Yellowknife dancers prepare for Times Square and Broadway

This July, Bella Dance Academy will send 38 dancers to perform in New York City’s Times Square and on a Broadway stage.  

The trip is part of a collaboration with the Dance the World Broadway Summer program, run by World Class Vacations, one of the largest student travel companies in America.

In tribute to their upcoming Broadway debut, the Bella Beats have made all things “New York-esque” the theme of this weekend’s year-end show in Yellowknife.

Studio owner and director Phoenix Smith told Cabin Radio the theme is not only to get the dancers thinking about their upcoming New York performances but also to energize the studio community about the New York music and art scene. 

“I’m excited about the New York vibe behind this show,” said Smith. “It’s glittery, it’s sparkly, it’s bright. There’s a lot of energy. The music is fun, we’ve got some old jazzy songs, some new pop music, some fun musical theatre pieces, so there’s a little bit of something for everybody.”

Dancers in the Dance the World program will perform at the New Amsterdam Theatre, one of the oldest surviving Broadway theatres, as well as in Times Square. They will attend workshops with performers such as actor and singer Michael Lee Brown, Broadway dance captain Gabriella Sorrentino, and Natalie Lecznar, a former backup dancer for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

“As you can imagine, everyone’s quite excited about that one,” said Smith. 

Nineteen-year-old Symone Berube is one of the selected dancers.  

“This is an amazing opportunity, and especially being from such a small community, these things don’t come around all the time,” said Berube. “So I’m very grateful.”

There are two year-end shows occurring this weekend. The senior show for dancers ages eight and over is titled Welcome to New York: The Big Apple. A junior show for dancers ages three to seven is titled Welcome to New York: The LITTLE Apple.

Combined, 300 dancers will perform in the two shows, which include music and dances ranging from ballet to hip-hop and contemporary. Each piece pays tribute to a different aspect of New York City, including NYC-themed skits with talking rats and the Statue of Liberty. 

Mairi Rutherford-Simon and Shino Koyanagi, both 10 years old, are heading to New York City. 

Koyanagi, who has been dancing since she was three, told Cabin Radio she is looking forward to performing in a city she’s never been to before. 

“I’m most looking forward to dancing in front of people I normally don’t see, and just enjoying the vacation and having fun,” said Koyanagi. 

Koyanagi will turn 11 during the trip and celebrate her birthday with her family by watching the New York Yankees play. 

Rutherford-Simon, who has been dancing for the past three years, said she is excited about the theme of the year-end show and looking forward to performing. 

“You get to show your skills that you’ve learned through the past year,” said Rutherford-Simon, “and it’s just really exciting knowing what year-end show dances you’re gonna have.” 

“I just love performing,” said Berube.

“It’s so exciting, any opportunity to perform, especially in Yellowknife for everybody in the community to watch.”

“There’s not so many events going on all the time, so it’s really nice to have this opportunity to perform and be involved with the community.”

The Bella Dance Academy is performing its Welcome to New York show from June 6-8 at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre.