Alberta Ballet Community is a division of Alberta Ballet. Celebrated for performances that move and inspire, the artistry of the professional company reaches even further—training young dancers and expanding access to dance across the province. Alberta Ballet Community connects people to the joy and expression that dance makes possible.
Formalized as its own division in 2024, Alberta Ballet Community extends the company’s reach beyond the stage. Through recreational programs and community partnerships, we open doors for Albertans of all ages and backgrounds to discover creativity, confidence, and connection through dance.
Professional-quality ballet instruction for all ages. Alberta Ballet Classes are a key part of Alberta Ballet Community. These classes welcome participants from preschool to adult, offering exceptional instruction with live music accompaniment and the artistic integrity that defines Alberta Ballet.
Students attend classes each week to deepen their skills, artistry, and understanding of the discipline. These programs, offered out of our Calgary and Edmonton studios, nurture focus, creativity, and confidence — giving students the skills to grow, perform, and find joy in movement.
Students also benefit from ties to the professional company—with ticket discounts, behind-the-scenes opportunities, and, for younger dancers, the chance to perform in beloved productions like The Nutcracker, Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel.
For many families, Alberta Ballet Classes are both an introduction to the art form and a pathway to a lifelong appreciation of dance.
Removing barriers and connecting Albertans through dance. Beyond the studio, Alberta Ballet Community delivers programs that make dance accessible and meaningful for more people across the province.
Each program is developed with community partners and evaluated to ensure impact. We’re committed to building sustainable funding that allows these initiatives to thrive.
Bringing the joy of dance to communities across Alberta.
In the 2025–26 season, Alberta Ballet Community will welcome 1,000 newcomers, 1,000 caregivers, and 600 youth to Alberta Ballet performances through our ticket programs. We will also engage another 1,000 youth (ages 7-17) in eight Alberta communities through free dance programming—many experiencing ballet for the first time.
Each class, performance, and partnership reflects a shared belief: arts participation strengthens individuals, enhances well-being, and builds community. Whether in a theatre, studio, or school gymnasium, dance becomes a shared language of creativity and connection.
Inspiring, connecting, and serving Albertans through dance.
Alberta Ballet Community embodies the organization’s broader mission—to ensure that the excellence seen on stage reaches beyond the spotlight.
As one of Alberta Ballet’s three core divisions, we are building a more connected, inclusive, and inspired province—one dance at a time.
Get to know the team that supports the Alberta Ballet Community.
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Heather Gagnier received her early dance training in her hometown of Hinton, Alberta, spending summers at Alberta Ballet School in Calgary and Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre in Toronto. She later went on to train in the professional division of the Ailey School (the official school of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre) in New York City.
Having discovered a passion for teaching, in 2006 Ms. Gagnier moved to London, England to attend the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Ballet Education degree program at the Royal Academy of Dance Faculty of Education. During her three years in London, she undertook an in-depth study of ballet pedagogy and related subjects such as dance history, choreography, anatomy/kinesiology, education theory, movement notation, and music.
Ms. Gagnier returned to New York City in 2012, where she attained her Master of Arts (MA) degree in Teaching Dance in the Professions: ABT Ballet Pedagogy, graduating at the top of her class from a partnership program between New York University and American Ballet Theatre. While at ABT/NYU, Ms. Gagnier was able to delve into advanced studies in ballet pedagogy and education theory, deepening her knowledge and refining her skills as an educator. She was privileged to study with many leading dance educators in New York City during this time, including Raymond Lukens, co-author of the ABT National Training Curriculum.
In addition to her MA and BA degrees in the field of dance education, Ms. Gagnier also holds the prestigious Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance (LRAD), a high-level teaching qualification awarded to only a handful of teachers worldwide each year, and the Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance (ARAD), which she was awarded upon completion of her RAD Advanced 2 examination. Ms. Gagnier is an ABT Certified Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level 7 of the ABT National Training Curriculum, as well as a certified Pilates mat work instructor through Body Works Pilates.
