Testimonials

During its more than 19 years of operation, Victoria International Ballet Academy has always considered it a privilege to teach so many talented and outstanding students. We are thrilled to share with you some of the amazing words that they or their parents have for us.

Written Testimonials

Jessica Li

Student | Victoria International Ballet Academy

I have attended Victoria Ballet Academy for 6 years. The teachers are very kind and caring towards me. Throughout these years, Victoria Ballet Academy helped improve my ballet technique tremendously.

Eyal Makarashvilli

Student | Victoria International Ballet Academy

Victoria International Ballet Academy has taught me and many others the beautiful art form of ballet, and gave us amazing opportunities on a real live stage.

If you want your children to learn and gain great experience in Ballet, this school is highly recommended.

Alena Loboda

Alumni | Arts & Science Academy of Canada

Victoria Ballet Academy is a very special place for me. This is where I first encountered ballet at the age of 13 and a half, and ever since then, it became my passion and my life. I was able to experience the most professional and serious training that the school has to offer when I was accepted to the Day School program. The academy quickly became a second home for me; it was the place where I took academic classes, dance classes, attended rehearsals, and made friends. I am forever grateful to my dance teachers, Victoria Mironova and Elena Dmitrieva who instilled in me the determination, self-discipline, attention to detail, and courage necessary to pursue my dreams. Their tremendous love for ballet inspired me to always give 100% of my efforts and to learn all I could about this art form. Even now that I have finished my training, Victoria and Elena continue guiding me on my way to a professional career, giving me advice and providing opportunities. I am always happy to return to the academy to take classes and to perform in its productions, because I always feel inspired and welcome here.

Edit Lomond

Patron | Gala Performance 2019

Your Gala on the 19 June was spectacular! What a wonderful evening and show!

My colleague and I were mesmerized by the entire set-up; From the lighting, venue, costumes, stage set –up, people, atmosphere;

The stars – the children, from the youngest ones to the professional team-beyond perfection in the desire to be a part of the event; I have no words to express what a wonderful job you are ALL doing collectively to make an event like this happen.
Wow.

Our thanks and gratitude for the opportunity to witness your ever-growing history; many moments brought tears to our eyes, and we were outside observers. Well done!

Jemille Chu-Morrison

Alumni | Arts & Science Academy of Canada

Okay so I have two funny/cute/awesome things to report about your teachers at ASAC:

We were playing a trivia game with 6-year-old Savannah a few days ago and the question was “How old was Mozart when he wrote his first opera? Was he 12, 20, or 22?

And Savannah answered 12. We freaked out and said how do you know this? And she said: Ms.Valerie taught me the history of the composers.

And just now, we are all sitting together while I write my PhD thesis and Savannah is playing on the iPad while Martin is half napping, and I ask Martin, “Is goodwill one word or two?” and Before he can speak, Savannah says: “It’s a compound word. Ms. Irene taught me about those words.”

Holy cow!!!! I’m not making this up. Love it!!! Great teachers

Justin Moore

Parents | Arts & Science Academy of Canada

I give this school 10 stars!!
Both my daughter and I have been coming to Victoria Ballet Academy for over 2 years now. The teachers, services offered and professionalism of all who work here continues to be nothing but excellent! It is a caring and supportive environment where everyone helps one another to succeed.

We love this school so much that this year we enrolled our daughter into their day school Academic Program which adheres to the Ministry of Education. The teacher to child ratio is much more reasonable than that of a public school. There is more engagement, conversation and one on one support. She is now living the full Ballet Education mind set experience and continues to enjoy her experience with her teachers and her learnings.

I cannot think of a better environment to enroll a child who has a love for dance and education. Having it all in one building is so convenient too!!
We highly recommend this school and wouldn’t see ourselves anywhere else!

Irina Sokol

Alumni | Victoria International Ballet Academy

Although ballet is a personal and conceptual language of our era along with technologies, the perception of the world through the body has always been a big challenge for ballet dancers.

“Cinderella” by VIBA students/dancers opens a golden tome of the Russian Ballet for those who love it and those who are willing to be engaged with a spectacular vision of the fairy-tale.
The young dancers are able to completely give themselves to the movement and music to further create an incredible feeling of mystery happening on the stage.

Giving a new breath to dancing as well as turning dancing into the reason for everyone’s smile are the greatest impact of the ballet “Cinderella” performed by the VIBA students and its professional dancers.

PS
As a former student of VIBA, my son still has a great body image due to the correct posture and unbelievable flexibility as a result of having developed long-lean muscles for years of studying ballet.

Konatsu Takizawa

Alumni | Victoria International Ballet Academy

Victoria,

Thank you for teaching me three years. Your ballet class was so much fun for me. That’s why I couldn’t wait ballet class every day. I experienced a lot of new things when I studies here. For example pas de deux in Nutcracker and Cinderella etc… thanks to you, I was able to have the best experience in my life. I am really grateful for everything you have taught me. You’re the best ballet teacher ever. Good teachers like you are rare and extremely difficult to come by. If all the teachers in the world would be like you, school would become so much fun the children would never want to come back home, hehehe. I am so proud of you, yesterday, today, forever you are special to me. I can’t thank you enough for your help and kindness. You smiles always make me feel happy. I’ll never forget the happiest days I spent with you. Thank you for all the loving memories. Whenever, wherever I love you forever. You are my Canada’s mother, hehehe, I’ll painfully miss you and VIBA but I’ll forever living in my heart. I hope your life will be brilliant more than now. I hope to visit VIBA someday with my family. If you come to Japan please text meJ. Don’t forget me. Bye-bye. I love you!

