ASSINIBOIA - Dance Nation took place at the Prince of Wales auditorium on April 1 and 2. Classical ballet, character ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip hop, musical theatre, lyrical, contemporary and highland dances filled the room with music and movement, character and thematic costumes, as well as hair and make-up done to exact standards.
Seven studios from southern Saskatchewan sent 198 students to perform what they have been working on all year. The dancers covered a wide range of ages from ages four to 18.
There was much excitement as this was the first time in two years the dancers have been together, to make new friends and display what their studio could do, to do their personal best before the adjudicators, or even to take home some coveted awards and scholarships.
Dance Nation is a provincial event that is part of the regular dance season. “Dancers train all season on technique. Then teachers create choreography to showcase their abilities and the skills they have learned that year.”
“Dancers gain experience and confidence on a new stage, relationships and teamwork. We had 65 dancers from our own studio participate,” said Giselle Wilson, owner of Giselle’s ShowTyme Dance Studio (GSD studio) and dance instructor.
This is Giselle’s 23rd season of teaching dance and 15th year teaching in Assiniboia. She is a Fully Certified Royal Academy of Dance Ballet Teacher, fully ADAPT Jazz and Tap Certified, CDTA Stage Tap Certified, ADTA AcroDance Junior Certified, Gravity Yoga Certified, and Aliza Sutton Flexibility Level 1 Certified. “I have been dancing since I was three years old, and I trained under the Drewitz family in Assiniboia from age seven and on.”
This is a competition for dancers to compete in front of the industry’s best educators and they get very helpful feedback from the adjudicators who mark each dancer or group. Each individual dancer or group gets a standing of bronze, silver, gold, or high gold. Groups of three or more in their category are also placed at first, second or third. Dancers also compete against other studios and dancers for medals and scholarships chosen by the adjudicator.
Some dancers will take standardized tests at year end, but this is not connected with the competition season.
“This event has been running for 12 years under another dance educator. I purchased this competition from her this season and this has been the first time we have had Dance Nation here in Assiniboia in our beautiful POW facility,” said Wilson. “It is also the first year since COVID that it has run in person.”
“Thank you to all our great sponsors. We are so happy and very thankful for your support in our community. This event could not have gone forward with out you. Big thanks to all our volunteers that helped through the weekend. Once again, without you Dance Nation would not have been a success.”
Giselle hopes to host Dance Nation annually and expand it to a three or four day event. Competition dates for 2023 are set as April 14 to 16.
“We also look forward to our annual recital on Saturday, May 7,” added Wilson. “It will be our first recital since 2019, due to COVID restrictions. Tickets are available online through Facebook or flyers around town using the QR code for our afternoon show. Our evening show is totally sold out.”
