When the Pan American Games puts on its spectacular closing ceremony this Sunday, July 26, look for the lithe, blonde dancer who will likely be front and centre. She is Sammie Broomhall of the Sunshine Coast and she’s one of 30 professional dancers hired to perform in this huge venue for a show that will be televised to all parts of this hemisphere.
Afterwards she will stay on to take part in the Parapan Am opening ceremony on Aug. 7.
Broomhall is in Toronto now rehearsing but took some time to talk to the Coast Reporter.
The performers are asked to keep the show details under wraps so that it makes a surprise splash, but one thing is clear. She is enjoying working under the direction of three choreographers: Jeff Dimitriou, Paul Becker and Mark Samuels. Broomhall has experience with choreography herself and says that, “All three are extremely talented choreographers and directors with truly amazing visions, and I hope to work with them again in the future.”
She notes that the rehearsal process has been challenging, but fulfilling. “I have been cast alongside some very talented dancers from all over the country,” she notes, “so I think it’s going to be a very entertaining show!”
Headliners for the closing ceremonies also include live music performances by Kanye West, Pitbull and Serena Ryder.
Broomhall trained at the Coast Academy of Dance and was part of the pre-professional program that allows budding dancers to continue with their academic studies. She has also taught at the academy and later went on to be a part of The Source Dance Company in Vancouver and the faculty of the Harbour Dance Centre (www.sammiebroomhall.com).
“I feel very fortunate to be able to do what I love for a living,” she says now. “I love to create, so to have the opportunity to teach my creations and pass on my knowledge to younger dancers and my peers is something I am very passionate about.” But she is at her happiest when she’s on stage performing. “The larger the audience and the bigger scale the performance, the more I feel in my element.”
Recently she had the opportunity to tour China for three months dancing for U.S. artist Joshua Robert on his Vanity Tour. They travelled to over 20 cities across the country and performed in more than 70 shows in an exhausting and challenging, yet exciting trip.
Despite her love of travel she often returns to the Coast where she has family – her mother, Yvette Cormier, is also a dancer. In 2013 you might have seen Broomhall’s choreography in an original 13-minute piece by a group of local dancers in a performance titled Dances on Water at the Raven’s Cry Theatre, presented by the Sechelt Arts Festival. Recently, she taught a master class for the Sunshine Coast Dance Society’s 2015 scholarship and award program, as well as sat on the panel for the auditions. She will be holding her fifth annual Summer Wake-Up Workshop this Aug. 17 to 21 at the Coast Academy of Dance, a five-day dance intensive for all ages. (See www.summerwakeup.com for details.)
Broomhall credits her upbringing on the Sunshine Coast and training as a young dancer at CAD for giving her the perfect foundation to pursue a professional career.
“I still feel very connected to the Coast,” she says, “and try to give back whenever possible.”
The 2015 Pan Am Games closing ceremony will be broadcast live in English and French on CBC/Radio-Canada and in Spanish on TLN Univision on July 26.
