For the second year in a row, the annual Dance for Hunger charity event has undergone some big changes but still successfully raised a large donation to help the local food bank address food security.
Dancers from Dance Images by BJ did what they could to keep the spirit of the annual event alive this year, despite the pandemic cancelling the usual live showcase the studio holds.
“One thing that remains important to us [as a studio] is giving back to the community, and it's such an important skill and lifestyle to teach our young dancers,” said assistant studio director Shauna Bzdel.
Instead of hosting the usual showcase at Peacock Auditorium to a live audience, the studio took a virtual route for the 2021 Dance For Hunger event and collected donations from students between April 12 and April 25.
Dancers took the stage at the Mae Wilson in full costume to film their performances, which will be later used in several virtual competitions that will be replacing the usual events during this year’s season.
“Filming took place over two days, [and] we brought the kids in their small groupings and videotaped their performances,” said Bzdel. “It definitely took a lot more planning [than usual] but adapting has been one of our greatest strengths this year and we thought it was really important they still had the opportunity for a virtual performance.”
Even with the new format, the studio was still able to deliver a hefty donation to the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank recently — so large it filled Bzdel’s vehicle.
She estimated that between this event and the previous donation campaign the studio ran during the winter holidays, Dance Images was able to provide close to the same-sized donation it usually does during a typical Dance for Hunger year.
“I think that’s pretty spectacular, just with our dancers bringing in donations,” said Bzdel.
The studio has been hosting Dance for Hunger for 15 years as both a charity event and a kick-off to the studio’s competition season, and Bdzel said it was nice to still be able to offer dancers something close to the usual show.
“We’ve been so lucky that we’ve had such amazing support all season long from our dance families and all our dancers, everybody’s been so dedicated,” said Bzdel. “It’s been really exciting and fulfilling that we’ve really been able to offer our dancers everything we would be able to give them in a regular season.”
