The Airdrie Dance Academy celebrated its 30-year anniversary with a special day of dancing for the community on the weekend.
Approximately 130 dancers took to the stage in two separate but identical shows on May 1 – the 30th anniversary “FOLLIES 2022” at Bert Church LIVE Theatre.
Susan Laing, owner/artistic director/instructor for Airdrie Dance Academy, said it’s actually her 40th year as a dance instructor. She started teaching in Stettler, moved to Calgary, and then to Airdrie 30 years ago where she opened the Airdrie Dance Academy.
With the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two-plus years, Laing said dancing on stage this past weekend was an amazing way to celebrate the milestone anniversary.
“We didn't know if we would get to be on stage again with COVID-19,” she said prior to the May 1 event. “We were scared to plan anything because we just weren't sure. This performance [was] just a big huge celebration.”
The show, called Follies 2022, followed the format of a recital. Laing said when she started teaching 40 years ago, she would call these shows ‘Foster’s Follies’, as Foster was her maiden name at the time.
Dancers ages four to 18 danced in styles ranging from jazz, tap, hip-hop, musical theatre, ballet, contemporary, and pointe on May 1.
Over the past 30 years, the academy's growth has paralleled Airdrie’s growth, Laing noticed.
“We've always been really blessed to have great support from Airdrie and area,” she said.
The cool thing about being in business for so long, she added, is that they’re now a multi-generational dancing school. Some of her current students are the children of her first students from 30 years ago.
“We're family oriented and family focused. One of the girls that used to babysit my son was one of my first teen jazz-dancers. Her daughter is now 12 and her little brother is also coming to dance next year,” she said.
The academy has an all-boys program, and Laing raved they are superstars at the top in their age category in their division for all three competitions they entered this season.
Earlier this year, Laing was a little nervous about whether the competition season would take place after it was cancelled two years in a row.
One week before a competition in 2020, COVID-19 hit, forcing the dance troupe to miss their time on stage. The following year, they banded together, re-used some old costumes, and tried to re-learn their routines from 2020, but competitions were cancelled again.
Laing’s studio season ends after April, but they kept going for another month in 2021 just to try to get on stage.
Despite having a dedicated and focused bunch of students, attendance in classes took a hit after Christmas and into January this year, with so many kids being sick.
Their luck finally turned around when the Airdrie Dance Academy attended three Danceworks competitions throughout March and April.
“We pulled it together, we had our record competition season,” Laing said, which meant great attendance during competition season and a lot of hard work that was rewarded by the judges.
“I saw a lot of solid teamwork. Everybody was so happy to be in the theatre. The parents were happy, the kids were happy, they were happy to dance with their teammates. It was just amazing after what we've all been through.”
Dancers proved their worth during those three competitions according to Laing, bringing home numerous gold and platinum medals.
Top groups were invited back to perform during the Showdown, where the top dancers were honoured, Laing explained. Airdrie Dance Academy’s senior hip-hop team won grand champion at the first two competitions for the 13-and-over age category and the senior jazz group won that same honour at their third competition.
“My little boys, my Walk the Dinosaur class – they're six to 11 year-old hip-hop boys that dance half an hour once a week – they got the top mark out of hundreds of entries,” Laing said. “They came second in the first competition and second competition. They're very consistent and they work hard.”
Beyond the competition season and the Airdrie Dance Academy, several students have their sights set on a future of dance. One student who graduated in 2021 is auditioning for Disney this year, while several others are preparing to go into university dance programs.
“We teach more than dance, so they've gone on to very successful careers,” Laing said of her students. “They've been good at public speaking and gone into the world with confidence.”
For more information or how to sign up for the next dance season, go to airdriedance.ca.
