Hello, my name is Cheryl Belkin Epstein and I teach the history of ballet here at Canada's National Ballet School, whose campus includes this fully equipped pricinium theater. In schools and companies around the world, most classes and rehearsals take place in studios, basically rooms with four solid walls. But in order to make the successful transition from student to professional performer, young dancers need to gain experience in working without the fourth wall. They need to learn how to reach out and engage in audience sitting beyond the footlights. And so this theater was built for the school as a stage training facility. By taking class and rehearsing on the stage, young dancers not only gain experience in working without that fourth wall, they also learn how to properly enter and exit the stage, how to position themselves most effectively in theatrical lighting, what the audience can see and hear from the front of the house, and how to conduct themselves in such a way as to ensure the safety of everyone on stage and backstage. But of course the most exciting use of the theater is for student performances of which there are many throughout the year. But the most anticipated are those of the Spring Showcase. These highlight the students' mastery of the rigorous demands of pure classical ballet technique, as well as the new movement vocabularies essential to today's repertoire. This year, the Spring Showcase includes excerpts from the Sleeping Beauty, as well as two new works specially commissioned by artistic director, Mavis Staines. By commissioning new work, the school provides its students with the opportunity to participate in the creative process. They will learn how to collaborate with a choreographer in the creation of new choreography. Through its exceptional facilities, as well as its innovative approach to dance education, it continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of the profession. Canada's National Ballet School is able to fully prepare its students for a professional career in ballet.