2021 Kamloops Festival
By Lizette Nel, Head of Love to Dance Academy.
When the COVID-19 lockdown forced Love To Dance Academy to close the doors of its brick-and-mortar dance studio in March 2020, the decision was immediately made to switch to a virtual dance studio. Preparation for Spanish and Ballet exams continued through video coaching and students could also attend classes via Zoom.
Love To Dance students are all superstars who never stopped doing what they love to do. They continued dancing through COVID-19, not just attending dance classes, but also participating in various virtual dance and performance opportunities. In April 2020 Spanish dance students did their exams by video, in May and June dance students could get creative and choreograph their own dances or do prescribed dances by video, and 134 medals and 10 trophies were awarded during an unusual awards ceremony in June. In July, 21 ballet students did their Royal Academy of Dance exams. In August a performance group was formed and these dancers were seen around Merritt during September and October, when they performed outside at various venues throughout town, spreading the joy of dance. In November, LTD students did their performance exams which were judged by international examiners.
When the opportunity came up to take part in the first-ever virtual Kamloops Festival of the Performing Arts, eight dedicated Love To Dance students were ready for the challenge. Participation was once again through video and was submitted by the KFPA to the adjudicator, Justine Fraser, in Toronto.
The students had only six weeks to prepare and attended classes every day of the week. Their hard work paid off and the Love To Dance participants all excelled by getting very high marks between 89% and 93%. This was another moment of “kicking COVID in the butt” as one of our students previously said.
This virtual KFPA dance competition had its own set of challenges for the organizers, students, and teachers.
But once again, everybody pushed through and we learned new ways of doing things and handling situations. As the adjudicator said, “it is not just about the marks, it is the whole process and experience and what you have learned that matters”.
“What a growing experience this was!” Lizette Nel, Head of the Love To Dance Academy said – “setting goals, working hard, overcoming struggles, and gratefully and humbly celebrating achievements”. The way the dance parents support their dancers as well as the Love To Dance Academy, has and will have a great influence on things to come. Their positive attitude makes it so much easier for teachers to be inspired to carry on.
Thanks go to the organizers of the Kamloops Festival for the Performing Arts for also pushing through many challenges and giving dancers, throughout BC, this virtual performance/competition opportunity.
RESULTS:
Groups
Spanish Group: 93%
(Dani Kuzio, Danica Guichon, Kinley Stewart, Megan Voigt)
Spanish Duet: 91%
(Kate van Rensburg, Kezia Thuveson)
Ballet Group: 92%
(Avery Warren, Dani Kuzio, Kate van Rensburg, Kezia Thuveson, Mikayla Manke, Megan Voigt)
Solos
Warren, Avery:
Demi character 89%, Classical 92%, Own choreo 92%, Technique class 93%
Voigt, Megan:
Lyrical 90%, Own choreo 92%
Van Rensburg, Kate:
Character National: 89%
Stewart, Kinley:
Spanish 90%, Own Choreo 90%
Manke, Mikayla:
Lyrical 89%
Guichon, Danica:
Own choreo 90% .
Love to Dance student earns scholarship
Through the generosity of Kamloops Festival of the Performing Arts donors, Avery Warren has been awarded the “Ballet 3 Scholarship” The scholarship was donated by Shanno Lebano.
She has also been recommended by the adjudicator, Justine Fraser, from Toronto, to participate in the 2021 Virtual Provincial Festival.
Avery participated in five sections of the 2021 Virtual Kamloops Festival of the Performing Arts.
To qualify for the Provincials she had to do a minimum of two solos and a technique class, but also performed her own choreography and participated in a group item.
Avery Warren is a student at Love To Dance Academy and has been taking ballet lessons with Lizette Nel since 2012. She started doing ballet with teacher Linda Sanford. Avery has always been a dedicated dancer, committed to her art form and participated annually in dance competitions, performances, exams and medal tests. In 2020 she completed her Grade 8 Royal Academy of Dance exam with distinction. The RAD is one of the biggest international dance organizations in the world. Students can also apply for High School Credit upon completion of the Grade 8 award.