Expressions Dance Showcase rescheduled for fall

Times Reporter    

 

With everything all set to go for the Expressions the Dance Gallery’s Anniversary Showcase on June 22, the students received a message just as rehearsal started that changed everything.

“We gave our people the green light,” Director and Owner of Expressions, Heather Thomas said, upon confirming with the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary that the floods were not affecting their building. “We went into the city at 10 a.m., ready for 11 a.m. rehearsal, and all the kids were there, the technicians were there…and then I get a phone call backstage, to say that they cancelled us.”

The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium is located on 16th Avenue, up on a hill, and not close to the flood zone. The building was not evacuated; it was just their call.

“It was completely heartbreaking. Not just for me, with it being my 30th anniversary, but for the kids, because I mean they put so much time, effort, and energy into the show. It’s so important for them, this is their big wind up for the year,” Thomas said.

Parents spent money on costumes and tickets, and had to explain to some of the smaller children what was going on; they couldn’t truly grasp the concept that they’d miss their first big show.

“They were devastated. There were lots and lots tears and heartbreak,” Thomas said. “One young girl said to me, ‘15 years, and I’ve never missed a recital’.”

The school also had roughly $5,000 worth of scholarships and awards to present.

“We just had to do it on stage in front of the kids. These kids got their presentations and awards for Dancer of the Year, and nobody was there, nobody saw,” she said.

The show has been rescheduled for Oct. 5 at the same facility, as Strathmore does not have anything to accommodate an event of such size. Similar to a real school, the studio is now closed; the dancers must wait upon reopening in the fall to perform what they had prepared.

“I think actually they’ll be very, very excited, because they’ll still get to use their costumes, their choreography, their routine,” Thomas said. “They’ll be in new classes but we’ll still run rehearsals for the routines for this year. It might get a little confusing and chaotic for a week or so, but it won’t be anything that we can’t handle.”