For those that know me, and it may be apparent by my appearance, but I can’t dance. I don’t have a rhythmic bone in my body and the building usually empties when I start singing.
While that may be true, I love dance, and I’ve always been a fan of dance competition shows and various movies that depict the life and times of dancers.
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In Lloydminster, there’s a famous tale of a dance school, the Alison Lamont School of Dance.
Lamont was hired by the Lloydminster Dance Academy under the umbrella of the Lloydminster Allied Arts Council in 1979 after graduating from the Canadian College of Dance in Toronto.
The dance academy started in the basement of the old post office and
eventually moved to the lower level of the Lloydminster Communiplex. Lamont hit the ground running, teaching roughly 60 students.
Her first recital was themed “homecoming” as the Border City was celebrating 75 years of both Alberta and Saskatchewan. In just a year, her student enrolment doubled to 120 students, a testament to her skill. The business didn’t slow down, doubling in size again the following year.
She was starting to outgrow her home in the Communiplex and looked to expand into her own studio.
She built her first studio in 1987 on 42 St. and remained at that location before moving to 44 St. This location allowed for three studios with sprung hardwood floors, barres and mirrors, three dressing rooms, a large waiting area, an eating area and quality sound systems.
Her students saw success, moving to not only national dance productions but international as well.
Looking back, Lamont was pivotal in building the dance scene in Lloydminster and educated thousands. While I may be a lost cause, I’m sure there’s many in Lloyd who continue to dance to their hearts content, far more skillfully than I ever could.
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