Simone Orlando was the first to take on both the role of Artistic Director and CEO at Ballet Kelowna, a position she has held for nearly 10 years.

As proud as Orlando is to have held the position, it wasnsa国际传媒檛 an easy journey to get there.

Orlando said she started dancing around the age of 10, falling in love with ballet while watching others dance during the lunch hour at her school on the North Shore.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檇 been heavily involved in gymnastics, swimming, and diving, and I realized I was interested in trying to take some dance classes.sa国际传媒�

At a young age, Orlando sought out a dance studio near her and told her parents she wanted to attend. Her dance career officially started with her first dance class at the Carisbrooke School of Dance.

Orlando rose in the art, transitioning to the Vancouver Academy of Dance and then being selected to attend the National Ballet School in Toronto. After graduation, she was offered an apprenticeship with the National Ballet of Canada and eventually signed a contract.

sa国际传媒淎t the time, I was the only female graduate in my class who was offered a position as an apprentice within the company. It was a very big deal, and it was very intimidating. Being a student in the school is very different than being a professional dancer.sa国际传媒�

Orlando was able to study ballet under several of her idols and found a passion for the choreography side of things. sa国际传媒淎t the time, the National Ballet was primarily a repertoire company, meaning that they didnsa国际传媒檛 have a lot of choreographers coming in the door and creating new works. When they did come through the doors, they were mostly working with the principal dancers and the soloist because the company has a hierarchy.sa国际传媒�

After five years of dancing for the National Ballet, Orlando decided to pursue choreography and contemporary ballet.

Unfortunately, dancing became more difficult after a hip injury. Orlando had surgery to fix part of the problem and came back to dance a few months later. Her hip continued to deteriorate and she unknowingly danced her last professional show as Blanche DuBois in sa国际传媒楢 Streetcar Named Desiresa国际传媒�. It was only a month later that Orlando was told she would need a full hip replacement.

sa国际传媒淚 was questioning whether I could continue to use my body as a, essentially, tool to generate income because I didnsa国际传媒檛 know if I could be on my feet all day and be as active as I had been.sa国际传媒�

Orlando made the tough decision to go back to school in her 30s to study business at the B.C. Institute of Technology, navigating technology she knew nothing about and studying alongside people in a younger generation. sa国际传媒淚 decided I needed to reinvent myself because I didnsa国际传媒檛 know what the future was going to hold for me.sa国际传媒�

Orlando completed two years and received a diploma in business. At the same time, the former artistic director of Ballet Kelowna was looking to step down and the company was hiring for the role Orlando now holds.

sa国际传媒淚 had a relationship with the company because the previous artistic director David LaHay had commissioned me to create three works for the company, so I was very familiar with the dancers at the time as well as the companysa国际传媒檚 history.sa国际传媒�

The search to fill the position was global, but with her expertise in the dance world and new knowledge of business, Orlando stepped into the role of Artistic Director and CEO in September 2014.

Since then, Orlando has expanded the scope of Ballet Kelowna. The company moved into a larger space and started touring more outside B.C. and across Canada.

sa国际传媒淚 think premiering our first commissioned full-length work, Macbeth by Alysa Pires, was a big highlight - and, of course, itsa国际传媒檚 coming back at the end of this season as the final piece that wesa国际传媒檙e presenting at the [Kelowna Community Theatre].sa国际传媒�

Orlando considers herself very lucky to have grown up as a dancer, noting that itsa国际传媒檚 taught her a lot about life. sa国际传媒淲hen yousa国际传媒檙e learning how to dance itsa国际传媒檚 all about small steps and gradual steps. One step builds on another, and if you stick to it and yousa国际传媒檙e focused and persistent you can feel and see the progression that yousa国际传媒檙e making.sa国际传媒