ESTEVAN — More than 150 dancers from the Drewitz School of Dance showcased their abilities on May 31 during the 42nd annual Spotlight on the Stars recital at the Estevan Comprehensive School.
This year's theme was Reach for the Stars. Owner and teacher Lorie-Gay Drewitz-Gallaway called it an "exceptional" day. She said there were 158 students this year and every student had the opportunity to go on stage for the recital.
"There was so much emotion in children this year, and I think it's because when you have grads that have been there 14 years and they grow up at the school – then they become a helper and they've done all their exams – it's just a lot of heart that goes into their performances," said Drewitz-Gallaway in an interview with SaskToday on June 1.
This year's graduates are Tyann Babyak, Kerison Burnett, Rya Strilaeff, Emma Morhart, Saphhyre Dow and Tenaya Empey.
A lot of the students take at least four classes, and so they're on the stage constantly, she said.
"When you're doing a big group, to get everything together and everything looking great when that many children have a place to go and a spot to be in, it went really well," said Drewitz-Gallaway.
The two performances attracted an estimated combined crowd of 1,200 people, Drewitz-Gallaway said. Audience members flew in from Ontario and drove from Alberta and B.C. to see their family members perform.
"It's great for me to see to see the support all over, even in the community of Estevan for the performing arts," said Drewitz-Gallaway.
The theme was selected because Drewitz-Gallaway said she wants children to understand something or gain a life lesson through dance. She pointed out that children get to a certain point in dance in which they feel they can't do any better, and she believes they definitely can.
"I just want them to know that good, better, best, never let it rest 'till the good is better and the better is best. They can do better and oh boy, they did really great yesterday," said Drewitz-Gallaway.
She said she was proud of al of them, because each dancer has a different aptitude when it comes to dancing. Some are naturals, some have to work really hard at it and others struggle, but it's great from a teacher's perspective to see them work so hard and get the most of their ability.
The smoke that blanketed the southeast at the end of May caused some issues, particularly during the dress rehearsal on May 30.
"When it first hit and the wind was blowing in that direction, it was coming through the air conditioning vents in the Comp. When children are asthmatic and stuff like that, I have to be aware,, but they powered through," said Drewitz-Gallaway.
Drewitz-Gallaway also finds that children these days want to do more than dance. So the studio had a fall session with all of the exams for the year.
"We had over 400 exams taken," said Drewitz-Gallaway.
Then they took time off during the winter, when the weather can be treacherous and other activities are happening, followed by a March to May session when they prepared for the recital.
"They had 11 weeks to do the recital. So, it was … a little bit of an experiment this year, but it worked out really well, and I think … they even tried harder because they were so excited to get back into it," said Drewitz-Gallaway.
Forty years ago, she never would have attempted such a schedule, but she thinks she has to adapt with changing times and look at what works for children and their parents. Drewitz-Gallaway expects she will follow a similar slate for the 2025-26 season.
"I would say 98 per cent of the parents really, really appreciated that. I have a lot of parents who travel an hour-plus to get to the dance studio, and some of them have young children," said Drewitz-Gallaway.
A lot of children missed two months of rehearsals in January and February, she said, because it's tough to venture out during bad weather.
Drewitz-Gallaway pointed out the marks were still up this year, the recital was still "amazing" and the children worked hard and knew their dances.
She believes it's important for children to learn how to dance for when they go to weddings and community functions.
Drewitz-Gallaway is grateful for those who helped her studio this year, and she thanked all of the parents and businesses who stepped forward with a sponsorship to keep the recital growing every year. She also dedicated the recital to her parents, Norm and Donna Drewitz.
"Their encouragement, support and unconditional love through this dance journey ignited my passion for dance many years ago," she said.
