Moose Jaw Festival of Dance presents Dance Inspirations.

Today would have been Day 1 of Dance Inspirations 2020, our 61st Moose Jaw Dance Festival. We would love to be watching so much beautiful talent cross our stage this week, but we know next year at this time our stage will be shining with so many beautiful dancers! This is very hard on all of us to miss the most exciting time of the year but we can choose to fill our hearts up by remembering all the fun times and memories at last years Festival. As one dance teacher said dan...ce hasnt been taken away from us....so find a spot this weekend and DANCE! Put your costumes on and send your pictures to us. We would love to see you! Stay safe, keep dancing & enjoy the sunshine! See you in 2021! XOX Moose Jaw Festival Of Dance Committee

Dear Dancers, The other day we announced our difficult decision to cancel our 61st Moose Jaw Dance Festival. It truly broke all our hearts as we wanted nothing more than to have you attend our competition and DANCE on our stage. We do want to remind everyone to please support your Dance Studios right now. Take those online classes they are offering, jump on the video chats with your teachers, remembering to stretch regularly and rehearse your routines. Stay c...onnected with your team! Remember we all need our dance studios to be there when this is all over. Your dance teachers are working harder than ever right now and they miss you all so much. This situation is only temporary and we will get through this together. To all the graduating dancers.we all know how special your senior year is and how many years of hard work and dedication you have put in dancing. Thank you for sharing your talent on our stage with us in the past and we wanted nothing more than to have you on our stage for your last dance. We are truly sorry this happened! However, cherish all your dance memories and remember your dance studio has made you the dancer you are today! Dancers & families.stay safe, stay strong, stay positive! We will see you DANCE in 2021. XOX Moose Jaw Festival of Dance Committee

With many schools and dance studios closed across the country at this time keeping up on your training is so important! Heres a great selection of online dance classes. Keep on dancing!

So many strong women in the dance community. Happy International Womens Day!

Lets Lift Each Other Up....always be kind

Announcing our final adjudicator for Dance Inspirations 2020!Welcome Pamela Yasutake! Pamela Yasutake is a Seattle Native Performer, Choreographer and Instructor. Widely known as a member of the hit Female Tap Sensations, Syncopated Ladies, Pamela has wooed audiences around the world performing live in sold-out concerts and in viral videos accumulating over 50 million views online. In 2016, Pamela made her Broadway debut in the original cast of "Shuffle Along, Or , The Mak...ing of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed". Directed by George C. Wolfe and choreographed by Savion Glover, the critically acclaimed production received ten 2016 Tony Award Nominations including Best Musical. Pamelas television credits include The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS), The 70th Annual Tony Awards (CBS), Maya & Marty (NBC), So You Think You Can Dance (FOX) and Good Morning America (ABC). In her hometown of Seattle, Pamela has performed and choreographed for Seattle Theatre Groups production of Dance This, eight seasons of the Black Nativity Play of Seattle in which she performed the lead dancer role of Mary for two consecutive seasons, and various appearances and performances with Northwest Tap Connection. Pamela also continues to be a sought after faculty member on countless Tap festivals and dance convention. Coming up in Fall 2020, Pamela will be touring with Syncopated Ladies: Live across 30+ cities, produced by Columbia Artists. For more info: www.pamelayasutake.com

Dance is hard work, and the best dancers make it look so easy!

Introducing our second adjudicator for 2020! Jaime Vargas! Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Jaime Vargas began his dance training when he was 14 years old, at the Centro de Arte y Ballet in his hometown. He graduated with a RAD designation with honors and received the prestigious Solo Seal. Vargas also studied at the London Studio Centre in London, England, as well as the Australian Ballet School where he graduated from his classical ballet studies.... Vargas received countless scholarships and grants that gave him the opportunity to travel the world and continue his studies. He made his professional debut in 1989 with the Compania Nacional de Danza in Mexico City and has since performed with many companies. As a dancer, Vargas has competed internationally and has won several awards, including the Silver Medal during the Fifth International Dance Festival in Paris, France (1992). He has been praised for his contribution to the Arts by international critics as well as the Mexican Government. One of Vargas most significant milestones was organizing, along with Danza Sin Fronteras and INBA, a shared performance between the RWB and Compaia Nacional de Danza de Mexico, held in Mexico City in the prestigious Palacio de Bellas Artes. At the same time he began studying dance in Mexico Vargas began his teaching career, as older students were responsible in teaching the younger dancers. During his time with Mexicos National Company, Vargas ran rehearsals and worked with soloists. Vargas joined the RWB as a Principal dancer in July of 2004. During his time with the RWB, Vargas danced many leading roles including Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Captain Hook in Jorden Morris Peter Pan and the title role in Mark Goddens Dracula. Vargas retired from the RWB Company in 2011 and joined the Artistic Staff as Ballet Master. In 2012, Vargas added Community Outreach Coordinator to his title and has worked to create outreach programming which he has delivered successfully in Winnipeg and across Canada.

