From four year olds adorned in fluffy blue tutus to seasoned dancers swathed in elegant dress, the talented students of Bowen Island Perform Art Studios wowed the audience over and over again with their choreography, energy and music.
More than 100 dancers took to the stage to celebrate Perform Art Studios’ year-end show at BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts at Capilano University earlier this month. The theatre was filled to near capacity with beamingly proud family and friends who came to watch the dancers perform dance styles from ballet to hip-hop.
Twice a year the dancers of Perform Art Studios have the opportunity to showcase their talent in front of a doting audience. While the mid-year recital is a chance to see the student’s progress at a glance, it is the year-end performance where the dancers, from tiny tots to aspiring professionals, get into full costume and perform all they have learned throughout the year. Twenty-five spectacular performances took place this year, each one as impressive as the next. Dancers, ranging in age from three to 18, showcased each dance class and style including musical theatre and the high-energy tumbling of the acro class. Ballet and lyrical performances captivated the audience, while the three to five year old First stART classes stole the show as they twirled and danced to their own beat.
The shows are a great opportunity to prepare the dancers for competition. Many of them move beyond the adoring show audience to compete in front of judges. This spring, The Dancers in Company took part in a convention and competition in Whistler as well as two competitions in North Vancouver. The studio also encourages its dancers to audition for local performances such as GOH Ballet’s, The Nutcracker in Vancouver. Dancer Ethan Locher-Kinakin participated in the ballet last season while both Irene Blasig and Sydney Florin will be a part of this year’s ballet. Along with the shows, competitions and auditions, some of Perform Art Studios’ students will take part in a dance trip to New York in 2015.
For 10 years, Artistic Director, Miranda Widgery-Webber, owner of Perform Art Studios, has been giving the gift of dance to the North Shore. Seven years ago she and her family, who have a long history on Bowen Island, took over an existing dance studio on Bowen. “Buying the studio allowed us to come back to the island,” says Widgery-Webber, whose husband Ian Widgery is the Music Director, while both her parents run the administration of the company. Widgery-Webber along with her husband, parents and four children, run the show. “It’s a true family business, she laughs. “We all play a role right down to having my kids hand out programs at the show.”
At the close of each year-end performance, Widgery-Webber acknowledges the dedication and hard work of the talented dance instructors and also acknowledges those dancers who are graduating and dancing with the studio for the last time. This year, Lissy Allan and Ella Klein, both long-time dancers with Perform Art Studios, were honored for their years of dance on Bowen. Allan graced the stage with a beautifully choreographed solo performance.
The 2014/15 season is well underway with registration already taking place for 31 weekly classes ranging in styles from tap, to jazz, to lyrical. Although the number of dancers and classes fluctuate each year, it’s the determination of the dancers that is most noticeable. “What’s really changed in the past few years,” says Widgery-Webber, “is the frequency and dedication to dance by the students, that’s what’s blossomed. Some of the students are taking three or four classes. The demand has really grown.”
