The stars are aligning.
On May 4 at the Chuck Mobley Theatre in Correlieu Secondary School, the best of Quesnel and some from beyond will be radiating in the spotlight. The annual Celebration Of Stars shows off the best of the best from the Quesnel Festival of the Performing Arts (QFPA), and those performers are now set to shine.
Delaine Milette, president of the festival organization said, “every opportunity to perform is preparation for the next performance. So we need to come out and support these phenomenal artists. Come and see for yourself that Quesnel has its own exceptional talent, and that we, as a community, stand behind them.”
The Celebration Of Stars is a chance for the most successful of the past weeks’ participants to show their talents without the pressure of competition or adjudication.
One of the most anticipated performances will be by what Milette called “Quesnel’s sensational sister act,” the dance duo of Giselle (13) and Zoey (10) McDonald. Not only are they standouts from the QFPA but after their stage time at our festival, they went to the Lower Mainland and placed first overall in both the junior and intermediate soloist categories of the prestigious Evolve Dance Festival in Maple Ridge.
Milette said the local dance community was proud to see Zooey achieve “a rare and coveted Platinum rating” and Giselle awarded “the highest possible Award of Distinction by the adjudicators.”
Both were awarded scholarships to train this summer at SOL, a Vancouver dance studio, to add to numerous other scholarships including one in London, England.
“As children, both watched their mom, local doctor Lizaan van Heerden, dance,” said Milette. “And when Giselle started her training at Gold Pan Dance, it was only natural for Zooey to emulate her movements and follow along. Today they engage in regular ‘dance downs’ at home - sharpening their skills while showing off their moves to one another. Not only do they push each other, they perform together, beautifully.”
Milette said the local organization is feeling especially inspired after hearing dance adjudicator Christie Lee Manning express that Quesnel dancers “are as high a calibre as can be found in the Lower Mainland or anywhere.”
Along with Zoey and Giselle, nine other talented Quesnel dancers have been selected via the QFPA to compete at the Provincial Arts Festival on June 2 in Fort St John. This includes: Aliannah Tanner, Averie Lentz, Claire McCaffrey, Maia Nygaard-Cook, Samara Thornhill, Gracie Traas, Brianna Aaslie, Kaitlyn Petrie, and Alivia Collins.
Also advancing to the provincials in Fort St. John is Quinn Phillips, “an immensely talented pianist,” said Milette. Phillips will compete in the Senior Piano category.
Other Quesnel musicians who also earned spots at the Provincial Arts Festival are: Keenan Bright, Rowan Nordgren and Freya Cormack (who unfortunately is unable to attend), all for their piano talents.
All will perform at the Celebration Of Stars on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at qfpa.org or on their Facebook page, and at the door while supplies last.
Prices are $15 regular to $10 (65+ and 6-19) with kids five and under free.
Official festival photography was done by Clarke Action Photography and Bob Michek at South Hill Graphics.
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