About the School
Founded in 2002, the Leica Hardy School of Dance is recognized as a centre of excellence in dance education in Dartmouth. The philosophy of the school is to provide everyone – young to adult, recreational student or aspiring young dancer – with the highest quality of dance instruction in a friendly and constructive environment.
Offering creative movement, ballet, jazz and modern dance instruction, class sizes are limited to assure that students receive individualized care and attention. The General School program offers introductory and recreational classes for students of all ages. Those wishing a more in-depth experience will progress to the Intensive Training and Pre-Professional Training Programs. Our pre-professional company for young dance artists–KiDanCo, gives the aspiring dancer valuable exposure to the works of professional choreographers and the demands of the professional career in dance.
The syllabus and theories of the Society of Classical Ballet–Vaganova Method forms the core of our multi-disciplinary approach to dance training. The carefully developed curriculum ensures successful, healthy technical and artistic progression at every level. In all classes students are encouraged to attain the highest degree of success that they can reach and to become self-motivated, confident individuals. See the Recital & Examinations page for more information.
Our Values
Each Individual
We believe that the artistic expression of the individual is fundamental to all artistic pursuit.
Commitment
We believe in revealing and developing everyone’s potential by providing students individualized attention in smaller classes.
Enjoyment
We believe that students reach higher goals when learning in a fun, yet challenging environment that builds upon success.
Student Success
Students have been accepted into prestigious national and international dance and theatre programs. Many have attended these programs with the assistance of scholarships from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust. Numerous students perform annually in The Nutcracker with Symphony Nova Scotia. We are proud of our alumni who are developing careers as performers, instructors and creators in dance and theatre in Canada and abroad. Our News & Events and Alumni pages will keep you up to date on school events, student success and alumni news. We are always grateful for the testimonials and support of our parents and students.
Students have attended at the following national programs:
- Canada’s National Ballet School
- The Alberta Ballet School
- The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School
- Dance Arts Institute/The School of the Toronto Dance Theatre
- École de danse contemporaine de Montréal
- Canada’s Ballet Jörgen/Jörgen Dance Academy
- The George Brown College School of Performing Arts
- Humber College School of Creative & Performing Arts
- The Stratford Festival
- The Banff Centre
- Toronto Metropolitan University/Ryerson University
Students have attended at the following international programs:
- Bolshoi Ballet Summer Intensive (Connecticut)
- Russian Masters Ballet
- Ellison Ballet (NYC)
- The Peridance Certificate Program (NYC)
- The Bates Dance Festival (Lewiston, Maine)
- École Philippe Gaulier (Paris)
- Joffrey Ballet School (NYC)
- Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet
- The White Mountain Dance Festival (Bronxville, New York)
Photos this page by Yukiko Asaka, Cathy McKelvey & Anastasia Wiebe.
Dancers top photo L-R: Haley Bone, Isabelle Sarty, Ceitidh McGregor.
Dancers columns: Mackenzie Tomlin (left), Sammi Szeto & Maggie Oates-Johnson (centre).
