ISSUE THIRTEEN: March 1st, 2018
SUPERIOR TROPHIES OWNERS RETIRE – SFD Thanks You For 23 Great Years!
For over 23 years now, the Surrey Festival of Dance has happily worked with Superior Trophies: purchasing of all our trophies, medals, medallions and plaques, as well as many many trophy rebuilds, repairs and bases’ add ons.
What a wonderful couple Dave and Arlene Relf are. We would walk into their shop and the two of them would always greet us with welcome home greetings.
Creativity is their middle name; no job was too big or too small.
We are going to truly miss them. We wish them a happy retirement and an open invitation to come visit us anytime.
Sincerely, Susan Snow: SFD Trophies
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ISSUE TWELVE: December 5, 2017
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THE 2016 DANCE & WELLNESS MASTERCLASS SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Congratulations to: (Top left to right) Zoe Gilbert, Maddie Kinghorn, December Shields, Tamara Kiyama & Janessa Nunner (Botton left to right) McKenzie Newton & Zienna Nunner
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A SNEAK PEAK INTO THE 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Held on March 23m 2016 approximately 150 performance art lovers, politicians and guest celebrities gathered to enjoy each others memories of 50 years of dance in Surrey. This is truly a milestone and here is a mini slide show of just some who attended and enjoyed the evening.
ISSUE ELEVEN: October 13, 2016
2017 SURREY FESTIVAL OF DANCE DATES ANNOUNCED…pencil it in!
March 27 – April 5, 2017 Jazz
Street Dance/Hip Hop April 1 & 2, 2017
Tap & Stage April 6 – April 13, 2017
CLOSED APRIL 14 – 17, 2016
Ballet April 18 – April 23, 2017
International April 22, 2017
Modern/Contemporary April 24 – April 30, 2017
and
NO BORDERS & HONOUR PERFORMANCES May 13, 2017
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PERFORMING ARTS BC PROVINCIALS 2016 …and the winners are…
[CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY]
Performing Arts BC Provincials was held in Fort St. John, on May 31st to June 4th. There were 3 sections of performance art competitions: music, speech, and dance.
PROVINCIAL REPS:
Giorgia Monro, Brooke Thomas, Ashley Klockow-Rabinovitch, Alexandra Stuart, Dante Arias, Eden Wedel, Natalie Smith, Olyvia Olson-Brooks, Spencer Taylor, Colby MacKenzie
SFD WINNERS! Congratulations
Stage 1 Dante Arias, Natalie Smith and Olyvia Olson-Brooks
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2016 SFD WORD SEARCH PRIZE WINNERS – over $1700 in prizes!!!!!!
Prize: Samsung Tablet, Case & Keyboard
Donated By: Surrey Festival of Dance Winner: Shona Kiyama
Prize: Health & Wellness Gift Basket
Donated By: Emily Halliday, Registered Massage Therapist Winner: Melanie Watts
Prize: Sheraton Gift Basket
Donated By: Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel Winner: Laura Morton
Prize: Exit – 4 Gift Cert.
Donated By: Exit-Surrey Winner: Anne MacDonald
Prize: Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker/Gift Card
Donated By: Tourism Surrey Winner: Tamara Kiyama
Prize: Safeway Gift Card
Donated By: Safeway-Fleetwood Winner: Marrisa Loney
Prize: Black & Decker 3 Tier Steamer/Gift Card
Donated By: Wolf & Company Winner: Alexia Smith
Prize: Professional Hair Care Gift Basket
Donated By: RAWnaturals.com Winner: Nav Chima
Prize: Sheraton Gift Basket
Donated By: Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel Winner: Trish Izett
Prize: Two tickets to a Show at Surrey Art Centre
Donated By: Surrey Art Centre Winner: Alexandra Stuart
Prize: Staples Gift Card
Donated By: Staples (Kg Blvd & 102nd Ave) Winner: Cindy Adams
Prize: 99 Nursery Gift Card
Donated By: 99 Nursery & Florist Inc. Winner: Janelle Thorson
Prize: Roaster Gift Basket/Gift Card
Donated By: The Surrey Leader Winner: Margaux Wosk
Prize: Galina’s Gift Card
Donated By: Galina’s Euro Food Winner: Theresa Jensen
Prize: Book Gift Bag/Gift Card
Donated By: Surrey Public Library Winner: Natalie Smith
Prize: Two year membership Arts Council of Surrey/Gift Card
Donated By: Arts Council of Surrey
Winner: Natasha Krause
Prize: Crepes & Tortilla Maker/Gift Card
Donated By: Newton Cultural Centre Winner: Lara Taylor
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ISSUE TEN: April 12, 2016
ISSUE NINE: March 4, 2016
LOOKING BACK TO THE BEGINNING – A Fifty Year Journey
PLEASE MEET YOUR FOUNDING MEMBERS. If not for these tireless women, one of North America’s largest dance competitions and festivals would never have taken place and become what it is today. These lovely ladies from left to right are: Mrs. D. Bell, Mrs. I. Colby, Mrs. W. Mercer, Mrs. G. Fox, Mrs. J. Miller, & Mrs. N. Rowe. Missing Mrs. A. Gibson. This photo was taken by the White Rock Sun in 1966 and the first festival was held at Princess Margaret High School in Surrey. Today, the SFD hosts over 10,000 dancers on the Main Stage at Surrey Arts Centre and awards over $60,000 in bursaries and scholarships. WOW – you’ve come a long way baby!
