weeks this summer in Calgary at the School of Alberta Ballet. The ballerinas were accepted at auditions held in late March. All have studied ballet and in some cases other forms of dance for years and now have a chance to attend a school that has produced professional dancers. The school also offers year-long programs to students that are successful in the summer program. "She's ecstatic," said Michele, Kaitlyn's mother. "She was really happy and excited. I asked `Do you want to do it?' and it wasn't even a question." Kaitlyn, who attends Post's Corners Public School, is too young to stay in residence at the Calgary school and therefore would be unable to do a year-long program. However, her mother, who works for a company that has an office in Calgary, will travel with her daughter for the two weeks this summer. They will have to find their own accommo- A dations and Michele will be able to continue working from the Calgary office. "This will be an excellent experience for her because, even though they do modern and jazz dance, it's really ballet focused," Michele said. "She loves ballet and she just loves to dance." Kaitlyn, who is taught dance at Balletoman Performing Arts In Motion in Oakville, has been studying ballet for six years. She also does jazz and modern tap dancing. The other seven dancers who were accepted are all currently being trained at the Oakville School of Dance. They are Tess O'Hare, Maggie Shipton, Jasmine Melrose, Jin Shi, Katie Campeau, Cristina Marquez and Rosslyn King. "I feel really excited," said Shi who is 16 years old. "It means I will have a new adventure by dancing somewhere new." The Iroquois Ridge High School student has been taking ballet since she was seven years old and goes to the Oakville School of Dance every day after school. "My dream is to be a professional dancer," she said. She added if she is offered to do the yearlong program in Alberta, she's not sure if she will accept it ... that it depends on how she likes it while she's there this summer. "It doesn't matter if I get in. I'm at a really great dance school back home," she said. The dancers have to pay for the program at the Alberta dance school.