Bradford’s Elite Dance Corps celebrated its dancers by putting on a costume parade in the studio’s parking lot on Saturday.
Dancers paraded around the building clapping to music as parents took pictures and videos of their adorable costumes – many of them custom-made.
Dancers came prepared with hair and make-up done to dazzle friends and family.
Owner Tania Ferriera hired local artist Jen Feeney Events to create a beautiful balloon arch backdrop, while an Instaselfiebooth provided the dancers with a photobooth inside the studio to capture their costumes and smiles for a contactless experience.
“I wanted to find a way to show off the dancers in their costumes since COVID had cancelled all our recitals and events,” said Ferriera.
Ferriera’s dancers usually perform on stage during Canada Day and at Carrot Fest every year. But when the town cancelled all events, the students lost their opportunities to show off their costumes and dance moves.
“I was devastated,” said Ferriera. “We’ve only been in our new location for two years. I was worried I might have to close.”
Like many businesses in Bradford, Ferriera jumped into action and acquired personal protective equipment and marked the floors safely with directional arrows in preparation for the dancers' photoshoot.
Local business Times Design created custom T-shirts branding the phrase “Social-Dis-DANCE-ing” with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of T-shirts currently being donated to Canadahelps.org.
“We’re hoping to be able to open the studio back up for lessons in August or September,” said Ferriera. “We will have a limited number of dancers allowed in the studio at one time and everyone will be six-feet apart.”
Elite Dance Corps is entering into its 20th year of business and currently offers virtual dance camps for students.
“It’s been a lot of work trying to get organized with COVID,” said Ferriera. “But we’re really looking forward to opening back up (hopefully) soon!”
For more information about Elite Dance Corps, visit www.elitedancecorps.com
