The end of the school year is always an exciting time, but students of Leaping Feats Creative Danceworks and the Heart of Riverdale have something else to look forward to in addition to being free from teachers and homework.

The upcoming edition of Leaping Feats’ annual year-end dance show, Dancing Through Life 2018, will be taking place over four nights, with one show per day from May 31 until June 3. There will be some variations between each show, but all four will feature this year’s graduating students, as is tradition in the Dancing Through Life performances.

There is a sense of community that has been built amongst the dancers who have shared rehearsal spaces and stages for years. The Dancing Through Life show, while it is a celebration of how far the students have come and what they’ve accomplished, is also a bittersweet occasion, as many of them will be dancing together for the last time.

“I’ve been dancing with most of the girls I’m graduating with since the beginning and formed some unbreakable friendships,” says Yovana Cooper, a grade 12 student who has been dancing since she was three years old. “It hasn’t really hit me yet that we’ll all be doing different things next year and going in all different directions.”

Preparations for this show go back all the way to last November when the dances began being choreographed. The process of putting together such a spectacle is a very busy and involved one, according to some of the dancers.

Maeve McManus is another grad student who will be featured in this year’s performances.

“There are hundreds of people involved in all four shows, including our dance teachers, the dancers and our parents,” says McManus. “For the ballet production, our teacher Sachi handmade the costumes, so a lot of work was put into that aspect as well.”

Dancing Through Life 2018 will showcase productions of the BFG, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Big Chances in the Big Apple. The students of Leaping Feats Creative Danceworks and the Heart of Riverdale have been working diligently and restlessly preparing to make this year’s string of shows unique, captivating and unforgettable.

The first show is on Thursday May 31 at 7 p.m., followed by another evening performance on Friday June 1, also at 7 p.m. Saturday June 2 will have an afternoon show at 1 p.m. and the final performance will be on Sunday June 3 at 5 p.m. The shows will take place at the Yukon Arts Centre.

Students from all grades will take part in the four shows, and a variety of dance types, ranging from ballet to breakdance will be presented. Dancing Through Life events typically have very high attendance rates, so people who want to attend are encouraged to get their tickets as soon as possible so they don’t miss out.

Tickets have been on sale since May 1 and can be purchased at www.yukontickets.com.
For more information and additional updates, check out the Facebook event, Dancing Through Life 2018.

Leaping Feats: on stage and screen

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