Ms. Gagnier has taught ballet across England, Canada, and the USA and has prepared hundreds of students for examinations at all levels, up to and including the RAD Solo Seal Award. She takes great pride in her ability to nurture each student’s technical and artistic growth, while fostering a genuine love of the art form and retaining a primary emphasis on the joy of movement.
Heather Gagnier received her early dance training in her hometown of Hinton, Alberta, spending summers at Alberta Ballet School in Calgary and Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre in Toronto. She later went on to train in the professional division of the Ailey School (the official school of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre) in New York City.
Having discovered a passion for teaching, in 2006 Ms. Gagnier moved to London, England to attend the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Ballet Education degree program at the Royal Academy of Dance Faculty of Education. During her three years in London, she undertook an in-depth study of ballet pedagogy and related subjects such as dance history, choreography, anatomy/kinesiology, education theory, movement notation, and music.
Ms. Gagnier returned to New York City in 2012, where she attained her Master of Arts (MA) degree in Teaching Dance in the Professions: ABT Ballet Pedagogy, graduating at the top of her class from a partnership program between New York University and American Ballet Theatre. While at ABT/NYU, Ms. Gagnier was able to delve into advanced studies in ballet pedagogy and education theory, deepening her knowledge and refining her skills as an educator. She was privileged to study with many leading dance educators in New York City during this time, including Raymond Lukens, co-author of the ABT National Training Curriculum.
In addition to her MA and BA degrees in the field of dance education, Ms. Gagnier also holds the prestigious Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance (LRAD), a high-level teaching qualification awarded to only a handful of teachers worldwide each year, and the Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance (ARAD), which she was awarded upon completion of her RAD Advanced 2 examination. Ms. Gagnier is an ABT Certified Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level 7 of the ABT National Training Curriculum, as well as a certified Pilates mat work instructor through Body Works Pilates.
Ms. Gagnier has taught ballet across England, Canada, and the USA and has prepared hundreds of students for examinations at all levels, up to and including the RAD Solo Seal Award. She takes great pride in her ability to nurture each student’s technical and artistic growth, while fostering a genuine love of the art form and retaining a primary emphasis on the joy of movement.
Heather Gagnier received her early dance training in her hometown of Hinton, Alberta, spending summers at Alberta Ballet School in Calgary and Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre in Toronto. She later went on to train in the professional division of the Ailey School (the official school of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre) in New York City.
Having discovered a passion for teaching, in 2006 Ms. Gagnier moved to London, England to attend the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Ballet Education degree program at the Royal Academy of Dance Faculty of Education. During her three years in London, she undertook an in-depth study of ballet pedagogy and related subjects such as dance history, choreography, anatomy/kinesiology, education theory, movement notation, and music.
Ms. Gagnier returned to New York City in 2012, where she attained her Master of Arts (MA) degree in Teaching Dance in the Professions: ABT Ballet Pedagogy, graduating at the top of her class from a partnership program between New York University and American Ballet Theatre. While at ABT/NYU, Ms. Gagnier was able to delve into advanced studies in ballet pedagogy and education theory, deepening her knowledge and refining her skills as an educator. She was privileged to study with many leading dance educators in New York City during this time, including Raymond Lukens, co-author of the ABT National Training Curriculum.
In addition to her MA and BA degrees in the field of dance education, Ms. Gagnier also holds the prestigious Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance (LRAD), a high-level teaching qualification awarded to only a handful of teachers worldwide each year, and the Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance (ARAD), which she was awarded upon completion of her RAD Advanced 2 examination. Ms. Gagnier is an ABT Certified Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level 7 of the ABT National Training Curriculum, as well as a certified Pilates mat work instructor through Body Works Pilates.
Ms. Gagnier has taught ballet across England, Canada, and the USA and has prepared hundreds of students for examinations at all levels, up to and including the RAD Solo Seal Award. She takes great pride in her ability to nurture each student’s technical and artistic growth, while fostering a genuine love of the art form and retaining a primary emphasis on the joy of movement.