STEPS is an acronym which stands for Strengthening Talent & Excellence through Positive Showcasing. This is not only the name, but also the mandate of the dance festival hosted by Dance Impressions by Ryan. This year we welcome you to take part in our festival held on April 16th (possibly), 17th , 18th and 19th. Our hometown of Vermilion is easily accessible from both Alberta and Saskatchewan (located just off of Highway 16), and the Lakeland College Alumni Theatre is an outstanding performing arts facility.
Dear Dance Instructors & Studio Owners:
Consider attending our 7th annual STEPS dance festival. Our festival is not a profit driven fundraiser and our monetary focus is to just break even. Instead, our goal is to host a valuable and positive festival experience for all dancers, parents, and instructors in an enjoyable and friendly atmosphere!!
STEPS is a multi-level dance festival that allows amateur dancers of all ages and levels to perform in a professional, positive atmosphere and be rewarded, encouraged, and constructively critiqued for their efforts and abilities. As an instructor and studio owner myself, I am very aware of the importance of balance between building self-esteem through showcasing and promoting continual learning and improvement through critiquing. At STEPS, years of training as well as age are taken into consideration to ensure participants receive the most gratifying, appropriate, and meaningful adjudications.
Each performance is personally adjudicated and every performer is awarded a medal. Adjudicator’s Choice Awards are presented to a performance from each dance school, and teachers are encouraged with choreography awards. Outstanding and Most Promising Awards are also rewarded to deserving dancers at all levels and disciplines. Also, at the end of our festival one dancer will be presented with an “Honourable Sportsmanship Award” as chosen by his/her peers. At STEPS, we have a special room for teachers with complimentary coffee, juice, water, pop and an assortment of snacks, along with festival programs, pens, pencils and highlighters. Use this room for all your storage needs while you’re at our festival. And remember teachers - your opinions are highly respected at STEPS; therefore any input towards making our festival better is strongly encouraged!
New this year and brought on by your request, we are planning to have a food concession on location during our dance festival. The idea is to be able to offer the busy dancers and their parents some snack and beverage options right at the College when the cafeteria is closed. With the support of our newly formed Dance Impressions by Ryan Society we have a group of keen parents who are eager to provide your dancers and parents with this new convenience.
Dancers of all ages not only enjoy but also tremendously benefit from watching others perform on stage. This is why at STEPS we reserve balcony seating in the theatre for performers. After the dancers have performed on stage, they can sit in these reserved seats in order of their appearance (stage left to right) and watch the remainder of entries until adjudication. When it is time for adjudication, dancers will walk on stage and form a semi circle so that everyone can proudly be seen and rewarded for their efforts. After adjudication dancers will exit through backstage and then to their dressing room/practice area/audience/etc.
In encouraging a friendly, open atmosphere during the festival, we include entrance admission in our festival entry fees. This means that although our entry fees may initially seem higher than others in the area, all participants and their immediate families may attend any or all sessions for the entire weekend at no additional cost! Come out and support all the performers from your school because
ENTRANCE FEES FOR PERFORMERS OR THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILIES WILL NOT BE COLLECTED AT THE DOOR.
(Note: Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles, cousins and friends can attend for a minimal charge.)
Entries are received and processed on a first come basis to a maximum of 400 entries until January 31, 2008. Early registration is recommended to avoid disappointment.
If you would like to receive a complete registration package, please e-mail me. After I ensure that we have your studio's correct mailing address you should have it within a few days!
If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a message at (780) 853-6390, or email me at ryanwil@telus.net and I will contact you as soon as possible.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Mrs. Ryan Wilson
STEPS 2009
Vermilion, AB
