FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2003

Kick up your heels for Celebration of Dance
Tune in your ears and kick up your heels for the 12th annual Celebration of Dance. Over 6,500 Grade 1 to 8 students in the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board will jive, jitter, cha cha and line dance their way through 12 funky, upbeat dances.

“Celebration of Dance began 12 years ago with 300 students. It has grown tremendously, and we are excited to see the students involved in such a healthy physical activity. Their enthusiasm and laughter are contagious,” remarks the event’s co-ordinator, Marg Thompson.

The Belleville Fairgrounds will be alive with activity on Wednesday, April 30th from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. as students from Prince Edward County through to Bancroft strut their stuff. Four new dances have been added to this year’s line-up:
1) “Complicated,” by Napanee’s Juno Award winner Avril Lavinge; 2) “Up,” by Juno Award winner Shania Twain; 3) “River of Life” by Tyendinaga Territory’s Broken Walls; and 4) “The Ketchup Song” by Las Ketchup.

This year’s line-up of dances includes:

Celebration of Dance continues to be a way of promoting a healthy, active lifestyle through daily physical activity. In some schools, dances are rehearsed as part of the health and physical education or drama and dance programs. In others, dances are learned through extra-curricular programs offered during lunch or after school.

“We encourage schools to add their own variations to the dances,” says Thompson. “Costumes, painted faces, props and hand jives add colour and action to each group, and bring children’s imaginations to the dances,” she adds.

Formerly held at Centennial Secondary School, the Quinte Sport Centre and Mary-Anne Sills field, the growing numbers have necessitated the move to the Belleville Fairgrounds for the last three years.

Family, friends and members of the community are invited to come out and watch—even get in on the action.

“It’s pretty awesome to see 6,500 people dancing in unison,” remarks Thompson.

Also on April 30th, Earl Prentice Public School will host its own Celebration of Dance event at the school at 10:30. The entire school population participates and mirrors the Belleville event out on the school’s field. On Friday, May 2nd at 10:00 a.m. over 300 students from the northern part of the Board will gather at North Hastings High School for the 8th annual “Celebration of Dance - North.”

Music, physical activity, and the enthusiasm of youth and teachers will all come together to produce one of the biggest and healthiest events in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties this year.

For information contact:
Marg Thompson, Curriculum Coordinator, (613) 966-9491 x2308