HEY YOUNG WOMEN – NOTICE THE NAMES?! That’s right, the women are identified by their husbands name only! Now that is an identity crisis! That was the practice in 1966 when the SFD was founded. In a world of hyphenated names, we don’t think being known only as Mrs. Somebody would go over so well today.
Another interesting piece of news is the lovely lady on the far right with that perky hairdo and infectious smile can still be seen at the Certificate Desk of the SFD. Mrs. N Rowe (her name is Doreene), still volunteers today – 5o years later….and she still loves dance! She flies in from her home in BC’s interior just to ensure the festival runs as smoothly as ever. So if you see her at the competition over the month of April – stop and say hi and thanks for a job well done!. [PHOTO: Doreene Rowe at Certificate Station 2015 SFD]
OUR NEW 50th LOGO – ‘Our Golden Anniversary’
Our thanks to STCcreatives.com for once again coming up with the perfect logo for our 50th year. STC does a significant amount of our marketing and has been a strong supporter of the SFD for nearly two and a half decades. STC also designed our 40th and 45th year logos, not to mention of Certificates of Merit, Certificate of Participation and other presentation materials such as the web site you are on now. You can reach STC at their office in New Westminster BC at 239 Sixth Street or by calling 604.521.6677.
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ISSUE EIGHT: December 1st, 2015 ‘ Fun For The Holidays’
Hazmat Ulep from Youtube, and his hip hop friends have put together a super Christmas routine choreographed to the tradition holiday tune: 12 Days of Christmas. The SFD thought this fun approach to the holidays was just the thing dancers would enjoy watching.
Enjoy – and o ya – MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!
(ED NOTE: Be Patient…this clip starts out with the rehearsal…the real dance begins after a few minutes….)
Issue Seven: September 29, 2015 ‘Dance Money Available For Professionals’
Courtesy of: FUSED artist Alain Buffard at On the Boards, Seattle, WA | Photo: Marc Domage
CLICK LINK TO ACCESS CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS GRANT PROGRAMS
Even though the SFD awarded accomplished amateur dancers with over $60,000 in scholarships and bursaries, professional dancers – many who own dance studios – also can use an influx of dollars to maintain their demanding careers. If you are a dance pro and required additional funding for a particular work or piece, then please review the information after clicking on the link above. It will take you to a list of grants available through the Canadian Council for the Arts which you can review in detail and apply.
Issue Six: August 18, 2015 2016 SYLLABUS AVAILABLE
The SFD is pleased to announce that the 2016 Syllabus is now available on line. Please visit our MENU BAR > COMPETITION > Surrey Festival of Dance > Surrey Festeival of Dance 2016 >
SFD 2016: Syllabus
or
obtain it by clicking on the link below
SFD 2016 Syllabus
Issue Five: June 25, 2015 EVENT DATES ANNOUNCED
Issue Four: May 29, 2015 WINNERS!
The SFD would like to congratulate the following winners for completing and submitting the
2015 WORD SEARCH PUZZLE CONTEST. Thank you to all those who participated again this year and a special thank you to THE SURREY LEADER for their generous sponsorship.
Issue Four: April 13, 2015 INSPIRATION
During the Surrey Festival of Dance we look for signs of inspiration which serves to confirm to dancers that adversity can be over come by the purity of dance and beleif in yourself. Today, we encourage you to watch this beautiful example of both…a duet by ‘Noah & Sharna’ from week four of ‘Dancing With The Stars’. Nothing more needs to be said except ‘when you are feeling overwhelmed by dance – remember Noah’. ENJOY!
Issue Three: March 19th, 2015
SURREY FESTIVAL of DANCE: 2015 Dates
Intermediate/Senior Tap & Stage March 26 – March 30
Junior Tap & Stage March 31 – April 2
Junior Jazz April 7 – April 10
Hip Hop/Street Dance April 10 – 12
Intermediate/Senior Jazz April 12 – 17
Intermediate/Senior Ballet April 17 – 20
International April 19
Junior Ballet April 20 – 22
Modern/Contemporary April 23 – 28
No Borders Gr. Dance Challenge & Honour Awards
May 9,2015
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IS VOLUNTEERING REALLY WORTH THE EFFORT? ACCORDING TO VOLUNTEER-EXTRAORDINAIRE DOREENE ROWE….IT IS AND THEN SOME !
