Dances of Offering 2012

Hello again everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Here at Pegasus it was nice taking a short break from classes and rehearsals, but soon we’ll be back at it with fresh perspectives and enthusiasm to match the New Year.

As some of you may know, for ten years Pegasus Studios has been putting on Dances of Offering, a Benefit Concert created to provide an opportunity for Pegasus to give back to the community. The dream was to create a show that joined the talents of professional performers with those of students to raise money for a local charity. The first shows were held at Pegasus Studios, but in 2007 we moved to the Al Green Theatre and after that the Young Centre for the Performing Arts and the Betty Oliphant Theatre. In past years, we have raised money for foundations such as Sheena’s Place, The Food Bank, Red Door Shelter, Robin Rock’s On, Liam’s Light, and World Vision. Every year we choose a charity that reflects the values of Pegasus Studios and the issues that resonate with the faculty and students involved in the show.

This year, Pegasus Studios is proud to present the 10th annual Dances of Offering Benefit Concert, an evening dedicated to bringing together members of the Toronto dance community to perform, celebrate, and give back. We will be raising funds to help build a new Paediatric Ambulatory Clinic at Toronto East General Hospital, a hospital that has already helped many of our students and where many Pegasus dancers are born (myself included)!

Dances of Offering will take place at the Betty Oliphant Theatre on February 12th, 2012. We are honoured to have two time Dora award winner, Nicola Pantin, as one of our featured choreographers and performers. Other artists include, Bonnie Gaztambide, Georgia Leung, Janice Pomer, Pam Reid-McKay, Melissa Nascimento, and Lisa Weiler. I will also be choreographing and performing in a piece alongside some of my friends from York University. Students from Pegasus Studios will be joined by senior dancers from Earl Haig and Claude Watson (TDSB) and Father Redmond (TCDSB) High Schools for the Performing Arts.

What began as a small student produced show a decade ago has evolved under the guidance of Pegasus Studios' artistic director Jane Davis Munro into a much anticipated annual event that raises thousands of dollars each year for non-profit organizations whose work benefits the lives of children and youth.

Please join us at the Betty Oliphant Theatre on Sunday February 12, 2012 at 5:00 pm for this exciting event. All proceeds go towards the new Paediatric Ambulatory Clinic at Toronto East General Hospital.

For tickets please visit http://www.dancesofoffering.myevent.com/

Have a great day!

-Jessica Houghton