(Derek Craddock, paNOW Staff)

By Derek Craddock

MORE THAN A ROOM

PACI Dancers pour their hearts, soul, and skills on stage for annual fundraiser

May 19, 2022 | 2:00 PM

Dozens of local students proved they have attitude, as well as arabesques and pirouettes.

The annual “More Than A Room” fundraiser was held Tuesday night at the EA Rawlinson Centre for the Arts in support of the PACI Dance Program.

The night included performances from the PACI Dance Team, Dance 10, and Dance 20 along with PACI Alumni who were unable to perform the past couple of years due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Students from King George and the Birch Hills Dance Centre also took the stage along with singer-songwriters Nathan Thoen and Taya Label. The night also featured a spoken word piece from PACI alumni Marc Carle and Autumn Smith who made the crowd giggle with their rendition of “If I Had A Million Dollars” and “If I Were A Rich Man”.

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

2 New Directors

Getting to know the new members of the Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce

10m ago

warrant issued

Former Sask. Mountie, convicted of breach of trust, now accused of voyeurism and accessing child porn

33m ago

Aggravated assault

Dispute lands woman in hospital, man in jail

2h ago

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

Alicia Wotherspoon, teacher at PACI and the Birch Hills Dance Centre, choreographed most of the pieces that night with some dances put together by the students themselves.

Wotherspoon was also the Director and Stage Manager for “More Than A Room”.

She was introduced to dance at the age of 12, learning hip-hop. By high school, she devoted her focus completely to dance.

When reflecting on the event on Tuesday, she noted a lot of hard work went into the performances.

“The students worked really hard on learning choreography, attending rehearsals, and helping one another. For a dance show there are lots of things that happen behind the scenes that audience members can sometimes take for granted such as music selection and editing; costume measuring and ordering; headshots and group shots; poster and paper program design; promotions; booking guest performers; designing lighting, etc.”

Overall, she said, “More Than A Room” was a tremendous success and she couldn’t be prouder of her students.

“They got to see all of their hard work pay off and how it feels to take risks and step out of comfort zones. I am most proud of how supportive they are of one another. They build each other up and truly understand that one person’s success means their own success.”

Many of the students from the program took time to reflect on the past year and what the art of dance meant to them.

“I finally have a safe way to express my emotions through song and motion,” said Josh Veilleux from Dance 20. “I will never forget the importance of letting go and dancing to ease my mind, soul, and heart.”

“Dancing has changed my life in many ways,” added Mackenzie Enquist. “When I’m dancing in front of that mirror, I see something other than the scary world outside. Dance helps me express my emotions in many ways.”

While the ninth season for the dance program is coming to an end, dancers will be involved at Prince Albert Pride’s Youth Talent Show in June.

—

derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @pa_craddock