The Quinte Ballet School of Canada (QBSC), a full-time professional ballet school in Belleville, Ontario, is poised to progress its already established dance programs and offer new opportunities for talented, young dancers after recent success in raising funds through public grants and private donations.
On July 21, 2015, QBSC was awarded a $10,000 grant from Automatic Data Processing’s 2015 Small Business Grant Contest. The school is the sixth oganization to win the award and was chosen from 651 submissions across Canada.
On August 6, 2015, QBSC received a $128,475 grant from the John M. and Bernice Parrot Foundation that has allowed the school to purchase the 1.5 acres of land it has been leasing from the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board for the past thirteen years.
QBSC Executive Director Marilyn Lawrie stated in an interview for The Intelligencer that the grant will be used to fund “three major projects for the School that will directly impact both the Professional Diviosn and the Recreation Divison students.” These projects include bringing in renowned guest faculty and live accompaniment for classes, refurbishing existing costumes and purchasing new costumes. QBSC is passionate about inspiring young dancers and plans to establish a bursary program for boys who want to attend the school full-time.
Established in 1972 as the Quinte Dance Centre, QBSC prides itself in building strong classical dancers who are versatile in a range of dance styles including jazz and hip hop. The school offers a full-time professional training program by audition only for young aspiring dancers, as well as recreational dance classes for kids, teenagers and adults. Currently the school has five large dance studios and a performance space.
Tagged: Ballet, Funding, Training, Uncategorized, Youth, Belleville , ON