Bonnyville dancers to compete in Prague at major int’l event

Left to right: Madyson Foisy, Rhyse Regnier, and Bryce Prescott.

It’s the second largest international dance competition outside of the Olympics, and three Bonnyville dancers will get the opportunity of a lifetime.

The Dance World Cup is being held in Prague, Czechia, and for ten days, Rhyse Regnier, Bryce Prescott, and Madyson Foisy from Fame Dance Studios will take as many as 100 competitors in their categories. 

“It works pretty much the same as the Olympics. You all just try and gain points by getting gold, silver, or bronze and gaining points for Canada so that ultimately Canada can win,” said Regnier, the oldest of the three competing. 

These dancers have to earn their way to this competition.

Through an invitation, Regnier, Prescott, and Foisy each won a high score Award Scholarship last season at a competition called Standing Ovation.

“I got invited two years ago for children hip hop, but there wasn’t a team in Canada yet, or in Alberta. So they moved it to two years to this year. Now I got invited for this year,” said Foisy, who is competing in Junior Jazz, Senior Jazz, Junior hip hop, Junior Content and Junior Lyrical. 

Regnier was selected in Junior Lyrical, as well as Children Jazz, Children Trio, Children Contemporary. 

“We had to go to an audition before, so the choreographers could see us,” said Regnier. “And then I was able to do another jazz group. And then a lyrical group and then first rehearsal we did I got chosen to do a trio.” 

Fame Dance Studios keeps busy for 10 months of the year with their programming, but some even do optional training and events.

Owner Sarah C.R. Makins said this opportunity is a credit to the work they’ve done to train to get to this level. She’s proud to see them get such recognition.

“I’ve been teaching for 33 years now. There are different ways that I can tell that, I guess we’re doing something right, and this is a very large way to show that, being picked out of thousands of dancers. We have 14 young ladies in our professional program, in our highest level, and to have four of the 14 actually gets selected is just kind of amazing, to be honest and stay humble,” she said.

The girls have been practicing at home their routines for the upcoming competition.

They’ll leave to Toronto, along with another Fame dancer from the Lloydminster studio in Evalyn Dyck, then join their Canadian contingent halfway across the globe. 

Each girl sang praise for their coaches and their parents to get to this point. The opening ceremonies kick off Friday, June 28.

Makins message remains the same, that you always stay grateful to compete.

“It’s just a pleasure to be there, and if we get into the finals of events, it’s just an honor. That’s it. Rveryone’s good at this level, right? Treat it as a performance and a great experience. And after that, it just doesn’t matter.”