The Sunshine Coast Dance Society (SCDS) is celebrating its 15th anniversary as a charitable organization, and what better way to celebrate than with a Celebration of Dance.
The SCDS presents the Celebration of Dance Nov. 28 to 29 at the Heritage Playhouse Theatre in Gibsons. The seventh of its kind, the Celebration of Dance will bring 24 local dancers, adult and teen, together to perform the works of 10 local choreographers in a show that will feature several remounted works from earlier Celebrations, along with many newer pieces, showcasing the wealth of dance and choreographic talent on the Coast.
The first Celebration of Dance was produced by the SCDS in 1993 as a way to give local dancers the opportunity to work with professional dancers from the community and to provide local choreographers a chance to create new works. Running annually until 1998, the Celebration of Dance was an important event that brought the dance community together and also provided the SCDS the means to fulfil their mandate to bring dance to the general public. This year's Celebration of Dance will revive this tradition, reuniting dancers and choreographers after many years, and allow us to acknowledge those who were the founding force behind the SCDS and the original Celebrations: Lois Smith, Verity Purdy, and Nicola and Paul Blakey. The show is also a special tribute to the SCDS' first president, Lois Smith. Canada's first prima ballerina with the National Ballet of Canada, Smith's influence is still felt in our dance community today.
Shows run at 8 p.m. on Nov. 28 and at 2 and 8 p.m. on Nov. 29. Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, free for children eight and under, and are available at Gaia's Fair Trade, MELOmania and the Sechelt Visitors Centre. For more information, contact Tara MacLeod at 604-740-0955.
