A showcase of dance performances primed for upcoming festivals and competitions exploded onstage at the Raven’s Cry Theatre last Saturday night, as more than 120 performers from the Coast Academy of Dance demonstrated momentum and mastery in a multiplicity of disciplines.
The lineup of numbers by the Sechelt-based studio’s company and competitive programs began with a dizzying display of jazz-age acrobatics (Sing, Sing, Sing, choreographed by homegrown instructor Taylor Bramham). It continued with rapid-fire transitions through a range of moods including crimson-and-white-clad hip hop artists performing the anthemic Party Up, appearing at times poised to propel themselves into the audience.
“The focus for this particular show is an opportunity for dancers to get onstage with their competitive work,” explained ballet instructor Danielle Jeal. The program included ballet solos by Gabrielle Desharnais and Anika George, as well as a contemporary ballet ensemble number titled Passerine in which the dancers’ undulating trajectories embodied the tremolo of the accompanying violin soundtrack.
“These are the pieces that they’ve been working on since last August, diligently, with very high-end choreographers,” added Jeal. “The stakes are high and this is their first opportunity onstage.”
Both Jeal and studio creative coordinator Deborah Wheller emphasized the studio’s high standards, codified by the England-headquartered Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). The hard work leads pupils to teaching and professional opportunities, like graduate (and now instructor) Alison Girard, who is an active member of the BC Lions Uproar Dance Team and last year opened for American rapper 50 Cent.
“I’ve seen these kids who are now onstage — as mature young ladies — all the way from when they were five years old just starting,” said Wheller. “It’s pretty magical to see them evolve into women and express themselves in the form of dance.”
Themes of empowerment and an embrace of global opportunities ran throughout the show, which included nearly 40 individual pieces. During the Broadway number Jet Set, a sultry flight crew shimmered through its cosmopolitan itinerary before Charleigh Custance’s contemporary solo Compass revolved around the four cardinal directions.
“My favourite is my Broadway duo, I Am Adolfo,” said Gabriella Munson, who appeared alongside Lucy Rodriguez in the comic piece depicting an extravagant toreador and a maiden. “I really enjoy dancing with [Rodriguez] and I think it’s really funny.”
For Pasyn Porter-Wood, a member of the studio’s intensive program that offers exposure to a full gamut of dance disciplines, the jazz number Adieu was her favourite — because of its uplifting qualities. “I feel like we have a really good community,” she added. “We’re all like sisters, really close.”
Camryn Bramham, who appeared in the lyrical group number Stupid identified empathy as a key ingredient of artistic impact: “I like it because there’s a lot of emotion,” she said, “and I like the choreography a lot.”
The program was peppered with elaborately-costumed numbers plucked from Broadway hits, including the Disney showstopper Gaston that channeled Gallic braggadocio into a potpourri of comic cameos. The capacity audience bellowed its approval during each blackout.
The studio’s competitive commitments this season begin in April with the five-day Shine Festival in Burnaby, followed immediately by the local Coastal Dance Festival.
“Preparation has looked like months of weekly work: cleaning, tidying, and focus,” said Jeal amid a flurry of backstage activity. “And I think they’re ready.”
