Centre of Dance
for the International Performing Arts
BC's premier School of Dance, since 1999
ABOUT US
XBa has always been at the forefront of dance innovation;
a leader in our industry and ground-breaking in everything we do, from methods of teaching, to choreography, to opportunities for our students, to advancements in dance education.
Our dance school fosters a free-thinking environment and creative participation is strongly encouraged for all our students. The styles offered are streamlined, and taught by world-class faculty, and we guarantee the best quality of dance education in a higher-learning environment.
For the 2022/23 dance season, exciting changes were implemented to insure not only our continued success, but also our ability to continue providing excellence in dance art education on the South Surrey/White Rock Peninsula.
September 2022 was the official introduction of the:
XBa Centre of Dance
for the International Performing Arts
Under this umbrella
XBa’s dance class schedule allows for exciting new and ongoing classes, available to all ages and ability levels.
INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION IN DANCE STUDIES
As the only dance education facility in BC to offer this Certification we are maintaining our important work under the guidance of UNESCO’s Conseil International de la Danse. We are reworking the program in a more exciting way, where individual dance students will now have the ability to acquire YEARLY International Certification in Contemporary, Hip Hop, or a joint program of Contemporary & Hip Hop!
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
As winners of the SSWR Chamber of Commerce's Arts Business of the Year (2020), Community Inspiration Award (City of White Rock 2013), and finalists for the Surrey Arts Business Awards and Surrey Women in Business Awards, we are working more than ever toward dance inclusivity. XBa’s philosophy has always been that dance should be available to all. In that light we have offered Diverse Abilities dance classes for over 20 years; our Certification students have had the opportunity to volunteer and be trained to teach these classes, and we are proud to say many of our former students have gone on to become important advocates for inclusivity in our society.
Classes in Contemporary, Ballet and Hip Hop are offered Monday through Saturday, with options for all ages 4+. No auditions or previous experience required, and a strong work ethic is mandatory!
XBa's History:
We create, others follow. XBa, our original name, became an acronym (2001) before acronyms were a thing. XBa stands for Extreme Ballet.
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XBa was established on the South Surrey/White Rock peninsula in 1999
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XBa began as Canada's first dry-land training centre for competitive figure skaters stemming from founder Nela H's off-ice coaching of Olympic, World and National skaters. XBa also often hosted softball and volleyball teams for core, strength, and endurance training.
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XBa is a registered trademark and the "XBa Method" is a certification training currently being taught throughout North America, Japan, and Scotland.
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The dance stream of XBa was started in 2001 to give former competitive athletes continued performance training and opportunities, and quickly grew into the edgiest local dance school. We followed the competitive dance route for a few years and amassed a slew of awards including National Gold and Silver medals.
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Summer of 2007 marked the grand opening of our massive educational and performance space on 152nd St & 20th Ave. The 3000 square foot open floor plan training and rehearsal facility allowed for large-scale performance and event preparation. Competitive dance was phased out, with focus remaining on teaching dance as an ART, not as a sport.
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Our dance studio is the largest in the lower mainland and offers a specially built sprung dance floor designed by Jay Gower Taylor, formerly of Ballet BC. The building offers the finest dance studio, and morphs into a performance venue for live presentations, film festivals, art events, and more. There are only 2 other dance floors in BC like ours; at the SFU School for Contemporary Arts and the Scotiabank Dance Centre.
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XBa School of Dance received the official accreditation from the International Dance Council (CID) in Paris, France, in 2011, based on our reputation and achievements as a school of dance.
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Director Nela was honoured with the Community Inspiration Award from the City of White Rock in 2013.
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Our Certification students have performed for the Cities of White Rock, Surrey, and Richmond, in municipal, provincial, and national events in addition to countless performances throughout the community.
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Along with our world-class dance training program XBa is welcoming to recreational dance students of all ages and ability levels. We also offer ongoing dance classes for students with diverse abilities.
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XBa is the only dance school in BC to offer an International Certification in Dance Studies in 3 styles to the serious dance student.
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XBa alumni include Olympic Gold Medal Winner Lisa Roman (Canada's Women's 8 rowing, Tokyo), dance and arts professors and teachers, a Canadian film and television actor, international dance and performance artists, scholars, art therapists, cross-fit trainers, and gym owners.
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XBa School of Dance won the Supporter of the Arts Business of the Year award presented by the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce's Business Excellence Awards.
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Operations Manager Amadea was a finalist for the 2022 Surrey Women in Business Awards, Emerging Leader category!
Click on Director Nela's photo below for the Georgia Straight article:
