Charlene Bosiak, right, has been instructing dance in La Ronge for more than a decade. (submitted photo/Tim Motley)

By Derek Cornet

new group

Dance club forms to offer new opportunities in tri-communities

Feb 10, 2021 | 1:02 PM

As soon as professional dancer Charlene Bosiak put a call out for board members recently to create a new club, she said more than one dozen residents came forward willing to join her.

“I was blown away by so much interest,” Bosiak, who has taught dance in the tri-communities for close to 15 years, said. “The majority don’t have a background in dance, so they don’t know where to begin or don’t know where to start. I thought I would be that bridge. People here want it and people down South want to come up here.”

Bosiak explained there has always been an interest by local residents to learn dance, noting she spent many years conducting workshops in the schools. Even though there were people eager to learn, she said when dancing opportunities were available, people would get a small taste of what it’s about and then it would end.

In previous years, Bosiak noted guest instructors frequently made positive comments about participants and expressed a desire to return. By starting a group solely dedicated to dance, she hopes it can mature to offer one lesson per week for an entire year or the same level of service available in a city.

“The children can’t go advanced or pro if we just have a workshop here and there,” Bosiak said. “We need regular, ongoing, good quality, top-notch instruction.”

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Bosiak mentioned there has been interest so far by residents from Air Ronge, La Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. So far, 42 people are on a waiting list and another 20 parents expressed a willingness to volunteer for the club. Bosiak envisions classes will begin at the age of three and up to adults if there is enough interest.

The dance group is formally in a formational phase and Bosiak said it will become either a non-profit or charity in the near future. She would like classes to hopefully begin this fall and noted a survey has already revealed residents want to learn ballet, hip hop, and Indigenous dances.

“The majority of the kids in La Ronge are beginner dancers, so I don’t think video instruction is the way to go,” she said. “We’re going to wait for the COVID restrictions to lift, so that the instructors can come here, stay the night and actually give real … lessons hands-on.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the club can visit its Facebook page here.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno