New dance skills on tap for Haida Gwaii kids

A dozen kids from Haida Gwaii took part in a week long dance camp, ending with a tap performance at the Howard Phillips Community Hall. (Archie Stocker Sr. / Haida Gwaii Observer)

(Archie Stocker Sr. / Haida Gwaii Observer)

For the first time ever the sounds of tap dancing filled the air of the Howard Phillips Community Hall on Friday.

12 kids from Haida Gwaii, ranging in ages from 8-11, took part in the performance. It came as the culmination of a week long program led by the Driftwood Dance Academy, who were up visiting from North Vancouver for the third year in a row.

Under the instruction of dance teacher Laura Killeen, the kids learned tap, lyrical dance and musical theatre skills, finishing off the week with a tap performance at Howard’s Hall.

The first year of Driftwood’s visit focused on ballet, while last year featured a Mary Poppins musical.