Without ever leaving Squamish, dancers at The Performing Arts Centre (TPAC) can be in New York one minute and in Paris the next.
Jennifer Carney, dance instructor and owner of TPAC, has decked out the main 1,500-square-foot studio of the centre as New York and her new expanded 850-square-foot-studio space next door as Paris.
The dance centre, which moved to Second Avenue from the former Trinity Hall two years ago, is holding its Dancers Showcase 2017 at the Eagle Eye Theatre on Sunday, June 25.
Carney said she doesn’t call the centre’s showcase a recital because that implies hours of watching a long and somewhat boring succession of dance numbers.
“Our show is short and sweet,” Carney said with a laugh. “It is a very entertaining show.”
Carney was coy about details of the show, saying there were a few surprises and she didn’t want to give too much away.
While she values competition, for Carney, one of the more important aspects of learning and teaching dance is getting out on a stage and performing, she said.
What a dancer learns in classes and on the stage can be applied throughout a dancer’s life, Carney noted. “Whether that is determination, self esteem… taking a leap,” she said. “It is not about being the best, it is about having a child who is coachable, teachable and who works hard, has fun and takes what we learn here and applies it as they get older and older so they can pass it on in the most positive and healthy way as possible.”
Carney, who has around 37 years of dance training specializing in musical theatre and contemporary jazz and who has picked up numerous awards in competitions around North America along the way, said the goal in her instructing and in the studio is “creating dynamic and diverse dancers.”
The dance season at the centre runs from September to June.
Classes are available for all ages, abilities and genders at the centre and include jazz, tap, ballet, acro and ballroom.
Acro dance combines classical dance techniques with acrobatics.
The centre also offers workshops during the year and camps in the off-season.
The TPAC Dancers Showcase 2017 matinee will be at 3 p.m. and the evening show is at 7 p.m. on June 25. For more information, go to www.tpacdance.com or on Facebook at TPA The Performing Arts Centre.
