ESTEVAN - The Estevan Recreational Dance Club wrapped another successful year with two beautiful sold-out recitals.
Studio director Brooke Wilson said the weekend was amazing.
"The kids were fantastic. We had so much support from all their families. It was just amazing to get everybody on stage and to watch them all perform what they've been working on all year," Wilson shared.
The colourful recital that took the stage at the Estevan Comprehensive School twice on Saturday consisted of 40 routines varying from solos and duets to several dozen students performing. The recital culminated with the Best Years of Our Lives – Finale 2023, with 110 participants involved.
Spectators could enjoy hip-hop and ballet, jazz and contemporary, as well as tap, musical theatre and creative movement. Wilson noted that every performance is unique and born in its way.
"Sometimes I look at the costume catalogue, and I just see a phenomenal costume, and I know I have to use it. Other times there's a song that I find that I normally have to make work. And other times I just have a concept that I have to find music and a costume for, such as a Romeo and Juliet dance. I had the idea for it and then found the music. And then I found the costumes after," Wilson said.
The work towards the recital started last summer with picking the music and editing it. The 2022-23 classes started in September, and soon after Wilson and her crew were already looking into choosing and ordering costumes, which had to be done by the end of October. The choreography was finished at the end of January, and then they spent the last couple of months perfecting the routines and getting everybody ready for the stage.
The Estevan Recreational Dance Club team has grown, and this year Wilson had about 30 assistants and two instructors working alongside her.
"Definitely takes a village to make this all work. But all of my assistants were so lovely in class, so great with the younger students and all so eager to help out," Wilson said.
She noted that working with a bigger team might be overwhelming at times, but it's also a lot of fun, as she is now seeing her dream come true.
"It's something I always dreamed up since I was a little girl, to teach routines. I would teach my sister in our basement, I'd teach her dance routines since the times when we were kids. So [running a dance studio] has always been a dream of mine, and it's just so amazing that I get to now share my creativity and my passion with so many people in the community," Wilson said.
The Estevan Recreational Dance Club is her dream the way Wilson has always envisioned it. This year they taught classes all day Sunday, as well as Monday-Thursday evenings with about 240 students enrolled.
Wilson thanked everyone involved with the past weekend for making the recital a great success.
"A shout out to all of the parents who volunteered their time this weekend to make this recital happen. Without that help, be it selling the flowers or lining up kids backstage, this weekend would not be possible," Wilson said.
"Thank you everyone for your hard work and dedication this season, and especially this weekend. Our recital was a huge success, and we got to celebrate everyone's accomplishments up on that stage. These kids worked so hard in class each week, and I couldn't be more proud to call them my students," she also wrote in a Facebook post.
Now that the recital is finished, the club will take a bit of a break until the end of the school year. Registration for returning students will open over the summer, and new students are welcomed in August. The classes will resume in the fall when the preparation for next year's recital will start.
Wilson also said they may have summer camps this year, so "stay tuned”.
