Taking the stage
Ottawa native Heather-Claire Nortey’s life-long drive to perform has brought her from childhood ballet recitals and high school dance productions to some of the top theatrical venues in Canada’s capital.
The passionate devotee of dance says she couldn’t have choreographed a better academic experience than the one she’s enjoyed over the past four years at the University of Ottawa’s Department of Theatre.
“This program has given me an excellent education in both practical and theoretical aspects of theatre,” says the 21-year-old recipient of Ottawa Fringe Festival and Orpheus Musical Theatre Society scholarships. “I’ve had new and interesting experiences that have really allowed me to grow as an artist.”
Since arriving on campus Nortey has performed with the University of Ottawa’s Competitive Lyrical and Jazz Dance Team, worked alongside some of the country’s best professional actors in the Great Canadian Theatre Company production of The Man From The Capital, directed a one-act play, choreographed and performed in the stage musical Pippin at the university’s Unicorn Theatre, and appeared in numerous films, commercials, and promotional media projects.
Nortey says her education has been enriched by a faculty of seasoned theatre professionals, a curriculum offering everything from theatre administration to drama therapy, and course options that allow for bilingual dramatic learning.
The program’s proximity to the National Arts Centre (NAC) in the heart of the capital is also a big plus says Nortey, who took part in a NAC-sponsored workshop offered by the renowned New York City-based Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Nortey, who teaches hip hop, jazz, modern, and musical theatre choreography workshops of her own, says she plans on a career in the performing arts after graduating in the spring of 2009.
By Greg Higgins
Published: March 2009