SACKVILLE, N.B. – Dancers from Sackville’s Perpetual Motion Dance Studio will share what they have learned this fall as they take the stage at Convocation Hall.
A Christmas demonstration event is planned for this Sunday afternoon, Dec. 16.
From 1 to 3 p.m., dancers of all ages will be performing short numbers in a variety of styles including ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, hip hop, breakdancing and more.
Members of the Perpetual Motion Dance Troupe will be performing solos, duos, and group pieces that were performed at the DanceQuest competition in Saint John last month. The PMDT dancers won a total of 20 medals out of 25 entries, ranging from gold to bronze. Additionally, a scholarship was awarded to Myetta Breen, and a special award was given to Claire Reinsborough-Wadden and Nina Lundrigan for their duo, titled Ode to Leonard Cohen.
“Great things have been happening to our dancers and small-town studio,” says artistic director Renee Rioux. “Aside from our overwhelming success at DanceQuest, two of our junior troupe members have been chosen for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s summer dance program – Brigid Morris of Springhill, Nova Scotia, and Naiya Istvanffy from Dorchester.”
Naiya – daughter of Mark Istvanffy and Amanda Feindel, owners of the Cackling Goose here in Sackville – was the only dancer from the Atlantic provinces to be awarded a $2,000 scholarship from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet towards the summer dance program. Naiya is one of 11 young dancers throughout Canada to have been chosen for this prestigious award.
“Also, one of our graduates Leah Wilton is presently at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre in Toronto, where she is studying to become a professional dancer,” says Rioux. “All this beautiful growth at PMDS would not be possible without my wonderful talented dance instructors, parents’ support and the dancers themselves.”
Rioux’s pride in the studio and sense of gratitude has spread to her senior level dancers who have taken the initiative to host a series of dance workshops for local dancers during the holidays. Each troupe member has prepared dance combos of various styles they will be teaching on Dec. 27 and 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Perpetual Motion Dance Studio. The fee is by donation and all proceeds will go towards PMDS’s new production of Pinocchio, which will be staged in May 2019. The workshops are open to all dancers with at least three years of dance experience, ages 12 and up. Follow the studio’s Facebook page for more information with regard to this two-day event.
Tickets for the Christmas Demonstration are available at Tidewater Books, Perpetual Motion Dance Studio and at the door, the day of the event.
