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HOLLAND
COLLEGE • April 29, 2003
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FEATURES
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| {Paula
Roberts is a dancer with the passion and determination to be successful  PHOTO:
Paula Roberts at the Stepping-Out Dance studio in Kensington, P.E.I.,
where she practises and teaches.By Shane Mountain Surveyor Staff Inside the Stepping-Out dance studio in Kensington, P.E.I., Paula Roberts glides across the dance floor, her feet beating out a steady rhythm. Wearing a loose plaid shirt, a pair of tight black pants and her worn leather Irish hardshoes, Roberts body seems to flow. Her long red hair, damp with sweat, hangs around her shoulders. She slides the point of her right shoe across the floor. As her feet come back together she flicks her shoes from the toe to the heel. Sound fills the room like the expert beat of an experienced drummer. Then it is gone, as quickly as it came. Her body tenses, preparing for the next sequence of steps. She spins, stops on a dime and stamps her foot to the floor with a single click. Her hand runs up her leg, over her hips, stomach and chest out from her face. Turning her palm down she lowers it slowly then pulls it down sharply. Her feet hardly seem to touch the floor as she spins. "Music and dance is meant to evoke emotion, I use my whole body because of that," Roberts said. Roberts interest in dance began when she saw an infomercial featuring Micheal Flately's Riverdance in 1995. "Flatley did a little swivel with his hips and I felt reminded of what I should be doing," said Roberts. "I ran upstairs to get my grandmother and pointed to the television and said. ‘That's what I want to do.' My grandmother said, ‘Well if you think you can dance go for it.'" That's what she's been doing ever since. The flare of the flamenco shows through strongly in Robert's routines. She often incorporates long pauses with slow sensual movements which then flow into fast and loud footwork. Roberts received some training on the Island. And she attended dance classes off-Island, but she often found herself showing steps to the teachers and putting on shows for her classes. "I have training in jazz, tap, flamenco, latin, ballet, but my great love is dancing Irish hardshoe, she said. "When people come to a show they will see something new, a melting pot of everything you've ever seen." Roberts seems to create steps as she goes, different styles combining with each step. She's uncomfortable with the very idea of being bound to one style. "Irish dance is so stiff and stoic and I can't relate to that." Heather Mountain has helped Roberts harness her raw talent. Roberts and Mountain met at a dance class in Kensington shortly before Roberts went to train for dance in Bathurst, N.B in 1998. "At the time I knew there was something special about Paula." Mountain said. "There was a very special way she danced. I could see it coming from deep inside." Today, Mountain is a member of Robert's troupe as well as her manager. "What makes this story amazing is that there are dancers on P.E.I. who have been dancing for 30 years and are being taught by Paula," Mountain said. Mountain is trying to help Roberts get a foot in the door of the world stage, organizing a portfolio with praise from musicians and performers from across the Maritimes. The comments refer to her as a dazzling, sensational, hypnotic, spectacular and a phenomenal dancer. "Paula and I both know that this is a gift, she doesn't have to work at all. It is as natural to her as walking down the street," Mountain said. "It's unusual to see a dancer of this high calibre of dance and even more unusual that she is here on P.E.I.," she said. "Most people are not aware that there is a booming dance industry. Most people don't believe that an Island dancer can appear on the world stage." Still, Mountain and Roberts are determined to make it happen. "We don't believe in limited beliefs. We know that anything is possible," Roberts said. "That's mirrored in my troupe, I have a 50-year-old and a 16-year-old both taking advanced Irish dancing. It's about dance and not age. Don't ever stop trying. Age makes no difference." Even with such a diverse group Roberts leads her troupe with confidence. She is as unafraid to correct the oldest dancer as she is the youngest. Karen McNally is a member of Paula's troupe. "You never know what's around the corner, it's always exciting. I'm constantly amazed by her creativity and her talent. She has a way of making every lesson interesting, you are never bored," she said. Mountain said, "What makes Paula's troupe stand out is the stunning choreography that Paula creates." Roberts has won competitions and performs with her troupe across the Island. Roberts has an up-coming show at the Harbourfront Jubilee Theatre in Summerside on Saturday, May 3. It features such Island talent as Fiddlers Sons, Nathan Condon and Nicole Arsenault. With the help of the culture and heritage branch of the provincal Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, and some Kensington area supporters, a press kit and a video will be produced about the show. Local video producers Stephan MacLeod and Greg Boone plan to submit the video to the Bravo network. Roberts show, Rhythm of the Island, not only features her own dances, but two performances from Lord of the Dance and Riverdance. } |
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