Dancing on Broadway is a dream many performers have; one that ten dancers from Laurel's School of Dance based in Moosomin had the opportunity to take part in including Jaida Shutz of Carlyle. Along with Olivia Lawrence of Kipling, Courtney Danielson of Rocanville, Jenisse Bradley, Shane Low, Kylie Cousins, Cheyenne Terrill, Dana Stanick, Karla Sheane, and Kassidy Green all of Moosomin, they had the chance to perform with the other dance schools invited to New York.
They were asked in January to attend this summer performance on Broadway, which was accepted graciously. Performing in Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street in New York City were the 10 girls from southeast Saskatchewan. This theatre is the home of the popular musical, Mary Poppins.
The call came as their tap number, Business Gals, was performed last year at Disneyland. This previous showcase allowed for the opportunity to be selected to dance on Broadway this summer.
Since the girls were already travelling the great distance to the Big Apple it was decided they would audition for another performance. The girls submitted their jazz dance, Oriental Ladies, to be considered to be included. They ended up being the only school in attendance to perform two of their own numbers, the opening dance, You Can't Stop the Beat, and the finale. The opening was taught to the girls before leaving for New York and finale performances were taught to the girls by the choreographers for Mary Poppins upon arriving in New York with the other dance schools.
Between learning the new routines, practicing their original routines, and performing the girls were quite busy. They, however, did have the chance to take in the city sights of New York including a dinner cruise enjoyed by the dancers and 16 guests, which passed the Statue of Liberty.
The girls also took in a variety of musicals, toured to the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Center, and enjoyed city tours using a number of different transportations including horse drawn carriages, bicycle rickshaws, and a "Hop on Hop off" bus tour.
"Everyone just thought it [the experience] was fabulous... It's surreal right now to us all; it feels a bit like a dream now that we're home," said Laurel Unger, dance director.
After the wonderful experience of dancing on Broadway and being in New York many of the girls decided that one day they would live there. They worked extremely hard, while there and had the performance of a lifetime in an iconic Broadway Theatre. It was an amazing opportunity that they all enjoyed immensely and felt lucky to be given the opportunity to perform in New York City.
