This young duo won over the crowd. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Just dance

The stars align for Prince Albert dance festival

Apr 21, 2024 | 12:00 PM

For Prince Albert’s Sarah L’Abbe, there is no feeling quite like performing in your hometown.

The 18-year-old accomplished dancer is one of 300 entries at this weekend’s Stars on Stage dance festival at the E.A. Rawlinson building. For the past two years, the three-day event has been held in Warman.

“It just feels so much more special and more community comes when we have our competition in our hometown. It’s just the best time of the year,” L’Abbe said.

L’abbe, who is also well known for her work with the Broadway North Junior productions, and last November was named a national ambassador, has been dancing since she was five years old and competing since she was nine. With her high school graduation just around the the corner, she acknowledged she is in her final year of dance. And so even though she’s always striving to improve technically at these competitions, she confessed it’s also about having fun and soaking up the atmosphere.

“It’s more just how much can I get out of this while I still have it,” she said.

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Noting she would love to pursue dance after high school, L’Abbe was asked what it is for her that makes her sport stand out.

“To see the expressions of passion on stage and just how your body can tell a story,” she replied.

(Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

The event this weekend is a fundraiser for the Performing Arts Warehouse. Co-owner Donna Malack thinks it’s great they could have the event in Prince Albert.

“The Rawlinson facility is so beautiful,” she said.

Noting the financial impact that came from shutting down during COVID, and the cost of running their big building, Malack said fundraisers like this are essential.

“Our power and gas alone are a $1,000 and doesn’t include taxes,” she said.

Madeline Remy, 18, is also in her senior year and said she will miss the community.

“I’m with my dance friends at dance, at school, on the weekend and we just spend all our time together and I’m just so grateful for it”

As teachers, both L’Abbe and Remy also have the responsibility of passing on what they’ve learned to the next generation of competitive dancers.

“I do try a little harder when I’m in front of younger kids, and when i was younger I looked up so much to the older dancers. I just thought they were amazing and I hope that they think the same thing [about us]”

(Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

The Stars on Stage dance festival opened Friday night and the final performances start Sunday afternoon at 2p.m.

In addition to the Performing Arts Warehouse, the other competing studios are Dance Aberdeen, Tri-Community Dance Club (La Ronge), Thrive Dance (Saskatoon), Tisdale Dance Centre, and Xcelerate (Prince Albert).

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell