Ballet school teaches young Calgary dancers professional technique [Video]

The Jeunesse Classique Ballet Society’s (JCBS) artistic director and rehearsal mistress are a husband and wife team with close to 40 years of professional ballet dancing combined.

Jaciel Gomez and Yairleys Sosa began their careers with the Cuban National Ballet Company.

Sosa says ballet is taken very seriously in her home country.

“They teach you very strict things,” she said. “You have (kids at just) eight years old and (when they begin) you focus (a whole) year, eight hours a day for dancing, just dancing.”

Sosa danced for 15 years with the Cuban company and then had the opportunity to come to Canada with Gomez and the two danced with Alberta Ballet for four seasons. Now retired from professional dance, they’re teaching Calgary kids ballet.

“My idea is that they feel like a professional dancer,” said Gomez. “They feel their whole life that we have nice costumes, we have volunteers …