Marian Gillard
Observer Contributor
I was raised on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Isles. This community always encouraged all school children to enter the yearly Eisteddfod – Similar to our Festival of the Performing Arts. All I remember about it was the terror of being placed at the centre of the stage before a huge number of people and I was expected to recite a poem. I froze and burst into tears.
This didn’t happen to any of the children at our local Performing Arts Festival when I attended the Celebration of Stars Gala Performance on May 6. Our children displayed exceptional talent in every genre – dance, piano, vocal and speech arts. I loved every minute of the program.
Quesnel’s festival provides a local venue to present all these arts, professional adjudicators providing positive critiques and workshop opportunities, an opportunity to observe peers in performance, medals and trophies to commemorate outstanding performances, cash awards and scholarships, and an opportunity to participate at the Provincial level.
For the last 35 years, due to remarkable teachers, dedicated parents and other volunteers, Quesnel children have been encouraged from a young age through to graduation to show off their talents. Adults can also perform.
I interviewed two of the contestants to find out why they wanted to perform and what they see in their future as a result of their success. Both earned the right to attend the Provincial Festival recently.
Xavier Denis was a Merited Participant in Junior Classical Voice. He is 11 and in Grade 7. He sang “Donkey Riding” and the tone and rhythm were perfect and I heard every word.
For the past three and a half years, Xavier has been a part of the InSong youth choir, led by Melanie McKinnon. This was his first attempt at a solo. Now he is taking private lessons from Cathy Heinzelman. Xavier feels that as his voice progresses he would like to try opera singing.
He appreciates the adjudicators and will certainly be working on his next performance at the Quesnel Festival of the Performing Arts.
Maia Nygaard-Cook came in her favourite costume and we had a good interview. She is training with the Gold Pan Dance Studio and loves her teachers.
She was given a place in the Provincials as Junior Ballet Merited Participant. She is 11 years old and at a very good place in her life. Before her family moved here she danced in a different ballet school and started as young as two years old.
I asked Maia why she enjoys ballet and she said, “because it takes me away from all the other things I think about, and I love to perform.”
She enjoys all genres – ballet, jazz and tap – but enjoys the modern solo dance she performed. The title was “The High Seas” and the theme was pirates. She stood out from the others in my mind because she really threw herself into the imaginary world of a pirate.
Maia loves the Festival because of the feedback, such as not looking at the floor and not letting your arm drop when it is supposed to stay high. She wants to learn all she can and reach her full ability. She did well at the Provincial level and learned a lot from the workshops. It was a most exciting experience for her.
Also, she loves making friends in dance. She may become a dance teacher for the younger ones.
The QFPA Committee is running on a skeleton crew and desperately needs more people. They need new people now so that the experienced members can provide mentorship and support. The commitment means one two-hour meeting per month from September to May, with a break during December.
Please do consider joining this committee. The team is in place to welcome you and help you find a role best suited to your interests.
Visit www.qfpa.org for more information. Expressions of interest and nominations can be directed to Barb Scharf at 250-297-6553 or Danielle Carter 250-249-0118.