Adjudicators
JENNIFER LINDSAY
Jennifer's lifelong passion for dance has included training in Highland, Ballet, Jazz and Tap. Specializing in Highland Dance came as naturally to her as her Scottish Heritage. Her dance teacher, the late Mrs Adeline Duncan of Victoria, BC helped Jennifer achieve many of her goals. She won the World Championship twice, Canadian Championship eight times, and British Columbia Championship eleven times. Dancing has taken Jennifer to Scotland, Australia, Japan and across North America. She resides in the Peace River region of northern British Columbia with her husband Doug. Jennifer is delighted to adjudicate the Prince George Dance Festival and wishes good luck to all performers and hopes they achieve their goals for the weekend competition. She would like to thank the members of the Prince George Dance Festival for the invitation to judge the dance events.
LISA SANDLOS, M.A., C.M.A., E.M.A.
Lisa Sandlos has been a faculty member of York University's Department of Dance and School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences for over twelve years. She is currently pursuing her PhD in the School of Women's Studies at York. Sandlos holds an M.A. in Dance and certificates in Laban Movement Analysis from the Laban Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS) and Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM). Cecchetti ballet formed the basis of Sandlos' initial dance training at the Lois Smith School of Dance and George Brown College's Professional Training Program. She later trained in modern and contemporary dance, graduating from the School of Toronto Dance Theatre in 1991.
Sandlos has taught modern dance and creative movement to all ages and levels for over 20 years, working extensively in the public schools through the Ontario Arts Council's Artists in Education program, the National Ballet of Canada's Creating Dances program, the Toronto District School Board's Drama/Dance Project and the Royal Conservatory of Music's Learning through the Arts. From 1991 until 2001, Sandlos was the founding director of the training program and performing company called The Young Contemporary Dancers of Toronto (YCDT). During this period, she also directed Modern Movement, a recreational dance program for adults. Sandlos'choreography has been presented at venues in Toronto such as Artword Theatre, Nathan Phillips Square, and the Winchester Street Theatre, at the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, McMaster University in Hamilton, and in Miami, Florida.
Sandlos' current research focuses on the hypersexualization of young female dancers, and the impacts of this trend on dance education, on public perceptions of dance, and on girls' psychological and social development. She is also interested in global and local practices of "ecstatic dance", and the ways in which consciousness-altering or transformative dance experiences can shape communities, influence health, and fulfill the human desire for spiritual connections.
HEATHER LAURA GRAY
Heather Laura Gray began her training at L'ecole Superieur de Dance du Quebec, The Goh Ballet and trained independently in voice, acting and many other dance disciplines. She has performed on stage and screen as an actor, singer and dancer. Her journey has led her to produce, direct and choreograph stage shows as well as delve into the art of contemporary dance choreography and dance education. In 2010/11 Heather was co-artistic director of the Industry Dance Training Program of Vancouver, she has developed a syllabus for the Vancouver Junior Professional Division and enjoys educating dancers in master classes and at Harbour Dance Centre on a regular bases. Recently, Heather has been commissioned to set pieces on Give Me Brilliance Dance Company and Costal Ballet Company. She co-choreographed Sweet Mystery the musical and presented her work in New York City.
Heather is a member of ACTRA, The Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists, The Dancer Transition Resource Centre and The Dance Centre. She is currently being represented by Da Costa Talent.
Selected choreography and performance credits include: Amber Funk Barton's "Workspace" the response Dance Company; Claire French's "Outside Out" at the 2009 PULSE, House of La Douche, Soundbites Festival NYC; Amber Funk Barton's "Risk" the Response Dance Company; "Dances For a Small Stage 15"; "Pieces of Heather Laura Gray"; "The Score (CBC Musical); "The Lizzy Mcguire Movie"; "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat" T.O.; "Disney Cruise Lines (singer/dancer); "Dead Like Me" (TV); "The Legends of Earthsea" (miniseries). www.urbanflowproductions.com
GLEN ESDALE - PIPER
Glen took up the Great Highland Bagpipe at the age of 8 in Vancouver and was playing for a small dance troupe by age 12. He joined the Highland Laddies Pipe Band in 1966 and began piping in solo competitions, progressing to the Senior Amateur level. He travelled and competed with the Seaforth Cadets Pipe Band between 1970 and 1974, then moved to Kamloops in 1976. A year later, he joined the Kamloops Pipe Band and played many events and competitions with the bad through the 1980's serving as Pipe Major for 2 1/2 years and travelling to Scotland in 1985 for the World Grade 3 Band Championships where the band placed in the top third of their class.
Having enjoyed piping for dancers at many events throughout the 1970's, he piped his first formal dance competition in Kamloops in 1982. Invitations then came to pipe at more competitions in the southwest BC Interior and at the coast, later adding Alberta and Washington State events to the schedule. Highlights include piping for the Canadian Highland Dance Championsihps in 2002, the U.S.A. National Championships in 2005, a performance wih a quartet in Japan in 1996, shows with the Princeton Highland Dancers since about 1992, and Remembrance Day ceremonies for 41 of the last 44 years.
Glen enjoys performing for many reasons including the legacy of two sisters in competition dancing, the challenges in producing consistent performance, and the pleasure of meeting and working with the dedicated people who stage Scottish and other cultural showcase events.