Teacher brings experience back to the Sudbury dance studio that helped start her career
Eighteen years after Emily Murray started dancing, she is back in the Sudbury studio where her training began to help teach the next generation.
For two weeks this month, Murray will be at Dance Evolution teaching aspiring dancers of all ages, and she’s doing it with experience many dancers only dream of having.
“It’s been inspiring for me and I hope, as well, for the dancers that I teach," she said.
"I just think it’s so important to give back to the community that you came from and just really expose people in this community that maybe aren’t aware of the art forms that we have here and the talent here."
Murray trained at Canada's National Ballet School when she was 13, before joining Ballet Kelowna in 2020.
“I’m just lucky to call Sudbury home and I’m just so glad that I can come back home here and just teach and have amazing experiences,” she said.
Emily Caruso Parnell, the head of ballet at Dance Evolution, said a guest teacher like Murray is a chance for young dancers to see where their hard work and determination can lead them.
“It’s a bit of a magical combination, having both the physical talent and ability to be able to dance professionally and also the work ethic that it takes to be able to dance professionally,” said Caruso Parnell.
“It’s great for students to see that there is a career pathway there, that there are options. So it gives them a sense of some possibilities.”
For Caruso Parnell, Murray coming back is extra special, because she helped start her training so many years ago.
“It’s really lovely for me,” she said.
“I’ve had lots of students go on to careers in dance and teaching and arts administration in different ways, but Emily is quite special in that she’s pursuing a performing career in classic ballet, which is extremely difficult.”
With years of professional ballet training behind her, Emily Murray taught the next generation at Dance Evolution for two weeks this month. (Alana Pickrell/CTV News)
As for Murray, she credits Caruso Parnell for the direction her dance has taken her.
“When I was younger I didn’t think that I would want to be a ballet dancer, that was never really my goal," she said.
"I just loved to dance, I loved to move."
Caruso Parnell suggested the national ballet school, but Murray said she had to be convinced.
"I didn’t initially want to go because I just loved all forms of dance," she said.
"But when I went that was when I really realized that ballet was something that my heart just connected to."
In her two weeks at Dance Evolution this summer, Murray said she taught a wide range of talented students. And students appreciated what she taught them.
“I feel like it’s really cool," said Kanessa, 16.
"It’s a really good experience to get the chance to learn from somebody new and get somebody else’s perspective."
Each dancer took something different from the experience.
“For me, being a teacher here at this studio it’s great getting new tips and tricks for my students from someone else’s point of view,” said Jacob, also 16.
Although Murray could only stay for two weeks this summer, she hopes to be back in the future and her plan is to continue dancing professionally for as long as she can.
“Being a dancer is such a big part of my identity,” she said.
“Every single decision that I’ve made since I was like five years old has been towards dancing and my training and now my career and so it’s just kind of embedded in my soul, being a dancer, and I just am so lucky that this is my career now.”
As for Dance Evolution, the studio is gearing up for season 15 with early-bird registration just a week away.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Terrifying': Manitoba resident speaks on wildfire and evacuation
As a pair of wildfires burn near Flin Flon and The Pas, a number of Manitobans are being told to evacuate their homes.
Canucks' Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosscheck on Oilers' McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been given the highest possible fine under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
Steve Buscemi punched in the face while walking in N.Y.C.
Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi has been treated for injuries after being punched in the face while walking in New York City.
DEVELOPING Michael Cohen takes the stand as testimony in Trump hush money case enters 4th week
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
Jerry Seinfeld speech prompts pro-Palestinian demonstration at U.S. university graduation ceremony
A tiny contingent of Duke University graduates opposed pro-Israel comedian Jerry Seinfeld speaking at their commencement in North Carolina Sunday, with about 30 of the 7,000 students leaving their seats and chanting "free Palestine" amid a mix of boos and cheers.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
opinion Harry and Meghan's Nigerian adventure: Traditional attire to warm welcomes
For her latest column on CTVNews.ca, royal commentator Afua Hagan writes about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent visit to Nigeria, calling it a 'deeply meaningful campaign' that was about aligning their ongoing efforts to foster mental-health awareness and promoting the Invictus Games.