Our St. Joseph’s Dance program has had an amazing year. We had a total of 90 dancers enrolled in our Primary Irish, Junior Irish, Senior Irish and Jazz Dance programs. For the first time in several years the Junior and Senior Irish Dancers performed in the middle of April at the Ethnic Section of the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival. The Junior group performed a three-hundred-year-old Irish Ceili dance called “Sweets of May” and the Senior group combined two different three-hundred-year-old Irish Ceilis in their dance called “Trip to the Cottage”. Both groups received excellent comments from the adjudicator and the Senior group was invited to perform “Trip to the Cottage” in the Ethnic Highlights Concert on May 8th, 2025. At the concert they were presented with “The Most Outstanding Group” award. It was quite an accomplishment given the number of entries in the Ethnic portion of the festival.
At the end of April, the Primary Irish, Junior Irish, Senior Irish, and the Jazz Dancers all performed in the School Dance Section of the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival along with our Musical Theatre Group which is run by Mrs. Adrienne Grange. The Primary group performed their dance called “Irish Charms”, the Junior group performed “Irish Joy”, and the Senior group performed “Irish Dreams”. All the Irish dances included variations of three-hundred-year-old Irish Ceilis combined with intricate solo steps. The Jazz Dancers performed their dance “Emergency” and Mrs. Grange’s Musical Theatre group performed “Spread the Love Around” from the “Sister Act II” play they performed at our school just before spring break. Everyone did an amazing job and received excellent comments from the adjudicator for their performances.
We were thrilled when the Junior and Senior Irish Dancers, the Jazz Dancers, and the Musical Theatre group were all acknowledged for their performances by bringing the “Intermediate Shield” back to our school this year. Mrs. Grange’s Musical Theatre group was asked to represent our school and perform their song, “Spread the Love Around” in the School Dance Highlights Concert on May 12th, 2025. It is a great honour to be chosen to perform in the Highlights Concert as out of approximately two hundred dances that the adjudicator sees in a three-day period, only thirty to thirty-three are chosen to perform in the concert.
We wish our graduating Grade 7 students all the best as they move on to high school; some of whom have danced with the program since Grade 1.
Much love,
Mrs. Higgins
