A series of dance spectaculars last weekend marked the end of the season for studios in Gibsons and Sechelt, with senior dancers taking the opportunity to perform swansongs before packed houses.
The Gibsons Dance Centre cycled through four performances by its youth, adult and junior companies at the Heritage Playhouse. The Coast Academy of Dance, in an epic program of 55 individual dance numbers paying tribute to Hollywood-style storytelling, delivered four shows to capacity audiences at the Raven’s Cry Theatre.
“I think where CAD excels the most is in our performance quality,” said instructor Danielle Jeal, who teaches ballet technique. “Every dancer has extremely strong artistry and really knows how to show their strengths onstage and play to the audience. So a [movie-themed program] is incredibly fitting.”
The group opened with Disney’s Gaston, an acrobatic comic crowd-pleaser. Even science-fiction movies made an appearance: two groups of intermediate acro dancers donned space suits for a performance inspired by Interstellar; at the end of E.T., a bicycle and a buoyant moon transited the stage. Stylistic contrasts came just as quickly: ballerinas bearing flickering lanterns portrayed the solemn anticipation of First Day of Hogwarts, while minutes later, pink-clad jazz dancers channeled the buoyancy of Barbie.
Graduating performers Annika Bergman and Taylor Bramham received special recognition; Bramham choreographed hip-hop numbers (Jump, with more than two dozen dancers sharing the stage, and Hometown Glory) while Bergman arranged the steps for another urban piece: Hot Wings.
“Being a senior dancer means a lot of responsibility,” said Bramham, who is also captain of the studio’s company intensive team. “A lot of the younger dancers are watching us and looking up to us, so we want to be sure that we’re very mature and very put together, especially backstage because things can get very stressful.”
The program included three numbers from the studio’s adult company in jazz, contemporary and hip hop styles.
“Through dance, I’ve experienced being able to connect with all my peers more,” said Grade 10 dancer Mya Tosczak. “I feel like I’ve grown in my strength and movement in my dancing, and I look forward to growing more in the following years.”
Meanwhile, the Gibsons Dance Centre presented an array of familiar favourites (including its perennial big top dazzler The Greatest Showman) alongside sensitively-arranged innovation: Way Down We Go was choreographed by senior dancer (and instructor) Connor Dixon. It uses fast-flowing lyricism to explore themes of personal integrity and transformation.
“When you give it your all and accomplish a big move or a really stunning piece of choreography on stage, it comes with a feeling of serenity,” said Dixon. “And ease and relief and excitement and adrenaline all encompassed in one another. Dance has become a very important part of my life because it allowed me to express myself and show myself in a way that I didn’t really find possible before.”
Graduating dancer Anna Reznick appeared in a duo alongside her sister Kerstin. “To my teachers,” she said, “I’d mostly want to say thank you just for the way that they’ve helped me grow and helped me think about the world.”
The Gibsons corps deftly took dramatic stylistic shifts in stride, moving from a flowing Baroque number (Vivaldi) into the raucously high-octane Greased Lightning. “I think because our studio has a very good connection with everyone,” observed Caia Minatsis, “and we’re all so close that when all our groups come together, we work really well together.”
“It’s really fun because when I’m on the stage, it’s like I’m not thinking of anything else,” added Ashley Bruce.
The Gibsons Dance Centre continues its performances this weekend on June 13, 14 and 15 (all are sold out). Waldorf Ballet’s year-end performance of Alice in Wonderland runs over four shows on the same days at the Raven’s Cry Theatre. Tickets for Alice are on sale online at waldorfballet.com.