Rucsandra Schmelzer

Parents | Victoria International Ballet Academy

When my daughter started with Victoria Ballet Academy two years ago, at the school’s advice she started in the professional program which demands attendance of 5 times a week on top of her regular school schedule. I did not think at the time that we would survive that load for more than a couple of months… and yet, here we are after two years with not a single day of training to be missed! There is definitely a magic lure that drives my daughter here every day: the highest professionalism and dedication from exceptional teachers, a group of unique friends strongly bound by their passion for dance, and last but not least a reachable dream of being on stage in wonderfully staged performances… and maybe a professional dance career someday! Victoria Ballet Academy’s multifaceted approach to art accommodated my son as well with his artistic inclinations: he is currently taking hip-hop and a very fun art class where he is doing modeling and painting.

Rucsandra Schmelzer, Parent

Miglena Lazarov

Parents | Victoria International Ballet Academy

Victoria Ballet Academy is our weekly pilgrimage for the fifth year in a row. People ask me why we go so far, can’t we find dance schools in our area (we live in Don Mills). Of course we can. But I fell in love with the Victoria Ballet school, from the first day we set our foot there. I remember the girls not wanting to leave and being mesmerized by the lesson of the older students they watched. The ballet training has done so much for their physical and intellectual development, and for their confidence! I also love the warm atmosphere and the wonderful people I met there. We also take art and piano classes at the school, after ballet classes, and to this day, my biggest challenge is getting my girls to leave when all activities are finished.

Arianna Pazmino

Alumni | Ballet Summer Intensive

Letter to Victoria Ballet Academy

This 3 weeks were amazing, visiting this wonderful place where I have make very close friends and spent a happy time together. I love this school because is a lerning opportunity that we don’t have in Ecuador and a new form of how people teach, live and interact with each other.

In every single place we went they always were very kind with us and treat us like we were very important, all of them, making this place to feel as home. I hope that I could come another time because is a fabolous way of learning by visiting places, knowing more people.

I want to thank Victoria Ballet Academy for teaching me lessons and not just lessons for ballet or school, also for life.

Every trip we went was an adventure were we saw pretty things about Canada every detail, every fact about it. I love it.

I will always remember this experience and I hope more kids could have an amazing time in Victoria Ballet Academy, learning and having fun. Thank you!

Yuliya Tushgkevich and Alex Panin

Parents | Victoria International Ballet Academy

Dear Victoria International Ballet Academy

I would like to say thank you to ballet teachers who put all their effort, patience and knowledge into practice in order to teach our children by making every class interesting and remarkable. My daughter Dariya like it very much and I can see the results of all hard work which was put by the teachers, particularly I would like to remark professionalism, kindness and patience of Maryna Turturika who is incredible talented and able to find her way to every child in her class. As a result her every ballet class different, full of energy and happyness. I can see smile on my daughter’s face when she finish her class and get rewarded by Marina by kind words of appreciation. Please give my thank you and appreciation to Marina Turturika.

Sincerely,

Danielle Watson

Alumni | Ballet Summer Intensive

I discovered your academy through an online search when looking for ballet summer programs for Ireland. This was our very first experience with you, your staff, and your students. I would like to say first and foremost that you should commend your students on their professionalism, and general embrace. They were very welcoming and friendly towards Ireland , as well as myself. I feel that the students of a facility are a direct representation and reflection of those who teach them, so clearly you and your staff are doing something right. Ireland felt so comfortable, and enjoyed the class and the students so much so, that she said she’d love to be able to join them every Friday eve. Please let your fine young dancers how incredible they really are , as positive feedback inspires people to continue to strive for excellence.

Not once did you or your staff make us feel like we were an inconvenience, or like we were outsiders. We felt very welcome, much like we would have if it was our home studio. I was very appreciative of your willingness to allow me to watch not only Ireland’s class, but the class of your advanced students. It was truly a privilege to be able to witness such brilliant and passionate instruction, as well as to enjoy the talent and focus of those young girls. Thank you. I also very much appreciated Ms. Elena taking a few moments to speak to me after the class and offer some feedback on Ireland’s dancing in the class. I’m certain she is a busy woman. The facility is lovely, and the environment warm and welcoming. Any questions I had were willingly answered. Again, I thank you, your staff and your students tenfold. We could not have asked for a better first impression, or experience.

Kind Regards,

Lisa Thalassinos

Parents | Victoria International Ballet Academy

Both my girls have been attending this ballet school for 8-10 years. The training is classical following the Vaganova syllabus. They have been lucky enough to have performed in some wonderful classics with this School, such as Cinderella, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Les Sylphides. Excellent training!

Alina Chernin

Parents | Victoria International Ballet Academy

My 3-year-old daughter is now enrolled in the third season at Victoria Ballet Academy. The Once Upon a Princess program was a great introduction to the school, its amazing teachers and the world of ballet in general. This year we’re lucky to have Ms. Mironova herself taking the little ones under her wing and showing them real ballet discipline. We love the instruction quality, the cozy atmosphere and the personal approach and highly recommend the school to kids of all ages.