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Lamont Veselka Dance Club Hosts Spring Fundraiser
Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser
The Lamont Veselka Dance Club’s first ever Spring Fundraiser received overwhelming community support as several hundred people attended the April 27 event at the St. Michael Recreation Centre.
It was a very special evening for the 21 dancers; especially Kira Snyder, the most senior dancer in the club who will be graduating this year and hopefully, moving on to a promising dancer career.
Kira, was the first performer of the evening with a captivating Transcarpathian dance. Emcee Carla Graham introduced her and described the dance which showcases the region’s rich cultural heritage through dynamic choreography, vibrant costumes and spirited, bouncy movement.
Kira closed the show by performing her Poltava Solo ‘Dido Dan’ as a dedication to the former musician. Graham said in her introduction that, “Kira worked closely with her instructor, Mikaila, to create this lively, action-packed dance that would serve as a gift to her family.
The song she performs to is by Royal Aces Four, the family band of the remarkable musician Dan Kardash. Ten years ago this past October, Dan passed away from brain cancer, and this powerful dance serves as a dedication not only to him, but also to his son, Kira’s stepfather, Les.”
It was impossible to hold back tears during the performance as Kira laid her heart and soul on the dance floor. Kira has been dancing with Veselka for the past 11 years, and said she is still coming to terms with the fact she won’t be returning next year. She admits to growing very close with the young dancers, who she helped coached over the past two years.
Kira will be graduating this year, and already has plans for part of the summer as she will be performing with the Alberta Ukrainian Dance Association’s Unity Volyn troupe that showcases the talents of youth dancers from across the province at UFest Edmonton Ukrainian Festival, Pysanka Festival in Vegreville and Calgary Ukrainian Festival BRAVO!
She hopes one day to be able to join one of the larger professional dance club’s as her passion for the artistry and sport has no bounds. Ukrainian Dance has always been a way for Kira to embrace her culture and express herself. By doing that, she is inspiring many other dancers to follow her example.
The Lamont Veselka Dance Club has been in existence for more than 40 years and the fundraiser was held to be able to purchase new costumes.
Original Theatre Art Production at Mannville School
Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser
K-Grade 9 students from Mannville School presented two performances of ‘Leadership: Stories to Live By’ on April 26.
The evening performance drew a crowd of approximately 150 people. School Coordinators for the production included Erin Hinton and Gisele Amero with Dusti McLaughlin as School Volunteer Coordinator.
Hinton explained that, “Trickster Theatre took up residency in Mannville School the week of April 22-26. Artists worked with K-9 classes, focusing on a leader to create a small performance to showcase. This opportunity brought drama, music and presentation skills to our students in our small rural school that they do not always get the opportunity to experience.”
The experience was made possible through a $15,000 grant the school received from the Alberta Foundation of the Arts. “The total cost for Trickster to come to our school was $21,000. The rest of the funds was generated with community support.” Hinton expressed her gratitude to Park Plans East Local #31 who donated the remainder of the funds through its special project funding.
