Heather Ogden performs as Vancouver Ballet Society hosts For the Love of Dance fundraiser, October 26
Benefit at Scotiabank Dance Centre features the principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada

Heather Ogden. Photo by Karolina Kuras
Vancouver Ballet Society presents For the Love of Dance Fundraiser 2024, at the Scotiabank Dance Centre’s Faris Theatre on October 26 at 7 pm
FOR THE LOVE of Dance is the annual fundraiser for the Vancouver Ballet Society, and this year’s event has a major draw: Heather Ogden, principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, will appear as a special guest performer. She’s appearing at a time when she is also rehearsing for Giselle, which she will perform in Toronto in November. Having trained at the Richmond Academy, Ogden was a Vancouver Ballet Society scholarship winner for several years.
Ogden is also teaching a master class on October 27.
The fundraising gala will also include performances by VBS’s recent scholarship winners.
There will be catered refreshments and a silent auction.
The Vancouver Ballet Society is a nonprofit organization that’s committed to supporting and revitalizing dance through education, encouragement, and assistance, providing young dancers the opportunity to further their dance training. Funds raised go toward financial awards for dance students; every year dozens of students receive scholarships for more dance training. The society also offers inclusive classes with some of the most prominent dance artists from companies across Canada and beyond. More than 5,300 students have attended since the VBS’s inception 75 years ago.
Gail Johnson is cofounder and associate editor of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.
Related Articles
Inspired by the mesmerizing flight patterns of bird flocks, the work makes its Vancouver premiere in partnership with Canada Dance Ice Theatre
The solo for Jeanette Kotowich addresses the choreographer’s mixed Oji-Cree and Mennonite ancestry
The Afro-Colombian dance company headed by Rafael Palacios combines contemporary movement with traditional forms
Having its world premiere at the fest, the work merges the ancestral knowledge of mau rākau with contemporary dance
At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, Daina Ashbee’s We learned a lot at our own funeral takes an unblinking, unsettling look at the death of the self; surreal studies make big impacts at Small Stage
Company blends exuberant Bollywood dance with jazz, funk, folk, and modern influences
Monumental triple bill sees the return of Johan Inger’s PASSING along with world premieres from Fernando Hernando Magadan and Andrea Peña
At the Chan Centre, the New York City–based duo take on George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Schoenberg’s “V. Walzer”, and more
Multilayered work by Andrea Peña & Artists is full of animalistic ritual, raw emotion, and nods to Colombian history
Company artists Márcio Teixeira and Daniel Da Silva talk costumes and symbolism in the show ahead of a stop at the Massey Theatre
Copresented by PuSh Festival and Vancouver Art Gallery, the genre-bending work merges dance, new media, and video with immersive sound resonators
At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, the in-demand artist draws from the deeply personal and subconscious in the ritualistic new solo We learned a lot at our own funeral
Workshops will be facilitated by Majula Drammeh and Adam Grant Warren at the Scotiabank Dance Centre
PuSh Festival opener explores a dance between humans and the industrial waste they leave behind
Sculptural movement flows against luminous set design—but the highlight is still the raucous third act
Rising stars like Nasiv Kaur Sall mix with veterans of the form, as event adds two more late-night shows at Please! Beverage Co.
Colombian choreographer Rafael Palacios explores how to transform a city into a space of inclusion and collective belonging
In solo at the PuSh Festival, Montreal-based dance artist Châu Kim-Sanh draws from her experiences working with artists in Vietnam
Annual festival presented by O.Dela Arts and The Dance Centre features world premieres from Raven Spirit Dance and Māori choreographer Bella Waru
The uncategorizable new work at the Firehall Arts Centre feels by turns like an intimate conversation, an ode to Vancouver’s dance history, and a guide to life
The Colombian-born, Montreal-based choreographer takes a radical approach to movement
New twist on a classic ballet is full of beauty and wit, breaking new ground for the Aussie modern-circus troupe
Belle Spirale Dance Projects and the Campbell Kahre Varty Trio collaborate on the intimate performance
Twelve emerging dance artists choreograph and perform a group piece guided by the theme of “shifting identities”
Italian-born, Denmark-based dance artist Mirko Guido opens event with hybrid of movement, sculptures, and sound performance
Choreographer Bengt Jörgen reimagines the timeless fairy tale set to Tchaikovsky’s original 1890 score
Montreal’s Andrea Peña & Artists construct a brutalist landscape inspired by Colombia’s political and spiritual heritage
At the Firehall Arts Centre, the 64-year-old soloist interweaves storytelling and video to explore his past and present
Aspiring local dancers have the chance to follow in the footsteps of seven B.C. artists who just finished touring Nutcracker with the company
Random scenes and songs that stood out across music, theatre, opera, and dance