The small but mighty Cut Knife School of Dance hosted their 2024 dance recital at the Elks Theatre in Cut Knife, May 4. With only 25 dancers, CKSD still managed to thrill the audience with beautiful ballet, some acrobatic stunts and energetic hip hop, tap and jazz performances.
The theme for this year’s recital was “So Fabulous, So Fierce.” MC Anna Weikle explained it this way, in her preliminary remarks: “The heck with sugar and spice. Courage, determination, heart, talent, guts, sass and some deadly dance moves. That’s what these girls are made of.”
Prior to performing for their hometown audience, the all-girl troupe had competed at three festivals – Dance Madness in Warman, the Biggar Dance Festival and Infusion Dance Festival in Lloydminster – and brought home many awards.
After the hometown performances and their finale, the girls stayed on stage and each was called up in turn to receive a medal in recognition of her hard work over the season.
Special awards went to Everleigh MacDonald, Most Improved Flexibility; Jaycelyn Tyler, Most Improved Dancer; Madison Graham, Dedication Award; Braelyn Tyler, Showman Award; and Hilary Pernitsky, Dancer of the Year.
With rains in the area in the days before and after the recital, the weather fortunately was sunny on recital day. As the Elks Theatre does not have dressing rooms, the bar at the hotel next door was closed for the afternoon for the use of CKSD. In order to get ready between numbers, the girls had to run back and forth along an outside path from the hotel back door to the side door of the theatre.
Stacey Pernitsky is the Cut Knife School of Dance teacher and choreographer. Some of her work was specifically recognized at festivals with choreography awards.
Miss Stacey began dancing at the age of five, at the Biggar School of Dance and over the years trained in many disciplines, excelling at competitions and festivals across Saskatchewan.
She moved to a farm outside Cut Knife after marrying Anthony Pernitsky, and began teaching at CKSD in 2018.
Assisting Miss Stacey with the novice jazz and beginner acro classes this year were intermediate student Farrah McCallum and junior Cadence Gaw-Winter.
Cut Knife School of Dance is a community-run club, with board members being Bri Fedler, Destinee Tyler and Anna Weikle.
