Local Dancers at the Provincials
By Michele Skuce
Four young dancers who qualified at the Kootenay Festival of the Arts went on to participate in the Provincial Festival of Performing Arts — known as “the Provincials” –last spring, in Powell River.
Pictured here are (from front to back) Charlotte McKay, Sabrina Neufeld, Emilia Hoffman and Ava Jinjoe. Charlotte and Emilia hail from Rossland, Sabrina is from Castlegar and Ava Jinjoe lives in Warfield, but all four were trained by Renee Salsiccioli of Kootenay Danceworks in Rossland.
The dancers were required to take classes over five days, and perform two solos, which had been recommended by the adjudicator who nominated them at a regional Festival of the Arts.
Emilia Hoffman reported that: “it’s really good to see the skill level, and what’s out there. It’s good to see other dancers your own age, who are pursuing the same dream”
The dancers are separated into their respective categories, based on age. The categories have a range of three ages (e.g. 13-16), and we had dancers entering at the bottom of their age range who still had strong showings. Charlotte McKay was given an honourable mention, and Emilia Hoffman came 2nd in her category (Emilia was in the middle of her category at age 12). The categories typically include about 15 of the best dancers selected from regional non- profit Festivals of the Arts held throughout the province, so the competition can be tough.
The dancers interviewed both reported a positive experience:
“The dancers supported each other – it’s scary, some people haven’t performed on that big a stage. You get one shot, so it’s a little nerve wracking” said Hoffman
“It was a great experience” agreed Charlotte McKay.
Thinking of encouraging your child to pursue dance? Here’s another myth-buster from Emilia Hoffman:
“It’s stereotyped that dancers are really mean to each other backstage. In my experience, that has not been the case at all; it’s a good environment.”
For more information, here is a link to Kootenay Danceworks website: http://www.kootenaydanceworks.com/
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