Dance Images by BJ is entering into its 30th season this September, and owner Barb Jackman is ready for another great year at the studio.
With pre-registration for previous dancers already underway, Dance Images is excited to see some new faces join the family when fall registration opens from Aug. 27-29.
Jackman has been a part of the dance community in Moose Jaw for much longer than 30 years, having taken her training here. She also began teaching at Silver Stars Dance Club before investing in her own studio on South Hill.
Since purchasing the building in 1989, Jackman and her loyal team have expanded and renovated to house three studio spaces in the building, all of which have a class running at all times.
The studio offers full-season programs in ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, hip-hop, acro, and lyrical dance, with classes running from September until May. Dance Images also offers sessional programs, which run for about 10 weeks at a time, as well as adult classes in dance and yoga.
Each member of the Dance Images staff was a previous student of Jackman’s, or at least has dance ties to Moose Jaw somehow, which is a heartwarming cycle for Jackman who is from Moose Jaw herself.
“All of our staff is just as passionate as I am. We all kind of have the dance bug,” said Jackman. “When you love something, people kind of see that and they feel that, and it kind of makes it exciting to come every week.”
The new generation of dancers are now coming from a Dance Images legacy, with parents who trained at the studio now bringing their kids to learn from Jackman as well.
“It's like a culture. We're kind of a family,” said Jackman. “We're so connected here, there's so much human contact here.”
Over the last 30 years, Jackman hasn’t lost her dedication to dance or the joy she gets from being a role model to her students.
“For me, it's always just been that I just love dancing. I love teaching dancing and I love working with kids, and that's really always been the driving force,” said Jackman. “It's a huge responsibility and I've always taken that really seriously, the influence that I've had on kids.”
Jackman sees dance as a positive way to teach skills that are useful in all aspects of life: dedication, hard work, determination, and how to handle disappointment.
“We just try to nurture the good people in them, teach them those qualities for them to be successful,” said Jackman. “They learn how to work hard and sometimes, you still don't get what you want. . . There's no instant gratification.”
“We can offer [support to] a dancer who wants to become very competitive, maybe move on to have a professional career,” added Jackman. “Or if your child just wants to come and not be under too much pressure, we can do that too.”
Dance Images has some exciting things planned to commemorate their milestone 30th season, yet to be announced.
Registration for the upcoming season, which begins on Sept. 6, can be done online or by stopping at Dance Images by BJ when the office is open on Thursday afternoons. Call (306) 631-0584 for more information.
