Five dancers from iDance Studio in Newmarket will be heading to Belgium to compete for Team Canada Dance this month, and in July, two more dancers from the studio will be travelling to Prague to compete for World Performers Canada.
Allyson Phillips, Zoey Sooklal, Victoria Dimma, Quinn Cairney, and Chanel Cairney will be representing Canada in Belgium, while Ava Rose Dimma and Ashline Copeland will be taking their talents to Prague.
In their 15th year in Newmarket, iDance Studio owners Rhonda Dimma and Jenny Cairney couldn’t be more excited for the girls.
“It’s amazing to see these girls shine and develop these skills,” said Dimma. “We love celebrating them at the studio because this is huge for our dancers.”
She said they learn at the studio, but when they get to compete on a much larger scale on the stage, it’s a terrific opportunity that rewards the girls’ hard work and dedication.
It allows the girls to travel abroad while getting to work with other dancers and choreographers to hone their craft and experience a trip they may otherwise not have the chance to embark on.
It’s also been unique for Dimma and Cairney, who both have children competing, because they’ve seen all the effort that goes on behind the scenes to earn this type of chance to compete on the world stage.
They got to see the entire process from the girls going to the auditions to going to the callbacks and then going to all the rehearsals and choreographer sessions.
“We’ve seen it from the beginning and seen all the hard work,” said Dimma. “The girls were just so thrilled and excited when they got accepted and actually started their dances and got their costumes.”
Now they’re getting ready to travel and compete, and Dimma said it’s been a whirlwind, but a once in a lifetime type of opportunity.
It’s been weeks and months of non-stop work for the girls as they prepare to compete, committing their free time to learning and practising to keep on top of their choreography.
It’ll all be worth it for the girls when they arrive for the opening ceremonies and see all the countries participating, said Dimma.
“It’s Olympic-style,” she said. “There will be a parade and a closing ceremony.”
Dimma said the girls will also get to exchange gifts and pins with participants from other countries.
It’s also a rare chance to see the different styles of dance coming from these different countries, Dimma said.
“It’s unlike anything you see here,” she said. “Every country has its different style and we’re so excited to see it.”
iDance Studio has had several dancers compete with Team Canada over the years and Dimma said it’s always an honour to see them go out and impress on the world stage.
The girls will be competing in Belgium during the last week of November with competition beginning Nov. 27.
