All this company really wants to do is dance

A plethora of dance styles will be on display Monday when The Backstage Dance Company concludes another season with their annual recital at the Sky Centre.

The theme of this year's recital is 'Happiness is... Dance' and there will be a pair of performances, first at 6 p.m., followed by an 8 p.m. curtain call.

Head instructor Shauna Cuthbert explained that she began choreography in December and the dancers have been working on the routines ever since.

The Backstage Dance Company includes approximately 110 dancers ages 3-17 as well as adults.

"The older ones will dance six to 10 hours a week, the younger ones dance one to two hours a week," says Cuthbert.

Dancers and family members alike look forward to this event each year.

"This is their favorite event because there is no pressure," says Miss Shauna with a laugh.

In the past the recital has been held in the Swift Current Comprehensive High School cafeteria but has switched locations to the brand new Sky Centre in the Living Sky Casino.

"We wanted to try it because of the new facility. We will see how it goes. It is pretty and will look nice at the front. Because of the limited seating that is why we have to do two shows. But the stage will be nice."

Miss Shauna explained that it has been a busy season that won't end at the recital for some of her students.

"Some of the kids have done workshops throughout the year. Some of them went to the Mia Michaels workshop, there was a Dance Jam Workshop in Regina that some of the kids went to and some of them will be doing different workshops this summer throughout the province and in Alberta. We have another set of tap and jazz exams coming up in June that we will have about 10 more kids doing them."

She also explained the benefits of becoming involved in dancing.

"However involved in dance you are, whether you are a rec student or whether you are doing competitive exams, it is just to be able to take direction from somebody, to be able to work well in a team, to learn discipline from your teacher and also discipline for yourself. It is also a good activity physically-wise for people to get out and move because people play too many video games.

Television shows such as Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance have raised the profiles of dancing says Miss Shauna.

"It has helped a lot... It has been really good in that it has exposed dance and put it out there and how entertaining it is and how good it is to watch. But at the same time people don't realize how much work it is to get as good as those people on television. But it is raising the bar and raising the standard of how talented people are because people are just getting better and better because they keep seeing new and different things."

The Swift Current native has been teaching dance for 10 years since beginning as an assistant in high school and sees no end in sight.

"I love the kids, they are the main reason. I just don't think that I could ever give it up. It is different everyday, some days are really stressful, some days are really hard and you don't know how you are going to get through exams and competitions. At the end it is really rewarding.

Monday's performances will feature performances in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, hip-hop, and broadway.

Tickets for the rush-seating event are available at the door and priced at $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students.