Snap Dance Studio gave its students a chance to work witsh professional dancers during its intensive week-long camp that ran Aug. 28 to 31.
The camp was open to students with two years of experience or more and they learned all sorts of genres ranging from tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary and hip hop. At the head of the classes were big name instructors who have experience in professional dance, according to studio director Courtney Sproule.
“The whole theme of this camp is bright lights, big city. We’re bringing in people from the big city into Cochrane. We brought in a Radio City Rockette from New York, her name is Kristen Jantzie, Lisa Metz, who lived in Cochrane and danced in this studio is now living in Vancouver and teaches professionals dancers at a place called Harbour Dance,” Sproule said.
“Then we brought Heather Thomas who dances with the Alberta ballet company, and then a hip hop dancer from a company in town, his name is Jomari and is with illFX and Universal, so the big hip hop company in town. “It’s just an amazing experience for the students to not just have their local teachers but have really big name and learn from those people.”
The camp is meant for students to not only learn new dance training and techniques from their instructors, but also take away life lessons for later use, regardless of whether they become a professional dancer.
“I want the kids to take away excitement, because its so much fun, and then some dance training and technique. But the most important thing for us, and just generally at Snap, is just dances about life lessons.” Sproule said.
“So it’s about being a team player, about being respectful, working hard, having a good attitude, being organized, remembering things. It’s just life lessons, so whether they become professional dancers or not they will take these skills to being nurses and school teachers, that’s the point of this camp.”
