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Canton Ballet’s 60th Anniversary Brings a Renewed Commitment to Top-Tier Education and Outreach Programs

Canton Ballet, based in Canton, Ohio, is celebrating its 60th-anniversary season in 2025–26. In addition to the anniversary festivities, the company is making a renewed commitment to its top-tier dance education programs, housed at the School of Canton Ballet, which was founded in 1972.

Canton Ballet executive artistic director Jennifer Catazaro Hayward spoke with Dance Teacher about the organization’s Diamond Anniversary, the changes she has implemented since taking over as director of Canton Ballet in 2023, and her vision for the future.

Canton Ballet Executive Artistic Director Jennifer Catazaro directs Kaitlyn Giltz during the 60th season promotional photoshoot. Photo by Monolith Productions, courtesy Canton Ballet.

Canton Ballet’s 60th anniversary coincides with the launch of several new educational programs and initiatives. What are they?

I heard someone say once that “legacy isn’t handed down, it is carried forward.” I believe it is essential that we honor our past while also moving forward and shaping a new and better future. We have added a new Daytime Professional Track for students, as well as Pilates and ballroom-dance classes.

What is involved in the Daytime Professional Track?

We have students who get offers to attend professional dance training programs. Those programs are expensive—more than some students and their families can afford. We created a new program to help bridge the gap between our students’ regular training and their transition into becoming professional dancers. The program provides them with more intensive dance instruction and guidance in their pursuit of a professional performance career.

Why have you prioritized changes to the school?

The students are the heart of our organization, so it is essential that they get the best educational and performance opportunities. By prioritizing these things, we are investing in their futures and the future of dance.

Young Canton Ballet dancers in the studio. Photo by Michael Barath, courtesy Canton Ballet.

What role does education play in the vitality and longevity of Canton Ballet?

If the students are the heart of our organization, education is the soul. Providing our students with quality dance instruction is what will carry us forward. It is not just about teaching students proper technique, but also about helping them grow as individuals, cultivating creativity, discipline, and resilience, which they can carry into their futures, whether they become professional dancers or not.

Another area in which the organization has a renewed commitment is collaborating with community partners. Why is that so important?

It helps us grow and reach audiences and individuals we wouldn’t have otherwise reached if we hadn’t collaborated. One example of this is Dancing Through the Canvas, an outreach program in partnership with the Canton Museum of Art that blends ballet with visual arts, engaging students in new and imaginative ways, while making dance accessible and relevant beyond the studio setting.

Canton Ballet dancers (L to R) Maria Carosello and Kaitlyn Giltz. Photo by Luca Sportelli, courtesy Canton Ballet.

How is the organization celebrating its 60th-anniversary season?

Legacy in Motion is our 2025–26 season-long celebration of our past, present, and future and, as mentioned, will introduce new educational and outreach initiatives, along with performances that culminate in April 2026 with our “Greatest of All Time” gala, featuring works from our six decades that showcase the evolution of Canton Ballet.

What is your vision for Canton Ballet going forward?

To continue to provide a nurturing environment that inspires dancers to discover their boundless potential, creativity, and confidence while igniting a passion for dance that will last a lifetime.

Tapas Das: Tapas Das, a young entrepreneur of our times started TWIST N TURNS in 2005. A person who is kind, generous, creative and down to earth wanted to start his own one of a kind dance academy. According to him, Dance is a language of movements that involves space, time and the human body. He was born and grew up in Kolkata, the cultural hub of India. Being appreciated in the field of dance all his life, he is extremely talented. He has been dancing since the age of four. Once he finished his high school, he learned jazz/modern and contemporary dance. His horizons were broadened even more when he started dancing Bollywood with Beat Busters for 4 years, which then was the most upcoming dance crew in Kolkata. After that exposure, he studied how to be a dance teacher, which later started helping him impart his knowledge about dance. Thus, in 2005, with the help of family and friends, he started TWIST N TURNS. Starting with a mere number of 40 students, today TWIST N TURNS currently has over 500 students. Over the time Tapas has taught and performed all over the country. He has performed in cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Jhansi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur etc. He has been an active participant in the Salsa India Congress in the cities of Bangalore and Bombay, and he has also visited various International Salsa Congresses in Europe, namely in Berlin ,Singapore, Hong Kong,Dubai. He is been also trained recently at Broadway Dance Center (New York), Alvin Alley (New York) and Steps on Broadway (New York). He is not only a dancer or teacher. He is a successful choreographer and has coordinated various shows without difficulty in our country. His leadership skills are exceptional, thus he is where he stands today. His aim in life would be to become a dance educator. He wants to share his tremendous knowledge in the right way to the right people. He is also, simultaneously running other brands like Zumba Kolkata, Bollywood Studio ArtistWala.com and India International Dance Institute.