BRENDA GOUGH
News Contributor
Expect a powerful and passionate evening of dance when the Helix Dance Company presents its final performance of the season at the Ballenas Whalebone Theatre May 24.
Sixteen gifted young dancers from around Vancouver Island will present an edgy, contemporary performance titled Let Your Spirit Soar.
The dancers debuted the program in Nanaimo at VIU’s Malaspina Theatre on May 3 and Sarah DeVito, the artistic director and creative force behind Helix, said the girls were amazing.
“All of the pieces are reflective and express a feeling of looking inward. The dancers really did justice to the choreography and the feedback from the audience was really positive.”
DeVito, who choreographed a lot of the show, said there were two other dance professionals who contributed to Let Your Spirit Soar so it conveys a wide range of emotions through dance.
“We want to expose the girls to as many different high-calibre professionals as possible. For one workshop we brought in Deanna Peters and it was intense.”
Peters, a contemporary dance performer who is carving out a name for herself in the Vancouver dance scene, has created works for her peers and youth and DeVito said she spent two full days with the Helix dancers choreographing a piece.
“We set another piece with Alysa Pires from the Toronto area. She is originally from Victoria and she is highly regarded in the world of dance.”
She said they bring in a guest choreographer at least twice a month and by the end of the season her dancers have worked with more than a dozen artists.
When DeVito started Helix five years ago she was breaking new ground in the local dance scene and she said all the hard work has paid off.
She said this is the biggest cast they have ever had, including girls from the Parksville Ballet School, the Harbour Dance Centre and Kirkwood Academy in Nanaimo. There is even one dancer from the Port Side Performing Arts Centre in Port McNeil.
DeVito said Helix filled a void in the area by providing dancers who crave more, an opportunity to work in a totally different setting and express themselves through movement.
“These girls dance all week long and then they devote their Friday night to dance for extra enrichment. I see the relevance of this dance company. From the beginning I had hoped that it would carry on to be something that has some longevity and I feel that all the hard work is validated,” she admitted.
If you enjoy the artistry of dance you won’t want to miss the fantastic evening of innovative dancing set for May 24 at the Whalebone Theatre in Parksville at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, from Lockhart Collection on Craig Street in Parksville. Auditions for the 2015 dance season will be held on June 22. Email DeVito at helixdancetheatre@gmail.com for more info.
