The Hnatyshyn Foundation -Joysanne Sidimus Ballet Grant
About the Hnatyshyn Foundation - Joysanne Sidimus Ballet Grant
The Hnatyshyn Foundation is thrilled to announce a new grant that will support Canadian early career ballet dancers. The Hnatyshyn Foundation – Joysanne Sidimus Ballet Grant will support an exceptionally talented young dancer by bridging the gap between their full-time training and professional life.
This $10,000 grant is designed to help the most promising young Canadian ballet dancers. Dancers entering the final or penultimate year of a full-time, multi-year recognized post-secondary educational program, or entering a full-time educational, training, or apprenticeship program of one year or less at a recognized ballet company, are eligible. Students and apprentices are eligible.
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The Hnatyshyn Foundation is now accepting nominations from ballet schools, training centres, and apprenticeship programs for young Canadian ballet dancers enrolled in recognized training programs for the 2024-2025 academic year.
To receive future calls for nominations, please make sure that you and your nominee(s) have subscribed to our mailing list.
2024 nominations
Completed nominations must be submitted by email by May 13th, 2024.
Candidate Deadline
Completed candidate submissions must be submitted online by June 10th, 2024.
Guidelines
Please review the full guidelines at this link before submitting a nomination.
An institution must nominate the candidates and may submit up to two candidates per year. Candidates may be nominated by only one institution. Candidates may be nominated in more than one year but may receive the grant only once. Nominees will be identified by the institution based on their promise of a professional career in ballet.
Institutions are encouraged to consider candidates who express financial need and/or who identify as part of a group that is underrepresented in Canadian ballet.
Nomination Procedure
All nominations must be submitted by email to director@rjhf.com.
Nominees will be invited via email to submit their documentation to SlideRoom once their nomination is received.
Documentation supporting this nomination should include:
Nominator’s name, position or title
Institution of the person making the nomination
Nominator’s primary telephone number
Candidate name
Candidate email
Candidate telephone number
Name of program of study or apprenticeship
Duration of program, start date of program, year/level)
Letter of support from the institution or teacher stating how the candidate has demonstrated exceptional promise;
Attestation that to the best of the nominator’s knowledge, the candidate is eligible.
Documentation supporting the candidate’s submission should include:
Curriculum vitae and artist statement;
Proposed course of study;
Proposed professional development following completion of program (description of professional goals and ambitions or further training, if applicable);
Description of financial benefit from grant (optional);
A selection of performances of the candidate’s choice totalling no more than 20 minutes that demonstrates the candidate’s command of a range of genre and techniques. It is recommended that the candidate include at least one short classical variation from the standard repertoire, one contemporary variation of their choice, and a short demonstration of ballet technique (3-5 barre and centre exercises that include adagio, pirouettes, petit and grand allegro, danced in pointe shoes if applicable).
Official educational transcripts from the current training institution or last completed training institution attended;
A high-resolution head shot (showing full head and shoulders, not close cropped). Note: required only if the material submitted features more than one performer, for identification purposes. Otherwise optional.
Successful candidates and their nominating institutions or teachers will be notified in late June. No jury comments will be provided. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
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The Hnatyshyn Foundation is extremely proud to name this award after Joysanne Sidimus, one of Canada’s most esteemed ballerinas and a former board member of The Hnatyshyn Foundation.
Photo: Aleksandar Antonijevic
As a répétiteur for The George Balanchine Trust, Joysanne Sidimus has staged Balanchine’s works for dance companies and schools the world over. Born in New York , Ms. Sidimus studied under Mr. Balanchine at the School of American Ballet and then joined his New York City Ballet. She later performed as a soloist with London’s Festival Ballet and as a Principal Dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada. Ms. Sidimus is the founder of the Dancer Transition Resource Centre and was its Executive Director for twenty years. She was also the founding Vice President of the Artists’ Health Centre, a comprehensive health care facility for artists at Toronto Western Hospital. In 2003, she was awarded the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal and in 2006, she received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (Dance – 2006).
“Gerda Hnatyshyn was one of the most influential people in my life and so I am deeply honoured to see my name attached to her beloved foundation for this scholarship.
Mrs. Hnatyshyn was a woman of unswerving energy, creativity, and commitment to the goals of the Foundation. I also knew her to be elegant, diplomatic, generous and a true friend. Her hand-written notes remain with me as lovely memories of this exceptional woman.
Heartfelt gratitude to famed philanthropist Lynda Hamilton for her generosity in funding this honour,” said Ms. Sidimus.
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The Hnatyshyn Foundation sincerely thanks Lynda Hamilton for generously funding this award and suggesting we name it in honour of her friend and colleague, Ms. Sidimus.
Photo: Aleksandar Antonijevic
A passionate advocate for the physical and mental health of performing artists, Ms. Hamilton has dedicated her career to supporting initiatives and institutions that offer artists support at various stages of their careers. Notably, along with Ms. Sidimus, Ms. Hamilton was a co-founder of the Dancer Transition Resource Centre, a national, charitable organization dedicated to helping dancers make necessary transitions into, within, and from professional performing careers. She also founded the Valleyview Artist Retreat, offering free, week-long retreats for artists and arts administrators to find inspiration and respite. In 2021, Ms. Sidimus was honoured with the prestigious Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Volunteerism in the Arts.
