By Dominic Abassi

National TV appearance inspires next wave of Nanaimo dancers

Mar 8, 2019 | 2:37 PM

NANAIMO — The owner of a Nanaimo dance studio says she’s already seeing the inspirational impact on local kids after three of her students recently appeared on national TV.

Serra Stewart, owner of Vibrant Studios, said it’s hard to put into words the experience of watching children she’s seen grow up perform on NBC’s World of Dance. The show features performers from around the world competing for a $1-million grand prize.

Stewart said the local impact was tangible after just one episode.

“I can see it in the little kids in my studio. They will say ‘I want to be like Jacksun (Fryer).’ And I’m like ‘go for it, do it.’ It’s already happening. People are calling saying ‘I want to get my kid registered in dance.’”

Nanaimo’s Jacksun Fryer, 15, makes up half of the duo Funkanometry with 16-year-old Carlow Rush from Cowichan. Deeya Sharma, 12, is a member of the group Minibots.

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The three Vibe products represent the groundwork laid by Stewart and her entourage of teachers over the last decade.

Stewart said opportunities outside of classical ballet or jazz didn’t really exist in Nanaimo before she opened Vibe 13-years-ago.

“It’s a proud moment to see the growth of what’s happening here. It’s filtered across the whole island. I feel now we’re a force to be reckoned with and we’re this tiny little island. Quality teachers want to come over and work and you have these kids that are equally as hungry.”

On top of creating opportunities for kids looking to perform outside more traditional forms of dance, Stewart said the explosion of the local scene opened doors for young boys.

“There were no boys in studios. Now I have a studio with about 150 boys. It’s such a fantastic energy to have to be honest.

“It’s cool to see there’s another outlet that’s being supported, especially for boys. There’s a lot of boys that come in here that maybe failed at soccer or hockey. I see the parents are like ‘we don’t know what to do with this energy.’ Then you put music on, leave them in the room and it’s like ‘oh, there it is.’ And it is a sport, it is athletic.”

While Fryer and Rush may yet be too young to fully grasp what their success represents for both the past and future of the island’s dance scene, the teens know their appearance on national TV was life-altering.

“When it was on TV, it actually hit me. I was like ‘Dang, this is actually a real show.’ This is NBC, it’s crazy,” Fryer said.

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“It makes you realize you can take this as a career,” Rush said. “I remember growing up watching shows like this so it’s wild to see yourself on there.”

Fryer said one of the biggest reality checks was when the duo walked on stage to perform their qualifying routine and saw the judges for the first time.

“You’re already nervous before you go on stage and you walk out and you see JLO, Ne-Yo and Derek (Hough) and you’re like ‘Woah.’”

Rush, who began and still trains at Duncan’s Carlson’s School of Dance, said it was inspirational and motivating to get praise and feedback from the superstars.

For Sharma, whose largest audiences were typically seated in the modest Port Theatre, it wasn’t easy to watch herself on TV.

“It’s kind of weird. I didn’t really watch it because I was mostly crying because I was super stressed out about it. But you look at the TV and think ‘oh my god people all over the world are actually watching this right now,’” she said.

Though her group didn’t advance past the qualifying episode, Sharma said the experience was unforgettable.

“It gives me more motivation to take a step further in dancing, to keep on going.”

AJ Kambere, choreographer for Funkanometry and Minibots, said Nanaimo’s scene has world class potential.

“To me, I start saying ‘finally’ because I saw these kids eight-years-ago and I thought these kids are as good as the kids I’ve taught in L.A. and seen in New York and Paris and Asia. These kids just need exposure,” Kambere said.

“Finally, now people can see kids from Vancouver Island, which they probably can’t even point to on a map. There are kids out here in small town places that can rival the kids in big cities.”

Funkanometry advanced through the qualifying round and will next appear in the duel round as the show continues to air Sundays at 8 p.m.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi