The Quesnel Festival of the Performing Arts is passing on its thanks by honouring four dancers who performed for the final time at the festival in 2021.
Elledae Armstrong, Emily Milliken-Heape, Emily Nelson and Amy Vardy will be graduating from the program this year, and managed to compete at a virtual dance festival.
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“We have watched these young ladies perform and grow as dancers through-out the years. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments,” noted a news release from the festival.
DANCER PROFILE:
Emily Nelson
Emily Nelson has been dancing since she was three years old. Now 17, the Correlieu Secondary School Student performed at her final Quesnel Festival of the Arts.
“My favourite style of dance is ballet,” she said. “I love that it is all about discipline and technique.”
Nelson placed first in tap, ballet, demi pointe, interpretive ballet, lyrical ballet, interpretive modern and interpretive contemporary.
“My favourite part of dance is performing,” she said. “I love getting to wear a lot of make up and put on the gorgeous costumes each year.”
Nelson placed second in musical interpretation ballet, musical interpretation jazz, jazz, lyrical jazz, contemporary ballet, modern and contemporary and received four trophies in demi pointe, lyrical ballet, interpretive contemporary and interpretive modern. Nelson added the senior ballet artistic performance award to her hardware.
Nelson shared her thanks to her mom and dad, and her current studio friends, but also gave a special shout out to the Peace River Dance Academy in Alberta.
“I’d like to thank them for giving me a start in dance and for allowing me to dance with them and for setting me on a path of success in dance,” she said.
Nelson was also awarded the QFPA professional growth bursary as well as the Quesnel Rotary Club Scholarship. She was selected and will be representing Quesnel as the Ballet III Senior Competitor for the BC Performing Arts Provincial Festival.
“I am moving on to become a veterinary technician and going to Thompson Rivers University hopefully this coming September,” Nelson said. “I will deeply miss dancing with all my friends that I’ve made at Gold Pan City Dance and Jessie and Shanlee.”
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