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Ponoka dancers among opening ceremonies crew

The dancers are among dozens who will help kick-off the 2019 Canada Winter Games
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Four Ponoka dancers from Got 2 Dance Productions will be taking part in the 2019 Canada Winter Games opening ceremonies in Red Deer set for Feb. 15. Pictured (l-r) are: Anna MacLaren, Kendra Feragen, Shayla Gratrix and Cadence McBride. Photo by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye

Four Ponoka dancers with Got 2 Dance Productions are taking part in the 2019 Canada Winter Games opening ceremonies.

Dancers Cadence McBride (Grade 8), Anna MacLaren (Grade 10), Kendra Feragen (Grade 8) and Shayla Gratrix (Grade 8) were among five Ponoka dancers who took part in auditions some time ago at Red Deer College. There were hundreds of young dancers who took in the auditions.

The entire opening ceremonies production will feature about 150 dancers in different groups and formations.

Rehearsing is a regular occurrence with the dancers practising on their own and then coming in to Red Deer to practice with the full group. The routine is under wraps until the big opening night.

For McBride, the experience has been a good one. “The teachers are always encouraging you.”

She has been dancing for the last 10 years.

Read More: Ponoka hosting Winter Games torch relay

“I think it’s a really cool experience,” offered MacLaren, who has been dancing for 13 years. “Not only am I meeting new people but there are a lot of kids from studios that we’ve competed with that I get to reunite with.”

“Just getting accepted to be a part of it was super exciting for me,” she added.

Feragen, who has been dancing for the last 11 years, said the audition process involved learning a new dance and being set up with a group of dancers. They were given about one hour to learn the moves.

“When I got it (picked) I was ecstatic,” said Feragen.

Gratrix, who has been with Got 2 Dance for the last five or six years, looks forward to being part of the whole Winter Games experience. Plus, “…learning new things is an accomplishment when you do it.”

Dance instructors Gjenna Saretsky and Anne-Alisa Wiancko are proud of the dancers and for the opportunity.

“It’s not often something like this comes around so close to our community,” said Wiancko.

Saretsky added that she is proud they even took part in the audition process. “That can be a nerve-wracking process,” said Saretsky.

“We’re proud of them just for going because there were a lot of kids there.”



jeff.heyden-kaye@ponokanews.com

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Dancers with Got 2 Dance Productions will be part of the 2019 Canada Winter Games opening ceremonies set for Feb. 15. Pictured (l-r) are: Kendra Feragen, Anna MacLaren, Shayla Gratrix and Cadence McBride. Photos by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye