Alumni &
Student Stories

Kairi Watanabe is from Tokyo, Japan, and this season marks her first year as a dancer with Alberta Ballet after completing a season as a Trainee with the company. She trained in the Alberta Ballet School’s Trainee Program, where she refined her artistry and technique. One of her notable roles is Étoile in Paquita. She joined Alberta Ballet as an supplemental dancer for the 2025/26 season.

Born in Calgary, Camryn began her ballet training at a local ballet school before moving to Toronto, Ontario to further her training at Canada’s National Ballet School . Throughout her time in Toronto, Camryn performed in various productions including, Marius Petipa’s Paquita, James Kudelka’s The Four Seasons restaged by Peter Ottmann and James Kudelka’s Nutcracker, where she performed the role of Marie alongside The National Ballet of Canada. Following her graduation in 2023, Camryn attended Alberta Ballet Schoo's postgraduate program, where she had the opportunity to perform in a variety of productions with Alberta Ballet such as La Sylphide, Wizard of Oz and Don Quixote. Camryn looks forward to beginning her first season with Alberta Ballet as an Apprentice artist in 2025/26.

Ian, who is from Los Cabos, Mexico, joined Alberta Ballet for the 2025/26 season as an Apprentice after training with Ballet Power and Alberta Ballet School. Ian is excited to work with different choreographers, dancing different styles and expanding his technical skills.

Originally from Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Racheal trained at the Quinte Ballet School under the direction of Brian Scott and later completed Alberta Ballet School’s Post Graduate Program under the guidance of Murray and Nancy Kilgour. She became the first graduate of the program to join Alberta Ballet under a full company contract. During her four seasons with the company, she performed works by George Balanchine, Emily Molnar, Margie Gillis, Christopher Wheeldon, and Jean Grand-Maître.

At age 23, she joined Ballet BC, where she spent 12 seasons performing works by today’s leading contemporary voices, including Emily Molnar, William Forsythe, Sharon Eyal, and Ohad Naharin. Her touring credits include world-renowned venues such as Sadler’s Wells, Jacob’s Pillow, and BAM.

Following her performance career, Racheal took on the role of Assistant Rehearsal Director at Ballet BC, staging Medhi Walerski’s Romeo and Juliet and Prelude. She is a devoted mentor, teacher, and arts advocate, committed to supporting the next generation of artists.

Racheal is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Dance//Novella, a Vancouver-based contemporary dance company she leads with her partner Brandon Lee Alley. Highlights include their tenure as Artists-in-Residence at Ballet BC, receiving the Vancouver International Dance Festival’s Choreographic Award, and being selected for a Dance Artist Residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. In 2025, they received their first international commission with SALT Contemporary Dance.

Inspired by her aunt at a young age, Hinata Takahara began dancing when she was just three years old. She was born in Fukuoka, Japan and began her professional training at Chikako Tanaka Ballet Studio until 2021. In 2021, she was accepted into the Alberta Ballet School as a Senior student and remained with the school as a Trainee Program dance. 

Hinata has officially joined the Alberta Ballet Company for the 2024 season and has already been promoted to Corps de Ballet!

Hotaru is from Okinawa in Japan and is in her third season with Alberta Ballet. She trained at Staatliche Ballett Schule in Berlin before joining Alberta Ballet School for two years in the Trainee program. Her most memorable roles with Alberta Ballet include Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz , Cupid in Don Quixote and Klara in Nutcracker. She especially enjoyed the Company's tour to Dubai in the spring of 2025, performing in Francesco Ventriglia's A Thousand Tales. Hotaru was promoted to Corps de Ballet in 2025.

Yaroslav (Yarko) started his dance training at the age of 12 at Alberta Ballet School, graduating from the Professional Division Program, and continued on completing the school's 2-year Post Graduate Diploma Program. In 2021, Yaroslav joined Alberta Ballet Company as an Apprentice Dancer, with fellow alumni Alyssa Churchill and Kale Lazarick.

Yarko credits the strong dance foundation developed through his training for his success in securing a professional role in a dance company.

Word of advice from Yarko? "Try to relax and have fun while doing it, make some friends and stick with them"

You can see Yaroslav on stage with Albeta Ballet in their 2021-2022 season.

Alyssa joined Alberta Ballet School from Kitchener, Ontario as a Post-Graduate Program student in the 2019-2020 school year.

After completing her training, Alyssa was asked to join Alberta Ballet Company was an apprentice dancer for the 2021-2022 season.

Here is what she has to say about her time at Alberta Ballet School:

How did the school's training help you?

"My training at ABS helped me in developing strong technique as well as both the physical and mental strength required for a career in classical ballet."

Your favourite memory from ABS?

"Solo adjudication performance. It was amazing to see how although we were all doing individual solos our class came together as one to support and energize each other! This led to a wonderful performance that represented the dancers not as individuals but the school and it’s training as a whole in a positive way."

Favourite accomplishment?

"Progressing from Post-Graduate Program in my first year to becoming an Alberta Ballet Trainee in my second year at the school. So exciting to see this quick progression and achievement after a year of hard work!"

Would you recommend Alberta Ballet School to others?

"Yes! Very friendly and positive training atmosphere with supportive teachers. Dancers receive countless corrections and feedback from teachers leading to increased motivation, technique and overall improvement."

What tips do you have for current or future Alberta Ballet School students?

"If something feels challenging or doesn’t go well in class don’t get discouraged, but rather write down what wasn’t great along with any corrections you got. Then, when you have free time refer to these notes and practice what you can. Hopefully over time you will start to see progress as you narrow in on your weakness and work to improve them."

I trained at Alberta Ballet School from 2012-2015 from grade 10-12. After graduation I continued training with the School in their Post Graduate Professional Training program. Upon completion of the post-grad program I was invited to joined ABII and work alongside Alberta Ballet Company, I spent a year in ABII before I decided I wanted to attend university.

Being a part of Alberta Ballet School taught me how to be disciplined and stay focused on my goals no matter how difficult they may be to achieve. I learned that hard work pays off and you always receive what you put in. This has shaped who I am as a person because although I am no longer dancing I use these skills at university and in many other aspects of my life.

My favourite memory of being with the School was preforming the role of the third shade in La Bayadere. This was while I was in the Post Graduate Program for the year end performance at the Jubilee Auditorium. Preparing for the role was some of the hardest work I had done in all of my training at the School and the feeling of preforming solo on stage and showing what I was capable of was one of the most amazing and rewarding feelings I have ever had.

I am currently a second year student at Dalhousie University working towards a double major in Mathematics and Chemistry.

I think the most important thing about the training I received with Alberta Ballet School was a high level of confidence that I could achieve anything I set my mind to.