It’s an exciting time for young dancers and enthusiasts in the Vancouver Island area.
On Sept. 21, Éclat Dance Youth Company, a pre-professional youth dance company located in the Comox Valley, held their first open audition for new members.
The event was open to dancers (age 12 and over) and attracted applicants from all over Vancouver Island, including Campbell River, Parksville, Nanaimo, Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland. The response to the audition, held at the Native Sons Hall in Courtenay, was incredibly enthusiastic.
“We’re very excited about how well our first open audition went and the high quality of our local young dancers,” commented Jessa Pereira, artistic director of the company. “Éclat Dance Youth Company would like to congratulate the dancers who were selected, and encourage anyone who wasn’t able to make it and would like to join the company to request a private or video audition by contacting us directly by e-mail at audition@eclatdance.com.”
The main focus at Éclat Dance is the development of the technique and ability of their dancers in classical ballet, neoclassical and contemporary dance. The company meets every Sunday for over six hours of training that includes ballet class, contemporary class, repertoire study/creation, pointe strengthening, men’s work and partnering.
Éclat Dance is also committed to providing the best performance opportunities to its young dancers apart from normal studio work to maximize their studies and broaden their horizons as dancers.
The company is happy to hold annual showcase performances that highlight the members work with resident and guests choreographers over the year as well as an international tour, which are remarkable events for young dancers to experience.
This year’s tour is set for the summer of 2015, with the destination London, England. The tour includes several dance workshops, dance clinics, seeing the dance highlights of the city, dance performances, backstage tours of some of the world’s most famous theatres, and more.
Éclat Dance Youth Company continues to receive positive feedback from families whose children participated in the audition and on the quality of the program itself.
A.H. from Comox recently said, “We were very happy to have our daughter audition for the company. Everyone from Éclat was so nice and knowledgeable and really made us all feel at home. We’re very much looking forward to seeing the company progress. It’s very exciting!”
The company is located at 571 McPhee Ave. in Courtenay. For more information, visit www.eclatdance.com.
– Éclat Dance
Youth Compan