After its cancellation last year during the early stages of the pandemic, a creative approach allowed for the District’s annual Burnaby Festival of Dance to go on this month.
This year’s show is presented in the form of a two-hour virtual and recorded compilation. Madeline de Shield is a dance teacher at Moscrop Secondary and the Interim Chair of the Burnaby Festival of Dance Committee:
Elementary and secondary teachers submitted videos of their students performing a dance, so that we can stay safe but still share our love of dance with each other.”
A tradition since 1980, the Burnaby Festival of Dance brings together students of all ages. It was created to provide a non-competitive forum for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 to perform and share their dances with peers, parents, and friends. Over the years, the festival grew to showcase approximately 45 dances over three nights of performances, traditionally held at Burnaby Mountain Secondary. About 1000 students participate each year.
In pulling together this year’s virtual performances, students learning at home used their video chat software to dance in unison. Byrne Creek students performed outside with their pride crosswalk and the entrance of the school as their backdrop. Others wore their masks and danced in the classroom, or on school stages.
Watch a two-minute video of some of the highlights here.
Watch the entire Burnaby Festival of Dance here (requires Burnaby Schools student or staff account to view) featuring performances from:
Alpha
Buckingham
Burnaby At Home Learning
Burnaby Central
Burnaby Mountain
Burnaby North
Burnaby South
Byrne Creek
Cariboo Hill
Forest Grove
Morley
Moscrop
Parkcrest
Stoney Creek
Taylor Park
Posted May 2021