TISDALE 鈥� A graduate of the Tisdale Dance Centre will be performing in a contemporary dance show set to tour across Europe.
Lindsay Harpham, along with eight other dancers, will be travelling in Europe for two months starting in January, visiting countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland.
They鈥檒l perform in Toronto-based Red Sky Performance鈥檚 Backbone, which combines Indigenous dance and strong athletic maneuvers to represent mountain ranges 鈥� the spine of the world鈥檚 continents.
鈥淚t鈥檚 made to represent the earth and the mountain and the water and everything like that, so it鈥檚 a very physically demanding show and we鈥檙e going to do it 50 times throughout this short contract,鈥� Harpham said.
The dancer performed in Backbone for a 10-show contract in Canadian markets last year.
Harpham danced at the Tisdale Dance Centre for 13 years, starting when she was three. She was taught all through her time there by Dana Mutimer, the centre鈥檚 instructor and artistic director.
鈥淭hey definitely taught me determination and hard work,鈥� Harpham said. 鈥淚 was also involved in assisting dance [lessons] while I was dancing myself, so it helped me manage my time properly. They took me to a lot of competitions and let me know of different workshops.鈥�
She still returns there in the summers to help with camps and drop-in classes.
After she graduated from the centre, she went to Vancouver, where she spent her first year in an intensive training program and her second year with a performance company.
She then moved to Toronto, where she鈥檚 been training at the Conteur Dance Academy for two years. It was there she decided to focus on contemporary dance.
鈥淚 like contemporary because you show more of a story through that kind of dance and you get much more emotionally involved, so I think it鈥檚 more fulfilling that way,鈥� Harpham said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also very physical and athletic, so I feel like you really realize your skillset in a few different areas: emotional, physical, mental.鈥�
While in Europe, Harpham said she鈥檚 looking forward to visiting the Netherlands in particular, as there鈥檚 a dance company that she鈥檚 hoping to watch perform.
鈥淸The show] will be quite physically demanding but there鈥檚 a few off days where we hopefully get to explore the areas in Europe, so I鈥檓 looking forward to that,鈥� she said.
Harpham has also been working on a certificate in dance teaching from the Royal Academy of Dance, as well as taking a kinesiology degree online from the University of Regina.
