A three-day dance camp was aimed at getting local children excited for the upcoming season at the Impact Dance Company.
As has been the case over the last number of years, Impact once again hosted their dance intensive Aug. 27 to 29.
“It gets kids back into the studio and excited to get back into classes. Also for conditioning, nobody’s been dancing all summer and just like every other sport, kids are back on the ice skating for conditioning so just like us back in the studio,” said Impact Dance Company co-owner Terralea Armstrong on the camp’s importance.
The camp featured 50 dancers, who were broken up into three groups including junior, intermediate and senior, where they learned a number of dance moves from a pair of teachers.
Typically, Impact brings in teachers from various parts of the province and country, and this year was no different as the camp welcomed Jennifer Maczek and Lindsay Harpham.
Maczek lives in Prince Albert and has taught in Melfort for the last nine years, while Harpham is a former Tisdale native who dances professionally in Toronto.
Being able to bring in teachers from other dance studios is important, said Armstrong, because it gives them a fresh voice.
“They have us all the time so it’s nice to have something different and challenge them a little bit. Lindsay is kind of very well-rounded in the contemporary or modern area... so it was nice to have her come and kind of share what they’re doing out in Toronto,” she said. “It was just nice to have more of a local girl in Jen come out and have a bit of her styles too.”
Of course, Harpham being not only a professional dancer, but having come from a small local community was also important, said Armstrong because it gives the young dancers someone to look up to.
“The thing with Lindsay or teachers that we get in that are professionally dancing, they’re always so good at sharing their stories and how hard work got them to where they are. It doesn’t really matter where you’re from, you can still go on and do bigger things and there’s a bigger picture than just small town studio dancing.”
With kids getting back into the swing of things and regaining any conditioning lost over the summer months, Armstrong joked the kids were all quite sore by the end of the third day, but said they all seemed to be glad to be back.
“The kids are pumped. They’re ready to be back in the studio, they have lots of fun, they learnt new things so they’re ready to get started back with classes.”
Impact has already kicked off what they hope will be an exciting year, and Armstrong said come spring they will once again begin planning for next fall’s intensive.
