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Youngsters from the Alison Lamont School of Dance in Lloydminster have gone footloose to help celebrate International Dance Day on April 29.
A group of dancers aged six to eight was scheduled to perform a videotaped jazz routine at the park Wednesday evening in preparation for the special day, while geese show off their goose steps.
Lamont’s choreographed dance will be posted on social media on April 29 along with similar dances by hundreds of Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association (CDTA) studios across Canada.
“It will bring awareness to international dance day and the CDTA becoming truly national,” said Kirstin Strang, an instructor at the school.
Strang is also vice president and tap/acrobatic dance coordinator for the CDTA for the Alberta branch.
“We wanted to find a way to bring dance top of mind to people throughout the county as recognition for continuing to provide a stable, safe environment to our students, and highlighting what an amazing dance community we have within Canada,” said Strang.
She says the CDTA is encouraging studios to step outside, weather permitting, and film in places that showcase their province on International Dance Day.
The ball got rolling when Strang got together with two other choreographers in Canada to create a choreographed jazz dance for all CDTA studios to emulate.
Strang says it’s primarily a jazz dance, but they choreographed it so it could be tailored to different styles of dance.
“Every studio is now responsible for sharing it with their teachers so when it comes to April 29 they are ready to film it and throw it up on social media, “explained Strang.
Follow the hashtag #CDTAdancesacrossCanada to view the videos on the day of the event.
Strang says the choreographed dance can be moulded to whichever style studios want it to be, noting not all studios are dedicated to jazz.
“So we really encourage teachers to use the choreo, but play with it a bit. Through a little piece at the end, we want them to do improv, so kind of put their own moves in,” explained Strang.
“It’s the same choreo, but it’s going to look a little different if it’s set on tap dancers, ballet dancers or hip-hop dancers.”
Dancers will be wearing red and black to celebrate both Canada and the joy of dancing.
Strang says the benefits of dance include physical and mental health; stress relief; teamwork; time management; goal setting; confidence-building; and freedom of expression through movement.
She thinks the overall top benefit is a sense of community—giving kids that sense of belonging, feeling of being part of a group and feeling understood.
“It’s just the best part in my opinion,” said Strang.
She noted her students had to get the video done this week due to a busy dance calendar.
Lamont dancers took part in the Heartbeat Dance Festival at Vic Juba Community Theatre this past weekend with the Infusion Dance Festival at the Vic Juba from April 29 to May 1.
“We decided this year, we would just do two local competitions,” said Strang.
“Family can come and watch and cheer the kids on this year as opposed to being in Edmonton or Sherwood Park where we’ve gone in years past.”
Lamont dancers are also prepping for Royal Academy of Dance ballet exams on May 7-8 and the season-ending recital at the Vic on May 14.
