DANCING DREAM

WHILST STRICTLY COME DANCING IS HEADING TOWARDS IT’S 20TH YEAR, DANCING IN MALTA IS A PASTIME AND PROFESSION THAT HAS BEEN ENJOYED BY MANY FOR DECADES.

CELAINE BUHAGIAR OF DANCEL DANCE STUDIO, TELLS US THE STORY OF HOW HER PASSION IS FUELLING DANCE IN YOUNG PEOPLE

“I started dancing at age 4, with ballet and moved on to modern and tap too and by the age of 12, was selected to attend a monthlong series of workshops, intensive training and competitions at a school in Biggin Hill in Kent, to eventually take part in the group formation teams for Ballroom and Latin American in Blackpool and Wales. After this experience I took up Ballroom and Latin American professionally and by the year 2000, my dance partner and I were the local Latin dancing champions and took the next step in our journey, opening a school.

We continued to dance and I went to Kuala Lumpur-Malaysia twice to compete in International Dance Championships – all whilst I was studying communications at the University of Malta.

My dance partner decided to sell the studio and so at the about the same time as Strictly hit the screens for the first time, I was opening my own school – which I converted from a toy factory back in 2005. I had over 100 students at the time, and my parents really supported me, so that I could continue to teach them in the highest level of facilities.

At the same time, I was graduating and from my studies and had secured a job at Campus FM, as the Malta University Broadcasting station as a junior producer. I worked my way through various roles over the years, became programmes coordinator and today I am a professional voice over artist for corporate entities and Station Manager. It’s a busy job with three recording studios and a full schedule of programmes to broadcast; but after my day job is finished, I head to my other studio, the dance studio, to teach along with my dance assistants who have been training within the school since their early years, and are now involved in choreographies and teaching kids.

Th e school is open from 4pm each day and at weekends, and there are 140 students aged from 4 to 30, quite a handful but it gives me incredible satisfaction!

We have a varied range of practice and troupes perform modern freestyle for television and theatre and we put on a number of shows too. Every year, we take selected students overseas to places like Pineapple Performing Arts Centre in Covent Garden in London, to have workshops.

We have been to San Remo and performed at Teatru Ariston, during RAI’s production Un Bosco per Kyoto, a festival of music , literature and dance. We were also the opening acts for Malta’s song for Europe, the local Sports Awards, The Malta Television Awards, choreographed work for Gold at Teatru Manoel and also performed in various occasions during Malta’s EU Presidency.

We have worked with dancers from Disney’s Aladdin and Mamma Mia to mention a few, and this month, we are heading to DanceWorks in London for a 4-Day dance camp.

Over the years the demographics of the students have changed, the age range is wider and we have a number of nationalities too. Dancing is enormous fun, but it takes and teaches discipline, technique and with it comes an appreciation for music and set design; in fact, my husband Pierre is a lighting producer so the school has an invaluable asset and the students understand the importance of this aspect of performing.

Running the school is more than just teaching dance though, you get really involved with the students and you can tell if they are passing through something difficult as when you dance, your emotions are completely transparent, and whilst the show must go on, we pride ourselves in our relationships and two-way trust we have and that we are there to help them through these moments. It really is like having a family!

My next goal is to take the Masters in Dance Studies – well, I am not sure, but that would be strictly for me though, for my own self-satisfaction!”

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