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(Posted 7 a.m., May 2)
Local
dance studio celebrates 25 years of excellence with more
hardware
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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Leeming Danceworks students have won five
Candance indiviidual titles this year. They
include (front row l to r) Brianna Clarke
, Miss Teen Candance Montreal; Emma Bohn,
Miss Candance Ottawa; Noah Latreille, Mister
Junior Candance Montreal; (back row) Keanu
Uchida Mister Candance Ottawa; and Ashley
De Almeida Junior Miss Candance Montreal.
Fred Sherwin Photo
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It's
been 25 years since Sharon Leeming-Mann first opened her
dance studio in Orléans. During that span of time
the studio has grown, both in the number of students,
and in the number of awards and titles they've won.
With
every year that passes they seem to win even more hardware
than the year before. So far, this year has been no different.
At the recent Candance competition at the Nepean Sportsplex,
the studio's dancers won three indivdual titles, to go
along with the three individual titles they won in Montreal
the week before. They finished first and second in the
senior division Diamond Danceoff and they received the
highest score in senior solo, senior duet or trio, senior
small group, senior lrage group and senior line/extended
line.
In
fact, they received 28 Diamond Awards in total, which
is the highest award you can achieve at a Candance competition.
Two
weeks prior to the Candance event, the Leeming ensemble
ventured south of the border for the Hall of Fame Challenge
in Niagara Falls, N.Y. to see how they measured up against
some of the larger studios in the Toronto area and Western
New York.
Going
up against the bigger more prestigious studios for the
first time, the groups' expectations were fairly low key.
But then they surprised themselves by not only holding
their own, but winning several of the top awards including
the top two positions in the senior large group category
with the same two routines that would bring them so much
success in Ottawa two weeks later.
They
also placed second and third in the senior small group,
while Keanu Uchida and Brianna Clarke placed second and
third respectively in the senior solo division.
One
of the secrets to the studio's continued success, besides
Leeming-Mann's refusal to let the instructors or the students
rest on their laurels, is the fact that so many of their
graduates come back to pass along their expertise and
knowledge to the next generation of up and coming students.
Alumni
like Kevin Howe, who made it to the Top 16 of So You Think
You Can Dance Canada Season 4, and award-winning choreograher
Emma Portner, have allowed the studio to continue to raise
the bar when it comes to technique, consistency and quality.
In
that same vein, Leeming-Mann recently introduced a mentorship
program whereby the senior competitive dancers spend time
training and working on choreography with the junior students.
In that way, the senior dancers are playing a key role
in continuing the studio's legacy of excellence well into
the future.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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THE OTTAWA SCHOOL OF THEATRE presents an all ages production of Treasure Island in the Richcraft Theatre at the Shenkman Arts Centre. Showtimes Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets $20 for adults. Students and youth 25 and under $10. To purchase visit 
TAPROOM 260 presents Michael Ben-Shalom live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
TAPROOM 260 presents The Underground live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
CLASSIC PIANO RECITAL – Orléans pianist Emily Hou will be performing works by Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninov and Liszt at Kanata United Church as part os the Beaverbrook Community Concert Series. The recital will start promptly at 3 p.m. Kanata United Church is located at 33 Leacock Dr. in Kanata. For more information visit 
THE ORLÉANS BREWING CO. Trivia Night from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Call (613) 834-9005 to reserve your spot. The Orléans Brewing Co. is located at 4380 Innes Rd. near the Innes Road McDonalds.
