Clare Bader, Artistic Director

A native of Dartmouth, N.S., Ms Bader began her ballet training in Halifax, studying with David Latoff. She continued with advanced study in New York, beginning with work at the School of American Ballet. Among her many noted teachers in New York, and later in Europe were: George Balanchine and Muriel Stuart (School of American Ballet), Robert Joffrey (Joffrey Ballet Company), Azari Plisetski (Ballet National de Cuba), David Howard (former director of Harkness House), Joseph Albano (founder of Hartford Ballet Company) and Tatiana Gratseva (Le Ballet National de Marseilles).

Ms Bader’s professional career included work, with among others, the New York City Opera Ballet Company, the Hartford Ballet Company, the Garden State Ballet Company and Le Ballet National de Marseilles (directed by Roland Petit).

Ms Bader returned from Europe and in 1980 founded the Halifax Ballet Theatre, wanting to provide students in Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada with an opportunity to receive training at the highest level. She also taught dance in the Theatre Department of Dalhousie University. In 1993, Ms. Bader left Dalhousie to dedicate all her energies to her ballet students.

Having trained and worked with some of the most notable dancers and teachers in the profession, Ms Bader instills the same level of discipline that she learned, in all her students. This rigour and professionalism have allowed former students to go on to further training at many institutions of national and international standing. Click here for a list of schools former students have attended.

Halifax Ballet Theatre has been providing Pre-Professional training in Classical Ballet for over twenty years.


Sally Morgan

Sally Morgan is an emerging dance theatre artist with a strong interest in intermedia creation and performance. Originally from South Western Ontario, her training in dance, film, and video has taken her to York University, The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, The Limon School, The Granville Ferry Studio, and last year to EDAM.

From 1997-99 Sally worked in Toronto, independently and with Holly Treddenick as founding members of Tweenies and the interdisciplinary arts space/venue the LAUNCH PAD.

In 2001, her first full length work, being here: dance experiment no. 2, was presented in Halifax by Live Art Productions, and in Vancouver at The Dancing on the Edge Festival. In May 2001, she performed Little Wishes (aka The Crown Dance), a solo work in development, as part of Series 8:08 in Toronto.

Sally is an active member of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists (CADA) and the Dancer Transition Resource Centre. She works in Halifax as an independent artist, administrator, and teacher. She is currently a member of the North End Dance Co-op, and the Nova Scotia representative for CADA, helping to begin an Atlantic chapter.

Sally presented her newest solo, My Own Small Universe and other stories, at the Atlantic New Dance Festival, and most recently completed the short film Before My Little Wish, as part of the OMF Scholarship Program at The Atlantic Filmmakers Co-op.

In July 2002, Sally received a grant from the Dance Section of the Canada Council for the Arts to assist in the training, research and creation of a new work.




Susan Barratt

Susan Barratt is a Montreal native who has been dancing since she was born, and taking dance classes since the age of five. She has a BFA in Dance from Concordia University, where she studied Choreography, Creative Process, Modern Technique, Contact Improvisation and Pilates. She trained as a Certified Movement Analyst at the Laban-Bartenieff Centre for Movement Studies in New York.

Since moving to Nova Scotia in 1999, she has taught in Halifax and Truro and founded a local Authentic Movement Group. She is a co-founder of the North End Dance Co-Op, where she has taught African Dance, Authentic Movement, Intro to Laban Movement and Dancing the Inner Animal. Susan has performed original work with other local performers and musicians in the Open Studio Series, the Atlantic New Dance Festival and with the African dance troupe, Chiumbo.

Her classes and her choreography are eclectic; incorporating Laban principles, authentic movement, improvisation, modern and African dance styles, as well as explorations in bodywork, voice and rhythm.