Online Ballet Training

IN-STUDIO CLASSES

About us:

We created this platform because we believe dance should be accessible to everyone, no matter where you live, your age, or your skill level. I’ve been dancing for more than 30 years and have been lucky to travel around the world as a professional dancer and instructor. Dancing should be a positive and uplifting experience, so we are building a platform for you to access training from talented instructors who care about your success. We have a big mission to grow and reach dancers around the world, improve our programs, and provide you with ways to keep dancing no matter what. Work with us as extra training for your in-person classes, when weather makes it impossible to get to the studio, or you don't have enough time in the day, You know, normal stuff...

We also have in-studio classes that are offered if you happen to be located in or visiting beautiful Victoria, BC. More info below!

For the love of dance,

- Ursula Szkolak

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Our programs: We've embraced the new technologies and have found ways to still connect with you, help you move, create a community, and have fun. You’ll be surprised at how much you can sweat in your living room!

How it works: Check out the classes below and choose an available time to join us. Once you have registered, you will receive an email from us with the ZOOM link to attend the class. Then at that time, you simply click the link and join the class. Simple! (Read the Frequently Asked Questions at the bottom of the page for more details).

ABOUT URSULA SZKOLAK:

Ursula Szkolak is the founder of OnlineBalletTraining.com. Ursula was born and raised in Toronto (ON) where, she likes to say, she grew up on the stage. Her dance training started at age 5 at the Academy of Ballet and Jazz, and she went on to train with the National Ballet School of Canada and the Kirov Academy in Washington, DC. She embarked on her professional ballet career at the age of 17, and during the span of her decade-long career, she was lucky enough to perform as a soloist in companies in Canada, The United States, and Germany. In 2005, when Ballet Victoria offered her a position in their company, Ursula made her first visit to Victoria, BC and she promptly fell in love with the island. In 2007, she was offered a Principal Dancer position at the Canadian Pacific Ballet in Victoria, and she returned to Victoria and never looked back. In her time at Canadian

Ursula retired from the ballet stage in 2011, and although she could be found on occasion back on stage as a guest dancer in various ballet productions throughout North America, she started to focus on her other passions: teaching dance and theatre acting. Ursula has been seen on Victoria stages in shows with Victoria Operatic Society (Spamalot, A Chorus Line) Langham Court Theatre (Penelopiad, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Stepping Out, Sense and Sensibility), Theatre Inconnu (Frankenstein), and Attitude Theatre (Brilliant Traces).

Since she decided to focus on sharing her passion for dance and vast knowledge in her field almost a decade ago, Ursula has been on the faculty of Allegro School of the Performing Arts , Victoria Academy of Ballet and a substitute ballet teacher for the Canadian College of Performing Arts. She has been invited to guest teach for schools across the country and the United States: The Anchorage Classical Ballet (Alaska), Dance Stream (Toronto), and The Dance Connection (Toronto), to name a few. In 2017, Ursula Szkolak and Amalia Schelhorn collaborated to start Victoria Dance Collaborative, in which they collaborated to bring extraordinary classes to offer to the adult dance community in Victoria, BC.

ABOUT AMALIA SCHELHORN:

A graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School, Amalia Schelhorn spent most of her decade-long performing career touring North America and Europe with the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. She was the first member to be promoted directly from the corps to the rank of the first soloist. Her repertoire encompassed solo roles in many of the great classic and contemporary ballets. She was especially noted for the roles she created for then resident choreographer Constantin Patsalas.

After a period freelancing in operas, modern dance, and jazz, Amalia and her husband moved to Vancouver Island to raise their four children. Many of her students have gone on to major professional schools and companies in Canada and the U.S. She was the assistant artistic director of Dancestreams Youth Company and the rehearsal mistress of Ballet Victoria during its first two seasons.

She adjudicates dance festivals, guest teaches, choreographs for dance and theatre and continues to perform. She has produced her own show Momnipotence and Other Expressions of Motherhood. In addition to founding and teaching at the Victoria Dance Collaborative, Amalia is a faculty member at the Canadian College of Performing Arts and a guest teacher for the Victoria Academy of Ballet.

She has been recognized as an honorary member of the University of Victoria’s chapter of the International Golden Key Society. Amalia likes to continually broaden her knowledge and to remember what it feels like to be the student through her forays into yoga and various dance forms.