He’s got all the right moves, and he is trying to get more people involved in the world of dance.
Eddy Alvaro, a self-taught hip hop dancer, noticed there were little to no options in Regina for dancers outside of the traditional studio setting. And for adults, even fewer options when it comes to drop-in dance classes typically seen in other major cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.
“Growing up here, I pretty much taught myself how to dance, and in high school I was part of a B-Boy crew, breakdancing in the hallways of the malls and schools,” says Alvaro. “There was a bit of a vibe here where dancing with new friends was a bit more common. Not sure if in the recent years it fizzled out, but I wanted to bring that vibe back.”
And so he created the VIBES dance workshops — to give dancers the opportunity to try a variety of different dance styles, without having to commit to a weekly class.
“VIBES was created with the intention to grow the dance community here in Regina,” says Alvaro. “In other cities, there is such a vibrant dance community, and while I know that there are talented dancers in this city, it felt like we couldn’t all dance together, due to either being from different studios, or not being trained in a certain style.”
The first VIBES session was help on August 18, and after much success, a second workshop was held September 29, which offered lessons in contemporary, hip-hop and free-style dancing.
“The goal is to hold one or two of these workshops a month,” says Alvaro. “Dance has grown so much that I feel it’s becoming a mixed format, which is what we’re trying to do with this workshop. We want this to be a continuous experience open to all levels and even having a rotation of instructors, again diversifying the dance styles.”
The workshops are free and open to anyone aged 14 and up, and all skill levels. The next VIBES workshop will be held in early October.
