Kitimat: One month after “Light and Metal”

This just in from Anna-Marie Carstens, Dance Outreach Coordinator in Kitimat

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On October 30th, Tara Cheyenne-Friedenberg and MovEnt brought “Light and Metal” to Kitimat. The town was still reeling from the shock announcement on October 28th that Eurocan, one of the two major employers in town, would be shutting down permanently on January 31st, 2010. That would leave 535 people in a town of 8500 out of work. On October 29th, the Mount Elizabeth Secondary School was closed due to a serious outbreak of the H1N1 virus. As a result, the planned “Light and Metal” open rehearsal school show could not take place. Things could hardly get worse! Michael Jeffery, our Presenter, and I were worried that this would affect attendance on October 30th.

In the end, 108 people came to see the show. Tara had us mesmerized with “bANGER” and Day, Amber and Meredith danced their hearts out in “SURGE”. The audience was somewhat quieter than usual, no doubt due to the somber atmosphere in town. A good number of audience members stayed behind for the informal post-show chat with the dancers. After the chat, the dancers were whisked off to Doug and Linda Thomson’s home for a post-show reception, hosted by the Kitimat Concert Association. This is a Kitimat tradition and it is a great opportunity for performers and KCA members to relax, talk about the show, etc.

I spoke to several audience members after the show and the response to “Light and Metal” was overwhelmingly positive. This is an excerpt from an email I received after the show: I also wanted to let you know that my friend & I both really enjoyed the dance performance. After speaking to you about the first act we truly enjoyed the energy and talent of the second group as well. Thank you for your continued efforts both in dance classes and in promoting the modern dance acts in Kitimat. I certainly appreciate and enjoy those evenings

Made in BC – Dance on Tour is very, very important to us in northern BC. Without the program, we would never be able to see shows like “Light and Metal” in Kitimat. It gives us the opportunity to talk about contemporary dance and to introduce more and more people to this art form. Maybe seeing a show will even inspire a young dancer from Kitimat to consider a dance career.

Thank you, Made in BC and thank you Tara, Day, Amber and Meredith. We were honoured to have dancers of your calibre grace the stage of the Mount Elizabeth Theatre with your presence. You are welcome back anytime!

Footnote: One month after the announcement from Eurocan, the mood in town is optimistic. There is talk of new economic developments and there is a possibility that the mill will be sold rather than shut down completely. We’ll keep you posted!