Dusk Dances Barrie returning, bringing family-friendly fun to Lampman Lane
Members of Barrie's dance community will be out for the return of a three-day festival that promises to light up Lampman Lane Park.
After pandemic-forced pauses, Dusk Dances Barrie is set to return this week. Led by the Simcoe County Contemporary Dancers, the family-friendly festival is returning to the park with performances by both professional and recreational dancers.
"It's a sight-specific dance festival," says Chrissy Baxter, the dance group's executive director. "So when you come, there is a theatrical host who will tour you around the park where you'll get to see a variety of different dance pieces that are performed in a lot of different styles."
This year the group got a $25,000 provincial grant which is geared towards community-based and community-building events. Baxter says that since it started in 2017, the event has always been held at Lampman Lane Park to provide additional community programming in that area of the city.
"We are very specific in our choice of where we wanted to have this event in Barrie, and we chose Lampman Lane Park, which is just such a beautiful park with all the green space and the splash pad and everything," says Baxter. "And also the neighbourhood that is around here. We really wanted to serve Barrie as a whole but also this community in particular where there's not a lot of programming in particular at this park."
Ahead of the performances, free dance workshops will feature lessons in the Caribbean-African dance style.
Baxter says the festival is meant for every age in the family.
"We hope that even more people come out and participate, and it really becomes a staple in the community," says Baxter. "It's the only festival in Barrie that is totally all about dance, so it is very exciting!"
The festival runs from July 14-July 17.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.