Enrich your experience of ballet in general and the six programs in the National Ballet of Canada's season in particular with insights into the choreography, the design, and the music. Where appropriate and available, video clips will be used, along with demonstrations of certain steps and postures to help you identify distinctive choreographic styles. Depending on the repertoire, we may look at the ballet's performance history, learn about the choreographer's life and works and the historical context in which the ballet was created, examine the story on which the ballet is based, study ballet mime, and compare different versions of the same ballet.  Deepen your appreciation of the technical aspects of dance by learning to recognize a different ballet step by name each week and understanding its physical challenges. Included will be a tour of the National Ballet's studios with the opportunity to watch a rehearsal, learn how tutus and pointe shoes are made, and see how sets and costumes go from the initial design to the finished product.