100 dancers hit the stage at Dance Montage
Dance Montage presented by the University of Calgary Faculty of Fine Arts’ dance program is a rare show that maintains high-quality performance while fostering a creative community by allowing both professionals and amateurs a place to get onstage.
Dance Montage started as a part of the physical education department at the University of Calgary in 1969 when students decided they didn’t want to let a semester’s worth of class work go unnoticed. The students put together a showcase featuring the variety of styles in which they were trained. While some of the performers in the inaugural show had years of formal training others had never set foot in a dance studio let alone a stage. It was an unusual start for what is now an institution in the Calgary dance community but it was this beginning that encouraged the show to develop into the welcoming community-building performance it is today.
Dawn Dymond 13-year co-artistic director of Dance Montage (alongside newcomer Krysten Blair) says“the adrenaline rush of first-time performers coupled with the professional touch of experienced dancers” is what makes the show so unique. She feels that providing a stage opportunity to those who have never had the chance to perform is important. Dance performance is most often reserved for professionals but Dymond feels it should be available to all. Amanda Bonnell who has choreographed an African piece for the show feels similiarly says she wanted to give other capable bodies who cannot pay for class a chance to dance.
Along with a sense of building community the show also displays variety. Laura Ann Smyth longtime dancer and choreographer will direct a jazz piece in this year’s show. She says she enjoys the opportunity Montage has provided her to work with a large and varied cast. It is often difficult for a choreographer to find enough dancers let alone co-ordinate their schedules. Due to the popularity and structure of Dance Montage she was able to pick from nearly 200 auditioners already prepared to sacrifice their Sundays. With 13 choreographers and over 100 dancers the show features not only a wide range of people but also an extreme offering of styles including African belly-dancing mixed-abilities performance jazz dance theatre and hip hop. Dymond says part of the charm of the show is the variety on the ticket because audience members will likely see something enjoyably familiar as well as experience something entirely new.
