A group of young dancers from the Ballet Victoria Conservatory have been accepted into the country’s best ballet school and are ready for the national stage.

Charlotte Smith, Romy Kashyap and Josephine Gryba, all 12 years old, spent their summer in Toronto dancing their hearts out to earn one of 13 available spots at the National Ballet School of Canada’s Summer Dance Intensive.

And they did it.

All three danced their way to an incredible opportunity in the National Ballet of Canada’s year-round professional ballet program.

“I found out in the third week via email that I was selected for the program,” Gryba said. “My mom and I cried and were just so happy.”

The month-long auditions were very competitive, with students from all over the world taking part in the auditions.

Other students of the conservatory were also able to secure a place at other major ballet schools in the country.

Seventeen-year-old Carson Simair has been accepted into the professional division of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School on a scholarship for the 2024/25 season.

Carson is currently in New York participating in the prestigious John Cranko Summer Intensive. His sister, Eila Simair, 14, received an offer to join the Alberta Ballet School’s Professional Division for the 2024/25 year.

“This is a proud moment not only for our conservatory but for the entire Victoria region,” said Andrea Bayne, Artistic Director of Ballet Victoria Conservatory. “Many of these young dancers have trained at BVC since they were five years old and feel a deep connection to our Victoria family. Some have chosen to return to Victoria as they value the high standard of training they receive here.”

Currently, two BVC students are training full-time at the National Ballet School of Canada.