Annette Bakala

Annette grew up in Kelowna, B.C. and has trained and performed at Mission Dance Centre for 15 years. She attended the Ballet Jorgen Summer Intensive IV in Toronto  in 2018 and trained in ballet, pointe, repertoire, and contemporary. She also attended Ballet Kelowna’s Summer Intensive with Heather Myers in 2017 where she was taught ballet and contemporary technique as well as Heather’s repertoire. Annette has performed leading roles in productions such as: MDC’s “The Nutcracker” 2015-2018 as the Sugar Plum Fairy partnered by the former MDC student who graduated from The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Jera Wolfe. Annette also danced the role of Odette in MDC’s “Swan Lake” in 2016 & 2019, partnering with Jera Wolfe and Ballet Kelowna’s Valentine Chu, graduate of The Paris Opera. She was also the recipient of The Teen Honour in the Arts Award for the Kelowna Civic & Community Awards in 2018.

She graduated from MDC’s Pre-Professional Program in 2019 and continued her career in Toronto, Canada in 2020 where she trained under Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s former Prima Ballerina Evelyn Hart. She has been a student in Montreal, Quebec at École supérieure de ballet du Québec for the 2022/2023 year in the SUPÉRIEUR program, performing in works such as “La Bayadere” directed by José Manuel Carreño, and Edgar Zendejas’s “Tu pours, en paid, dans men bras dormir”. Annette is a passionate teacher and feels honoured to inspire and mentor the younger generation.