Three young dancers recently had the opportunity to experience what living as a performing artist would be like.
The Chestermere and Strathmore dancers were flown to Disney World to attend dance classes, make up artistry classes, photo shoots, and perform in the Main Street parade for the “Be Discovered” program.
“It was amazing, we got to dance with many people who we have never met before who won the same scholarship,” said Paige Gilmour, 16, from Chestermere who has been dancing for 11 years.
Receiving the scholarship came as a surprise to Gilmour after she performed in the “Flying High” Ariel Showcase recital at the Strathmore high school.
“I didn’t know I was going to win anything. I heard name being called, I wasn’t sure if it was actually me.
“I was really surprised, it was crazy,” Gilmour said.
Traveling to Florida to work on dance and meet professionals in the industry has helped Gilmour be able to network with dancers and encouraged her to take the next step in her dancing career.
“I really want to be in a production. I want to try to put myself out there, going to auditions, taking classes, and seeing what else I can do with it,” Gilmour said.
For Katherine Voelk, 13, from Strathmore, having the opportunity to be a part of the program allowed her to become more noticed as an individual dancer while performing in a group.
The youngest of the three performers who has been dancing for five years, Mia Srubowich, 10, from Chestermere, enjoyed meeting the other dancers from around the country.
Srubowich received her scholarship at the end of a competition and was shocked when she heard her named called.
“When they got to the scholarship part I thought I probably wouldn’t win anything because there was over 100 people.
“I heard my name being called, I was shivering, I wasn’t expecting to win a scholarship to go out of Canada, it was actually really exciting because I didn’t know I was going to win it,” Srubowich said.
Now Srubowich is one step closer to her dream of dancing on Broadway.
“I’ve always wanted to dance model in magazines or on websites and do some dancing in movies.
“I’ve always wanted to be an actress, and I find the best way to express myself in acting is by dancing,” Srubowich said.
Although the week-long trip was tiring, and the girls barely had any free-time, the experience was well worth it to improve their dancing abilities.
When Owner and Artistic Director of Expressions Dance Gallery Heather Lawrence-Thomas found out three of her dancers had received the scholarship she had mixed feelings.
“You never know if it’s going to be a money grab or something on the other end,” Lawrence-Thomas said.
“In the end I’ve only heard really good things from the parents that it was really worth it, because there was so much involved with the classes, the workshops and the performances,” she added.
Lawrence-Thomas is proud of the girls, not only that they won the scholarship, but because they took the initiative to participate, and did a great job.
“They could have gone down there and just bombed, but they didn’t. We got really good feedback, they were excellent, they were incredibly well mannered,” Lawrence-Thomas said.
She added, one of the most important things in dance is that the performers pick up new material quickly, especially when working with a new choreographer.
“They were able to do that, I’m really proud of them for stepping up,” Lawrence-Thomas said.
For her having the dancers step up and be positive role models for the younger dancers is important.
“Making sure they’re setting good examples for others because they are full time dancers. They are very visible, they’re three very-very good dancers, so it’s important for me, that they understand that they have to set a good example for those coming up,” Lawrence-Thomas said.
