Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) April 16, 2015 – Performing Dance Arts (www.PerformingDanceArts.ca), Toronto’s leading dance studio for children of all skill levels, is weighing in on a member of the National Ballet of Canada winning the Erik Bruhn Prize.

On March 24, the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto was host to the awarding of the 11th annual Erik Bruhn Prize, an award created in 1988 by the National Ballet of Canada to showcase upcoming dancers. Named after one of the most skilled male dancers of his time, this year’s winners were Carlo Di Lanno of the San Francisco Ballet and Hannah Fischer of the award’s creator, the  National Ballet of Canada. (Source: Glasner, E., “Erik Bruhn Prize makes for an exciting evening at the ballet,” CBC web site, March 25, 2015; http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/erik-bruhn-prize-makes-for-an-exciting-evening-at-the-ballet-1.3008964).

“This is a prestigious event,” says Ashley Daychak, creative director at Performing Dance Arts. “This prize was created specifically to honour individual ballet talent apart from their group. And to be chosen to battle against the best in one’s industry is an honour in itself.”

Fischer took part in a dance alongside fellow National Ballet of Canada representative Ethan Watts. Each pair at the competition had two routines, one of which was choreographed specifically for the dancers—a rarity in ballet, which typically asks dancers to adjust to the overall piece.

“This doesn’t happen often in this style of dance,” Daychak explains. “Ballet is about the group coming together to express a story or theme that’s already been written, but this competition allows these dancers to be choreographed according to their own strengths and specific movements.”

A $7,500 cash prize was awarded to the winners in addition to the worldwide exposure the competition garners. Other companies being represented aside from the winners included the Royal Danish Ballet, the Hamburg Ballet, and the Boston Ballet.

“Erik Bruhn was an accomplished dancer and choreographer prior to his death in 1986 and this competition is done to honour his name and contribution to ballet in Canada and all over the world,” Daychak concludes. “Ballet is one of the disciplines Performing Dance Arts offers and our dance lessons for ballet require special attention to technique and comes with a rich tradition of performance to help create dancers who may one day take part in future Erik Bruhn Prize competitions.”

To learn more about ballet and other dance lessons, visit the Performing Dance Arts web site at  www.PerformingDanceArts.ca.