On Feb. 5, the Intermediate and Senior Performance Teams from Urban Dance Connection traveled to Nanaimo to participate in Dancestreams’ annual “Odyssey” performance.
Dancestreams is a pre-professional dance company that has been helping dancers succeed for the past 25 years.
Dancestreams offered a $500 bursary for a student or students who showed talent, drive, work ethic, and performance qualities within the workshop with guest teacher Heather Laura Gray. Approximately 70 dancers from Victoria to Port McNeil attended this workshop. Melinda Coetzee of Urban Dance Connection in Campbell River and Kiana Smith of Nanaimo were chosen by Gray as the recipients of this bursary. Alexandra Garrett of Urban Dance Connection was also awarded a bursary from Dancestreams. She was nominated by her studio for her exemplary efforts and achievements at Urban Dance.
Bursaries were made possible through the fundraising efforts of the Vancouver Island Youth Dance Theatre Association, its board of directors and members, with partial funding through the Alberni Valley Bingo Association at Chances Rimrock Gaming Centre in Port Alberni.
In addition to this, Urban Dance Connection Performance Team members had the opportunity to perform with studios from all points of the island on the Port Theatre Stage, and were treated to an inspiring performance by Principal Dancers from Ballet BC.