Hundreds of dancers from all ages, pre-primary to adult, 47 choreographed pieces, 11 teachers, four shows and one great entertainment – that’s the Coast Academy of Dance (CAD) annual recital, titled Dance Under the Big Top. Last weekend saw the dancers take up residence at the Raven’s Cry Theatre for a fast-paced, nearly three-hour show that drew full houses and featured some award-winning dances.
The eight pre-professional dancers whose intensive training kept them in the spotlight for much of the show performed one of the competition winners, Poison and Wine, choreographed by Christina Fitchett. It moves like a lyrical poem. The pre-pros were on stage again for many of the lovelier ballet pieces.
Several soloists nearly stopped the show. Molly Carpenter performed Unsteady, conveying in movement the wobbliness of longing. Kristie Sita drew huge applause for her solo to Psalms: 116, a biblical reference to the fighter psalm in which the supplicant will walk again in the land of the living. This theme was echoed in the very interesting concept of Our Story, choreographed by Becky Izad for the advanced contemporary jazz dancers.
“I am determined,” sang out one dancer. “I am creative,” said another. “I am happy.” In this way they celebrated the uniqueness of each individual.
And the pre-pros were not the only stars. The tumblers and acrobatics classes drew many appreciative hoots from the audience – from the very young through to the tweens, the athletic kids performed with speed and agility.
The adult dancers were also a hit. It was hot stuff when they performed with whips and leather boots to choreography by Ivana Cappelletto, and again when the adult tap dancers hit the stage with high energy. Miserlou, a ballet piece by Kathleen Holmes, used ballet steps with a more contemporary feel. Shastakoviclowns by Shirley Jackson presented a very polished group of young ballerinas. Tambourine Paquita used tutus and tambourines in a piece for the advanced dancers.
The staging and costumes were professionally handled, and someone in the costume department is fascinated by fascinators, those perky wee hats that dancers wore in several pieces and that must be difficult to keep attached while bouncing on stage.
Sessions at the CAD begin again in September (www.coastdance.com) and several short programs in ballet and high-energy training in other disciplines are offered at the facility in Sechelt throughout the summer.
