Local dancers Olyvia Olson-Brooks and Spencer Taylor will be competing at this years Performing Arts B.C. Association of Regional Festivals.
The pair were chosen in April by adjudicators with the Surrey Festival of Dance Society as senior representatives of the festival.
Both will be competing in the stage category, Olson-Brooks in jazz and Taylor in tap and stage.
The Surrey Festival of Dance, one of the largest in North America, sends 11 representatives every year.
“We are a very large festival and to be chosen is quite an honour,” said Carol Girardi, treasurer with the Surrey Festival of Dance, which ran March 28 to April 28.
During those 30 days, adjudicators see a lot of children, Girardi explained.
“Overall, the number of kids who physically crossed the stage was 10,000,” she continued.
“We were picked to represent one of the biggest festivals that B.C. does,” said Olson-Brooks.
“It’s really exciting. I get chills thinking about it,” added Taylor.
“Some of our other friends who got picked from other festivals are going, too. And we’re just excited to meet and be in classes with new teachers and have new experiences. It’s going to be so much fun,” he said.
This will be the first time either of them have been chosen to go, although, in previous years, Olson-Brooks has been a runner-up.
The event takes place from May 31 to June 4 in Fort St. John and will include over 32,000 dancers, musicians and dramatic artists ranging in age from five to 28 years old.
Over the five days, participants will compete in their various artistic disciplines as well as attend classes and workshops.
Olson-Brooks and Taylor, both in Grade 11, spend over 18 hours a week training for competitions at the Peggy Peat School of Dance in addition to being straight-A students at Thomas Haney secondary.
This past week both were competing in Dance Power 2016 at the ACT in Maple Ridge.
Performing Arts B.C. was established in 1964 and is a not-for-profit charity that acts as an umbrella organization for the 34 regional performing arts festivals across British Columbia.
