The Drewitz School of Dance’s 35th annual Spotlight on the Stars dance recital was not only a celebration of the studio’s current talent, but it was also a tribute to its past.
Hundreds of people packed the Estevan Comprehensive School’s cafetorium on Saturday for two separate performances. They applauded as nearly 250 dancers – most of them under the age of 10 – showcased their talent. Forty-three numbers were performed.
“I knew that it was going to be an exciting show for me, because with the theme of A Blast from the Past, I took a look at all the past recitals and all the students, children and parents I’ve had in all those years,” said Lorie-Gay Drewitz-Gallaway, who owns the studio and directed the show.
It was particularly exciting to see all the former students in attendance, she said. Some of the dancers who went through the program over the years now have children of their own at the studio or other studios.
“They’ve gone through the roles of tiny tot, graduate, parent and now they’re learning a whole different curve of the dance year,” Drewitz-Gallaway said with a laugh.
Recital day is a big one, she said, since the studio puts on two three-hour performances. It’s a long day for the younger dancers, but they have a lot of energy, and when the evening show wrapped up around 10 p.m. on Saturday night, Drewitz-Gallaway said the young children were ready to perform again.
The recital ran very smoothly, and she said it was in large part due to the volunteers and the studio’s staff members.
“It just makes everything so much better, because everyone knows what they’re doing, and the children feel more comfortable,” said Drewitz-Gallaway.
Taylor Kuntz, Amy Brook, Abby Hanna and Coral Zieglgansberger were this year’s graduating students. Each of the graduates was recognized at the event of the day, and Drewitz-Gallaway said that is always a highlight of the recital.
Preparations for the recital usually start in November. The theme is usually picked right away, since the music and the production revolve around the theme. Costumes have to be ordered in December.
Since it was the 35th edition, the show's theme was Blast from the Past, and there were numerous nods to the studio's history.
“It came to me last year, actually last summer,” she said. “I was thinking I’ve done all these themes, so what can I do special this year for the 35th to reminisce about all the years I’ve had so far.”
Most of the songs had been performed in previous years. The first two numbers, Famous Models and Hot Lunch Jam, were performed at the first Spotlight on the Stars in 1984.
There was also a history on the Drewitz School of Dance inside the program, and lists of graduates, assistant teachers, helpers, office staff, MCs, seamstresses, costuming workers, backdrop designers and music people.
“It’s history. I think it’s important, no matter what it is, that children should know, parents should know and the community should know,” said Drewitz-Gallaway.
It was important to celebrate the studio's accomplishments, she said.
“It shows that children and students, even when they graduate, it’s made them believe that even though they come from a smaller centre, they can do wonderful things,” said Drewitz-Gallaway.
When she first came to Estevan, there wasn’t a professional dance studio in the city. The dancers that year were all starting with the basics.
Drewitz-Gallaway and her husband had the option to move to Winnipeg after that first year so she could take over a studio in that city with over 460 students, but they decided to remain in Estevan.
“I often think about if we would have taken that different path,” said Drewitz-Gallaway. “Somehow I would have made it work, but this was the harder one to turn around, start from absolutely nothing, the ground base, and build up.”
Also during the recital, there was a fundraiser for Payton Sernick's family. Payton is a member of the dance studio and is currently in her second bout with cancer. Sales of programs and water during the recital will be directed to Sernick’s family.
An estimated $2,200 was raised for the Sernick family.
“I’ve had her since she was a tiny tot,” said Drewitz-Gallaway. “Then she was gone for a year, and then she was back for two years, and this year she was doing her exam at Christmas when she was rediagnosed.”
Not only is it important to show support for the Sernick family, but they want to give back and teach young people about the value of paying it forward.
Other highlights from the past year included a ballet summer school, a ballet pre-school workshop, performances at the United Way Estevan telethon and the Robbie Burns night, and several dance exams.
