West Vancouver ballet dancers will be pirouetting together at the Key Meek Arts Centre in December to raise funds for the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.
Nearly 40 dancers from West Vancouver ballet company Pro Dance will perform the retelling of Sleeping Beauty. But this is more than a typical romantic show of a fairy casting a sleeping spell on a princess, it’s also a celebration of giving back to the community.
“Lions Gate is the only big hospital who serves North and West Vancouver,” said Ciprian Stãnulescu, artistic director of the Sleeping Beauty production. “This is a good place where we can donate. The hospital [serves] everyone year-round.”
The BC United for Art Society, a non-profit that aims to foster artistic potential across Canada, is organizing the charity ballet show. Stãnulescu is the director of the non-profit and began the Sleeping Beauty production in 2023.
Stãnulescu said he chose Sleeping Beauty as it carries more solos, letting dancers show off their talent, the music and something different other than The Nutcracker.
“The main thing was music and the story, which is a very known and to be something else other than Nutcracker. Because [there is] too much Nutcracker, and I think Vancouver is missing very much art,”Stãnulescu said.
Last year, the charity ballet raised $5,827 for the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, and are hoping to raise a similar amount this time.
Stãnulescu is a world-renowned ballet master, winning multiple gold and silver medals at national and international professional competitions. Originally from Bucharest, Romania, he began training at age 10, attending the State Ballet Academy of Bucharest.
The Sleeping Beauty ballet dancers range in age and experience, Stãnulescu said, showcasing local talent for a good cause and allowing them to practice performing in front of an audience.
Some dancers are as young as six years old, while others are learning to dance on point shoes at 30.
“For us it’s a big happiness,” he said. “We try to do this to serve the community.”
Sleeping Beauty will take place at The Grosvenor Theatre in the Kay Meek Arts Centre on Dec. 14 at 5 p.m. Visit the Kay Meek Arts Centre’s website for more information.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative. [email protected]