A person would have to walk in my shoes to feel the pride that I have received from volunteering these last 49 years at the Surrey Festival of Dance. I do not regret one moment of the time I have given. I constantly tell everyone in Penticton about the festival, as if I won it. (Yes I drive down and stay in Surrey for a whole month.)
There are so many wonderful people in the world. I have had such pleasure in sharing so many of its days, that I feel I should borrow some extra hearts, as mine always wants to explode with all of the gratitude and happiness I witness.
When I watch all the beautiful dancers competing on stage, tears are hard to stop.
“Dancing With The Stars & So You Think You Can Dance” has nothing on the Surrey Festival of Dance, except “Age”.
I sincerely hope all volunteers feel as much contentment and happiness as I have throughout all these years.
A dream of seven ladies 49 years ago has definitely come true.
Doreene Rowe: Honourary Member of the Surrey Festival of Dance Society
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……………READ MORE ON DOREENE ROWE The Following is a story written on the 49th anniversasry of the Surrey Festival of Dance by writer BARB GOULD for the Arts Council of Surrey‘s newsmag ‘Spotlight on the Arts‘
Surrey Festival Celebrates 49th Year By Barbara Gould
Surrey Festival of Dance is a centennial project that began in 1966 at Doreene Rowe’s kitchen table in Cloverdale…
Doreene remembers like it was yesterday. “We were seven ‘dancing’ mothers with a vision. We wanted to encourage our kids’ performances by having them officially adjudicated. We decided to have our very own centennial project – we would hire an adjudicator, find some trophies, look for a hall, and hold a dance festival in Surrey – and that’s what we did.” The initial competition, with 455 entries, was held in the auditorium of Princess Margaret Secondary School. Local merchants donated 55 trophies.
Surrey Festival of Dance 2015 has grown into one of the largest dance festivals in North America. Close to 10,000 dancers will converge on Surrey Arts Centre from March 26th until April 29th. All ages and skill levels compete for over 600 trophies, hundreds of medallions, plus $60,000 in scholarships and bursaries.
The arts centre’s two stages will be filled from 9:30am to 9pm, with dancers competing in eight categories: Tap and Stage (March 26 – April 2); (no performances during Easter weekend); Jazz (April 7-17); Hip Hop/Jazz (April 11-12); Ballet (April 17-23); International (April 19); Modern/Contemporary (April 24-29). Adjudicators are respected professional dancers and teachers with extensive training and broad international experience. Their critiques and encouraging comments help raise the confidence and performance levels of each individual and group.
Doreene Rowe lives in Penticton now, but is still involved. “…I knew from day one that this is what I wanted to do with my life. This became my career and I have loved every single minute of it. After all these years I still have to fight back happy tears when I see the kids on stage.” Every year Doreene sets up her table in front of the main stage. She checks each adjudication sheet, records dancers’ marks, hand-writes the certificates, and checks every trophy to make sure it goes home with the correct person, as she always has.
This kind of dedication makes the Surrey Festival of Dance truly remarkable. The event is organized and operated by a small, hardworking board (current president is Eric Igglesden), a few key volunteers, and two part-time staffers. Doreene says, “The festival has become a smooth-running machine thanks to Carol Girardi and the other long-term, dedicated volunteers we have attracted over the years… some of them actually plan their vacations around the festival. Can you imagine that?”
If you haven’t attended the festival, this would be a good year to start. Tickets for all dance sessions are available at the stage doors for a toonie. That’s right, for two dollars you can enjoy a day of theatre and dance. It’s great family entertainment. Ask Doreene Rowe. [end]
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WHO SAID THAT HUMANS WERE THE ONLY LIFE FORMS MEANT TO DANCE!?
Think you will take a double take when you see the sheer beautiful of this dancing-dog as it dances for your pleasure. After watching thevideos, perhaps you will be of the opinion that the Surrey Festival of Dance should add in a new catagory: ANIMALS!
Enjoy DOGGY JAZZ
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WINNERS of NO BORDERS 2014
The following groups each won $500.00
Junior Ballet Grand Castilian Waltz – Flora Pigeau Dance
Junior Jazz CNC – Praise Team
Jr.Tap & Stage Naughty But Nice – Richmond Academy of Dance
International Elite Juniors- Bollywood Hungama
Inter. Ballet Danse Classique – Flora Pigeau Dance Academy
Inter. Jazz Raw -Fresh Groove Productions
Inter Tap & Stage Our Story – Project Dance
Senior Ballet Lint, Boo – Richmond Academy of Dance
Senior Jazz Skin Deep – Shift Dance Academy Ltd
Sr Tap & Stage Outside The Box – Richmond Academy of Dance
GRAND CHAMPION WINNERS
$1000.00 lst Place “Raw” – Fresh Groove Productions
$ 500.00 2nd place “CNC” – Praise Team
$ 250.00 3rd Place “Outside The Box” – Richmond Academy of Dance