Whistler dancers qualify for Western championships
The Whistler Dance Academy is sending at least one dance team to the Western Canada Championships in Banff, Alberta, this July – and maybe a couple more after this weekend is over.
On May 9, a local hip hop team competed in a regional competition in Abbotsford, earning the gold standing.
"They’ve only been dancing together for about six months," says dance academy instructor and spokeswoman Krista Hoffs. "They trained pretty hard, and had a lot of fun in the competition, and it paid off."
The hip hop team is comprised of Whistler Secondary students Lilli Baker, Meagan Lande, Natasha Quinn, Danielle Robson, Becky Bennett, Brooke Browning and Jordan Kobelka.
The provincial championships will be held this weekend in Vancouver, where the dance academy will have the opportunity to qualify two more teams in the jazz category for the Western Canada Championships.
Coached by Nanci Potten, those teams include Kirsten Young, Brooke Playfair, Rebecca Kleinman, Sara Morden, Brittany Duggan, Kathleen Duggan, Natasha Quinn, Julianna Waters, Alexandra Rusimovich, Nicole Sadler, Megan McSkimming, Holly Hetherington, Samantha Depatie and Stephanie Moody.
"We’re going to have to start fund-raising for one team, and maybe the others as well to get there," says Hoffs.
The academy currently has 150 girls registered in programs, although only the more advanced girls compete.
The entire club will be hosting an end-of-year show on June 22 at Millennium Place.
