Medicine Hat training leads young dancer to prestigious Alberta Ballet School

MEDICINE HAT, AB – It’s been a busy summer for Olivia Avinou and it will get even busier in September. But a lot of time en pointe is keeping her en route to a career in dance.

Olivia has been spending weekdays in Calgary this summer at Alberta Ballet School’s summer professional program and weekends with her home studio Limelitez in Medicine Hat. Alberta Ballet is a prestigious program, one for which she had to audition and she says finding out she’d been accepted was one of the happiest moments of her life.

“It’s good. It’s very fun there, I’m learning a lot,” the 12-year-old said. “I’m learning ballet technique, posture and core strength. And not only am I doing ballet I’m also doing ballet dances and jazz combos.”

When the school year starts the schedule will flip. She’ll be in Medicine Hat during the week and driving to Alberta Ballet on the weekend.

Olivia was originally offered a scholarship to Alberta Ballet throughout the but had to turn it down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a decision that was devastating, says her mother. The school didn’t want to lose her though and offered her the chance to train there on the weekends in a professional program.

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“They recognized her talent and it was a relief I think for her. She was so, so excited,” said Sher Avinou. “It’s a program they offer to dancers that they want to continue to mold but who aren’t able to attend for the school year.”

Photo Courtesy of Sher Avinou

Olivia has been dancing for about eight years and credits her Limelitez dance instructors — Jerredi Hauck and Teigen Dobbin — for her being accepted to the Alberta Ballet program and says she absolutely loves her dance teachers.

“They helped me a lot with my technique and posture. A lot of the time in my solos they would help me by pushing me to my limits so I could learn from that,” Olivia said. “And they recognized my potential so they asked if I would try this out. They are amazing.”

Her mother agrees.

“She was born with amazing feet but I don’t think she could have reached her potential anywhere else but at Limelitez.”