Newfoundland’s oldest not-for-profit dance company is having their Spring Showcase on Sunday, May 15th at the LSPU Hall.

Kittiwake Dance Theatre is not associated with any particular studio, so this is not just your average dance recital – it’s a spring spectacle not to miss featuring commissioned choreographic works from Montreal’s Janie Richard, Newfoundland’s famed Flamenco dancer Christina Penney, and KDT’s very own Artistic Director Martin Vallee, among other works.

“We are working to nurture the art of dance in our community,” says Marlayne Hardy. “Kittiwake Dance Theatre works with dancers from various studios in the region, to nurture the art of dance in our community.”

And they’ll be doing just that for the audience at the LSPU Hall on May 15th. Spectators should definitely be excited Kittiwake commissioned Janie Richard – she was almost literally “a born dancer,” having started at 3.

She received a professional training from age 12 at the École Supérieure de Ballet Contemporain in Montreal, where she has a complete training in classical ballet, contemporary dance, folklore, and in particular, contemporary dance. She has received the Andrea Boardman Award in 2000, and the Ballets Jazz de Montreal scholarship in 2002.

She has worked with various international choreographers like Alejandro Alvarez (Nacho Duato), Hélène Blackburn, Christophe Garcia, Mario Radacovsky, Shawn Hounsell, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Edouard Lock, and she has participated in several tours in Europe, North and South America.

“Kittiwake’s relationship with Janie began several years ago when she was a guest soloist at Kittiwake’s Nutcracker from Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, dancing the role of Sugar Plum Fairy,” says Kittiwake’s artistic director Martin Vallee.

“Janie and I have kept in touch and in recent years, Janie had moved back to Montreal and was really enjoying the creative process and doing more choreography. Janie accepted a commission to do a piece for the Women’s Choreography Project with the Avent Chamber Ballet in Dallas and I asked her if she was interested in doing a piece for Kittiwake as well.

“When Janie was here dancing the Nutcracker and teaching classes, she had a great relationship with our dancers. Her technique and style are a wonderful fit with Kittiwake Dance Theatre. Her influences are more classical-based which is similar to our dancers. Her choreography is more neo-classical or contemporary which is a great fit for Kittiwake.

“Janie’s piece is set to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, “L’inverno” (Winter) Allegro non molto. It is quite exuberant and showcases the technical abilities of our dancers with a side of humor.”

Tickets can be purchased here.