About

About Us

Les Petits Ballets was founded in 1976 to provide youth an opportunity to develop their talent for ballet. It is a registered non-profit organization run by a volunteer board of directors.

Les Petits Ballets has delighted patrons of Centrepointe Theatre with full-length ballets since 1988. Les Petits Ballets resident choreographer masterfully blends professional guest dancers with young local talent.

Les Petits Ballets' Performing Company has come a long way since its 1988 presentation of a mixed program including La Boutique Fantasque. The Company then progressed to original versions of Coppélia, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Red Shoes, Pictures from an Exhibition, Beauty and the Beast, The Snow Queen, Alice in Wonderland and Hansel and Gretel, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, Annie, and The LIttle Mermaid.

Les Petits Ballets performs in May and December, at Ottawa's Centrepointe Theatre. Company dancers also perform in a number of community events to support local organizations, schools and charities. Les Petits Ballets Beauty and the Beast, Coppélia and Cinderella taped by Rogers Cable, have been widely enjoyed in cities including Ottawa and Toronto. Cinderella was also taken on the road and presented to an appreciative audience in Kingston, Ontario.

Les Petits Ballets' Performing Company is rooted in its pre-professional school. Students are selected by audition and trained in the Vaganova style. Classes leading to the Society of Russian Ballet examinations are part of the program.

In association with the City of Ottawa, Les Petits Ballets offers recreational instruction in ballet and creative dance at locations throughout Ottawa.

Les Petits Ballets' studios are at the Nepean Creative Arts Centre in Bells Corners. Click here for Contact Information.


Director Of Dance

Eva Zielinski

Eva Zielinkski S.R.B. Adv is a graduate of the National Ballet School of Poland. She earned a Master of Arts in Ballet Teaching from the State University of Music, Department of Dance in Warsaw, danced professionally with the National Ballet School of Poland and the Polish Folk Dance Company, and taught classical ballet at the National Ballet School of Poland. Eva has been teaching for Les Petits Ballets since 1986 and is an Associate Member and former Examiner of the Society of Russian Ballet.






Choreographer

Sarah Nolan-Downs was classically trained in ballet having graduated from Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet Professional Division with Distinction. She went on to dance professionally with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for three years until an injury forced an untimely career change. In 1996, Sarah attended the Professional Ballet Program at the Banff Festival of the Arts in Banff, Alberta.

Sarah made the transition from dancer to teacher and choreographer in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where she received her professional teacher’s certification from the Royal Academy of Dance in London, England. While residing in the prairies some of her career highlights include founding the Saskatchewan Contemporary Ballet (SCB), the province’s only professional ballet company.

Office Administrator

Donna Caron

Donna Caron began her ballet training in Montreal, Quebec under the direction of Midge Small. She began teaching ballet at Scarcella School of Dance after training with the Canadian Dance Teachers Association. While attending University in Toronto she danced at Ryerson University and Toronto Dance Theatre. She resumed teaching in 1999 at Classical Ballet Academy and has been teaching with Les Petits Ballets since 2006.







Les Petits Ballets Board of Directors