Stars of Tomorrow celebrates a half century of talent
The free event was held in honour of Michelle Farmer's Studio of Dance and Modelling's 50th anniversary. Located in Ohsweken, it's one of the longest running First Nations-owned and operated talent studios in Canada, and for five decades now, Farmer has dedicated her time to empowering thousands of Indigenous youth through the art of dance, modelling and performing.
Hosted by Gary Farmer, Michelle's older brother and a well-known film and television actor, the evening featured a line-up of performances from several musicians as well as Nova Scotia born comedian, Janelle Niles.
In all, the night was stacked with 27 dance performances from Michelle's competitive teams as well as her recreational dancers. From jazz to tap, hip-hop and ballet, performers of all ages had the opportunity to show off their talent throughout the nearly four hour event.
While introducing the competitive mini team large jazz group, Gary noted that Michelle's students' hard work and dedication often pays off at competitions throughout the U.S.
'Michelle's got about 65 dancers in the whole school this season, and 30 of them are competitive dancers,' he said. 'That means they travel around North America to compete in various festivals and events, so that's quite an accomplishment.'
In between the dances, there were two modelling demonstrations and five different video presentations, as well as a vocal performance by Adalyn Miller. The nine-year-old junior singer delivered a rendition of 'Defying Gravity' from the hit Broadway musical Wicked.
Keeping with the broadway theme, the young musical theatre group performed 'Maybe' and 'It's the Hard-Knock Life' from the musical, Annie. As well, the adult jazz group later performed to 'Cell Block Tango' from Chicago.
Ange Hart and her aunts, Marcia Davis and Cynthia Monture, were just a few of the attendees there to support their loved ones and celebrate Michelle's 50th anniversary.
'We've been coming to this for 40 years now, so we're really glad to be here again,' said Davis.
'It's great, everyone is just killin' it out there,' added Hart. 'I'm really happy that I could come out and see my family dance.
During intermission, Gary sat down with Michelle for a short interview. The two discussed how she got her start in dancing and modelling, her journey to becoming a teacher and creating her own studio, her pursuits of a professional career in dance, as well as potential ambitions in regards to creating her own Broadway-style musicals.
Before resuming the showcase, Gary brought up Sherri-Lynn Hill, the 59th elected Chief for Six Nations of the Grand River, as well as Councillor Greg Frazer, to say a few words.
'We're here today and I'm just amazed at the quality of the production; I can just see the dedication and how much work and effort has gone into putting on a production like this,' said Frazer. 'I really commend you Michelle on all that you've done for our community. It's amazing that we can keep our young children active, interested and dedicated. …On behalf of the Six Nations Council and the Chief, we'd like to give Michelle a little plaque of excellence for the 50 years that she's put this on.'
Six Nations of the Grand River musicians, Derek Miller and Lacey Hill, also performed during the show. The two sang several original songs including 'Colorado Springs,' 'Delphine' and 'Can't Get You Out of My Head.'
As well, Six Nations singer-songwriter, James Wilson, also performed for the crowd. The 28-year-old sang his original song, 'Good Life,' along with a cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' and The Animals, 'House of the Rising Sun.'
Kimberly De Jong's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at
kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca
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