To Dance, With Love was the title of this year's recital from the Coast Academy of Dance (CAD) and it captured perfectly the quality of emotion found in this fast-paced performance.
During a three-hour program at the Raven's Cry Theatre in Sechelt last weekend, the non-stop dancing showcased a variety of styles from its hundreds of dancers, and the CAD proved its ability once more to inspire the juniors and challenge the seniors. Many of the students are also active in music or fine arts; some had barely set down their fiddle or their paintbrush before appearing in the show.
More than 50 pieces were presented making it impossible to comment on all of them. However, some stood out, particularly when an interesting balance was struck between the contemporary and the traditional. For example, the dance LOL! OMG!, was choreographed by Carla Arduin Budd.
The silver hip hop class performers in their gold lame costumes were cute and modern with their story of cell phone angst. Closely following this piece was I Feel Pretty by the Grade 4 ballet class that took its inspiration from the West Side Story song to present a more traditional approach. The audience seemed to enjoy both equally.
It was good to see the work of the school's grad class of senior students performing in Friends Forever: Celeste Bellemare Lapointe, Jaime Butler, Drew Dannes, Deborah Izad, Allie Powell, Hailey Starnes and Richele Wright. Powell also danced in many other numbers including a solo that she choreographed herself, Gravity. The second year pre-professional dancer clearly loves to perform.
A returning CAD graduate, Shelby Pudek, who danced in the Olympic opening ceremony in February, delivered an excellent solo in Heartbeat demonstrating her growth as a dancer. Love's Indulgence featuring the three Izad family dancers: CAD artistic director Julie and daughters Rebecca and Deborah, was an indulgence the audience thoroughly enjoyed.
The little girls who are taking their first dance steps on stage always melt hearts in the crowd. As usual, there is always one smiling tot who provides unintended comic relief by waving to mom and dad rather than dancing. It doesn't detract from the show; in fact it helps parents remember what a long journey it is to become a professional.
Love the Lassies was one of the better pieces, choreographed by Tara MacLeod, and one of the few highland dancing presentations. The tappers really rocked in Love Takes Over choreographed by Christina Fitchett with three classes arranged in tight groupings that merged fluidly with one other. In fact, stage management of such a huge production is critical and owes thanks to Pamela Fulkerson. Imagine packing more than 100 students on stage for a major tribute to the late Michael Jackson. The performance song and dance class pulled out all the stops: acting, singing, costume and make-up, to lead off a rendition of Thriller. Even more interesting was the concept of the intermediate ballet dancers (choreographed by Shirley Jackson) dancing en pointe to Jacko's The Way You Make Me Feel. The final curtain call for all the dancers included an uplifting song, Heal the World, and was choreographed by Julie Izad and Elaine Hunter.
The Coast Academy of Dance classes start again in September.
