Since opening in 1989 the Brigitte Gauci Borda School of Ballet has stuck firmly to its original philosophy of stretching each individual's potential to the very limits through the media of dance. The objective is to enhance aesthetic enjoyment for performer and audience alike. Since the spawning of a youth ballet company, Degas Ballet, which performed The Nutcracker to packed houses at the Manoel Theatre and at the Independence Arena in 1999, and with expanding international affiliations, these have been exciting years for the 200 students. There are often opportunities for students to perform in school shows, on TV, in festivals and charity concerts as well as in professional stage productions.
Cross-fertilization through travel, visiting artists and teachers have become intrinsic to the school ethos. Senior students have always had the opportunity to attend international dance courses in the U.K. These include courses at the Arts Educational Cecchetti School in Tring, Urdang Academy in Covent Garden and at the Ballet West in Scotland, the latter two having awarded a total of seven scholarships to Miss Brigitte’s students.
2000 was an especially active year in which Miss Brigitte gave two senior students the opportunity to perform at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, and for the first time, a group of 22 students, ranging from 9 to 12 year olds attended Summer School at Ballet West. In the Summer of 2004 Miss Brigitte took nine of her students to another summer course in the UK, this time to the Dance College of Cornwall, in Cornwall.
A total of twelve International Summer Schools have been held annually at the school's premises. Some of the International guest artistes include Lisa Aldrige, Gillian Hurst, Amanda Eyles, Inge Arro, Christina Hughes, Ian Mackenzie Stuart, Terence Etheridge, Irena Zbornic, Svetlana Sivak and Ivelina Dimitrova ballerina from the National Bulgarian Ballet Company, who has now joined the Faculty. And most recently soloist Mavin Khoo.
The Brigitte Gauci Borda School of Ballet continues to grow from strength to strength, an establishment firmly based on tradition, which continues to exude all the vibrancy of confident youth. But when it comes to standards, there is no question of compromise. The school has had consistently excellent Cecchetti results throughout its 20 year history.
New Premises
 
During the academic year 2003 -2004 the Brigitte Gauci Borda School of Ballet moved to its new premises in Old College Street, Sliema. This prestigious building which once was a Jesuit college has been refurbished providing excellent facilities for dancers, performers and audiences.
Fitted with three large state-of-the-art studios, one of which is also a theatre studio with a seating capacity of one hundred, all fully equipped with sprung floors, pianos, barres, mirrors and air conditioners, this prestigious building provides students with the finest dance facilities on the island. Each studio has its own changing area with full changing facilities including showers. Apart from the dance studios, students also have a common room with an audiovisual studio, a video library, a dance shop, wardrobe and dedicated practice room.
Eventually all studios will be linked to the audiovisual studio so that classes, rehearsals and performances may be recorded, enabling both students and teachers to enhance technique and performance quality. The faculty consists of a staff room with a viewing gallery overlooking the theatre studio and a living area for foreign guest teachers.
This exceptional dance center provides a forum for a wealth of activity, providing a stimulating and creative environment offering opportunities to students of all ages to get involved in dance. Emphasis is placed on performing, creating and learning about dance.
Location
The Brigitte Gauci Borda school of ballet is ideally situated in Old College Street were the towns of Sliema and St Julian’s intersect. The school is one among a row of houses, which belonged to the original Jesuit’s college of St Ignatius, late 19th century. With the St Ignatius Chapel adjacent to the school, the immediate vicinity is protected from development. The Street, one of the oldest and a relatively quite one-way street, gets it’s name from this prestigious building. Public transport is a stone’s throw away with a regular bus service. Beaches, cafes, shops and restaurants are in abundance along the popular Sliema promenade with the rocky bay below, and are within three minutes walk from the school. Nightlife starts here and stretches write up to Paceville, which is a couple of kilometres away.
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