It was all glitz and glamour for the gala evening for the final event at the 30th Annual B.C. Dance Competition held at the Lester Centre of the Arts on Saturday, May 11.
The event marks 30 years of B.C. Dance and was celebrated in style with a champagne reception, hors d’oeuvre, refreshments and, later in the evening, the final dance competition.
READ MORE: B.C Dance Competition kicks-off at the Lester Centre of the Arts
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The event celebrates the life work of Teresa Mackereth, president of B.C. Dance, who started a dance studio in the eighties and organized the first dance competition in 1988. From then on, every year the competition event has been held in Prince Rupert.
“When we started this competition in 1988, who knew it would grow into this amazing competition with people from all over B.C. and Alberta,” Mackereth said.
“This moment in your life will never come again, when you’re on stage, strutting your stuff,” MacKareth said while wishing the dancers well in their performances.
READ MORE: Prince Rupert welcomes biggest B.C. Dance Competition
Lester Centre manager, Michael Gurney was master of ceremonies for the evening and addressed a bustling audience.
“I will miss walking in the lobby and finding sequins on the floor, I will miss the huge clouds of hair spray in the change rooms, but most of all I will miss the vibrancy and enthusiasm of the dancers,” Gurney said in an address to the packed audience at the Lester Centre.
READ MORE: Rupert dancers shine at the B.C Annual Dance Competition
The annual event has attracted international acclaim as a friendly, positive, high-quality dance event and it gives back to the community who supports it in the form of scholarships for the children.
Dancers competed for over $60,000 in prize money and scholarships.
gareth.millroy@thenorthernview.com
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