Adjudicator Alumni!! Yay Cartier!! https://www.vogue.fr//cartier-williams-tap-dancer-off-whit

Our first adjudicator announcement of 2020!! Bree Wasylenko! Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Bree started training as a dancer at the age of 3. Years of competitive dancing led her to move to Toronto after high school to pursue a career as a professional dancer. She experienced immense success, performing in a multitude of live shows as well as numerous films and television shows. In 2010, Bree was selected as one of the Top 20 in Season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance C...anada. Eventually Bree transitioned into choreography, working with artists such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Sam Smith, Serena Ryder, Shad, and many more. She has also choreographed for brands such as Calvin Klein, Telus, CIBC, Pepperidge Farms, and the Canadian Country Music Awards, on top of co-creating, co-choreographing and co-directing the short film Ruin". As well, Bree is the Director of Pure Dance Convention, which travels across Canada hosting dance conventions every fall. All of Brees experiences in front of and behind the camera fuelled her passion for this industry, and she began exploring the world of acting. Very quickly after, her two worlds collided and she booked her first acting role as "Kate", a lead in Family Channels hit TV show "The Next Step". Since then she has had roles on Star Trek, "Reign", "Murdoch Mysteries", "The Beaverton", Alive, short film Alone and feature film "Kin". Bree is looking forward to continued growth and success in this industry, and excited for the next project! See more

Watch for our first adjudicator announcement coming later this week!!Watch for our first adjudicator announcement coming later this week!!

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas, enjoy some time with those you love

Still time to register! We are looking forward to seeing so many new and returning dancers this year! Head to www.danceinspirations.ca for all competition information.

Looking for a new competition to attend in 2020? Look no further, registration is now open for Dance Inspirations! Organized by the Moose Jaw Festival of Dance since 1959, Dance Inspirations is one of the few 100% volunteer-run dance competitions left in Canada. We are truly a hidden gem in the world of dance competitions. Here is what you can look forward to at Dance Inspirations: Over $30,000 awarded in scholarships and cash prizes... Industry professional adjudicators each judging categories that match their training and expertise (Adjudicators for 2020 will be announced very soon!) Video adjudications for all routines, all videos are high quality On-stage adjudications following each session Dance Challenge, held at the end of competition, features top scoring groups from each studio a chance to compete for large cash prizes Professional photographer and videographer on site (videos will only be available for sale with studio permission) Low entry fees Held in the beautiful, newly renovated, Centennial Auditorium near historic Downtown Moose Jaw Be part of a legacy 61 years strong Visit our website danceinspirations.ca for all competition information and to register! Registration closes January 15 or when capacity is reached.

Its time! Registration is open for Dance Inspirations 2020! Visit www.danceinspirations.ca for more information and to register. We cant wait to see you!

Registration opens in one week! Come celebrate 61 years of amazing dancing with us! Registration is open December 1 - January 15 or until capacity is reache...d. Visit our website www.danceinspirations.ca for our 2020 Syllabus and registration information. We look forward to seeing you in 2020!

Its almost time to register! Our newly updated Syllabus has been sent to studios and is also available on our website. Registration opens December 1 until January 15 or until capacity is reached!

Adjudicator selection is underway and WOW there are some amazing resumes in front of us

Were gearing up for our 61st Festival! Our 2019 AGM will be held September 19 at 6:30 at the Comfort Inn.Were gearing up for our 61st Festival! Our 2019 AGM will be held September 19 at 6:30 at the Comfort Inn.

Our new and improved website is now live!! Keep watching for updates as we prepare for Dance Inspirations 2020! We also have a new Instagram account, follow us at mjdancefest! https://www.danceinspirations.ca

Our new website will be ready to launch very soon! Remember to send us your testimonials!

Calling all dancers, parents, teachers, adjudicators...past and present! If you have been involved with Dance Inspirations or the Moose Jaw Festival of Dance in any way over the last 60 years, we want to hear from you!! The new website is coming along nicely and we would love to add some testimonials to our home page. If you have a testimonial you would like to add, please use the contact form on our website, message the Facebook page, or email [email protected] or [email protected] forget to add your name! Also, if you have any old newspaper articles, photos, or any memories or stories about the MJFD you would like to share with us please send those as well. The new website will include a history page and we would love to include any special memories you might have! We look forward to hearing from you!

Summer is officially here and for us that means its time to re-charge and get ready for our next year of planning Dance Inspirations. If you visit our website over the next few weeks, you will see this page. No need to panic, we are working on updating our website for the new year! In the meantime if you need any information, please use the Contact Us form on the website, message our page, or email us at [email protected]. We are looking forward to celebrating 61 years with you!

A couple more articles from Moose Jaw Today.... https://www.moosejawtoday.com//festival-of-dance-hitting-t https://www.moosejawtoday.com//dance-festival-continues-ki

Heres an article about our 60th Festival in this weeks Moose Jaw Express, page 11. Thank you Moose Jaw Express and Moose Jaw Today for the coverage of our event! https://issuu.com/moosejawex//mj20190515_ae697d08ef46fe/11

The full list of 2019 Scholarship & Award winners is now posted on our website. https://www.danceinspirations.ca/awards

Centennial Auditorium is the only facility in Moose Jaw large enough to accommodate our event. We are looking forward to these renovations and cant wait to be sitting in NEW SEATS next year!

Senior Honourable Mention Mess Around, Joys Dance Factory

Senior 1st Place Let The Games Begin - Doris Sitter School of Dance

2019 Dance Challenge results Junior 1st - Replay, Sitter School of Dance 2nd - Maple Leaf Rag, Joys Dance Factory... 3rd - Vive Le Swing, Sitter School of Dance Honourable Mention - Comin In Hot, VanDance Studio Senior 1st - Let The Games Begin, Doris Sitter School of Dance 2nd - Something Bad, Joys Dance Factory 3rd - I, A Child, Joys Dance Factory Honourable Mention - Mess Around, Joys Dance Factory

Its hard to believe how quickly Dance Inspirations 2019 has come and gone! Here are photos from various adjudications Friday/Saturday that some of our committee members were able to get. We will post the Dance Challenge winners right away. Dance Challenge photos and our Awards & Scholarship list will be posted sometime this week.... Looking forward to seeing all of you again May 6 - 10, 2020 for our 61st year!