By Ian Holmes

Ballet show in Nanaimo to help local Syrian refugees

Jan 16, 2017 | 4:32 PM

NANAIMO — A ballet performance highlighting the struggle people in Syria are going through is coming to the harbour city.

A group of young female performers will hit the stage at Vancouver Island Univeristy’s Malaspina Theatre on Saturday (Jan. 21) in a fundraiser to support local Syrian refugees.

Nanaimo Contemporary Ballet owner Chantelle Norris says the aim is to help honour the inspiring and challenging journey of the Syrian people.

“We just want people to really feel in their seat, instead of wondering so much about what the choreography means, I think the movements really speak for themselves,” said Norris.

Norris says Saturday’s performance Endeavour is a collection of interpretive works of 13 dancers who are 12 to 16-years-old. She says the show kicks off with a vibrant pre-war Syria, then transitions to conflict and and concludes with an uncertain future.

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Norris explains where she got the idea for this kind of show, which she describes as a non-traditional contemporary ballet concept.

“Knowing how many Syrian newcomers we have in Canada and especially locally has inspired me,” she said. “Their journey has been absolutely incredible and they’ve gone through so much we can’t even begin to understand.”

Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society (CVIMS) refugee settlement coordinator Feras Saedam says events like the one Norris is putting together help generate valuable community conversations about refugees in Nanaimo. Saedam, who is from Palestine and arrived in Nanaimo two-and-a-half years ago with his young family, says a welcoming community is critical to any new arrival.

“It gives them more motivation to adapt here and they feel themselves welcomed here, that’s a big factor in adjusting here,” said Saedam.

135 primarily Syrian refugees have moved to Nanaimo between March of last year and the end of December, according to CVIMS acting executive director Kelly McBride. Most of the families are government assisted or blended (government and privately supported) refugees, according to McBride.

Partial proceeds from Endeavour will go to the CVIMS. There are two shows on Saturday — 2:00 p.m. And 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be bought at here or by calling Norris at 250-732-0150.