Jess Thomas is well on her way to rekindling the South Cariboo’s love of dancing.
Thomas has spent the last two years running dance classes and small events throughout the community. This January she set up her own studio, Revelry Art & Dance, at 869 Alder Ave in 100 Mile House, where she is teaching line and swing dancing.
Now Thomas is preparing to invite the community to 100 Mile House’s first Swing Dance, with a live band, on Friday, April 14 at the 100 Mile Community Hall.
“I want to pack the place. I want the whole dance floor full,” Thomas said. “It feels like my mission is to fill dance floors at weddings, rodeos and dances.”
The dance will feature performances by the Cariboo Gold Band from Williams Lake, the 100 Mile Community Band and local musician Ingrid Mapson. The dance runs from 7 to 10 p.m. with tickets going for $25 online at revelryarts.ca or $30 at the door. At the start of the evening, Thomas will be offering a beginner’s lesson in swing dancing for any who wants to learn.
Thomas said she is excited to be organizing such a big event on her own, which she hopes is a sign of things to come. Using the proceeds from the dance she plans to organize more community dances in the future for everyone to enjoy.
“I’ll be able to put on more dance classes and get more bands,” Thomas said. “I want to bring partner dance back to the Cariboo because I know it was such a huge part of life here. People used to jive, polka and waltz, but a lot of people in my generation have lost that. It wasn’t passed between generations.
“I want to bring that back because it’s really social, and post-pandemic I think we’re really needing that. And with new people coming to the Cariboo, that will be a social way to integrate into the community.”
In the weeks leading up to the show, Thomas said she’ll be teaching nine couples how to swing dance. Since taking up the dance herself in 2011 she has been hooked on its energetic and social nature. Now that she has her own studio space to teach in, she said her classes will be even better.
“It just feels like I finally have a platform to really offer what I want to offer,” Thomas said. “The vibe is different with my own space. I can hang lights, make it really nice and inviting, whereas before I didn’t have as much control over how it felt to be there.”
Thomas said she plans to offer more dance classes in the coming months, and invites anyone interested in taking a lesson to reach out to her. In addition to full classes, she also offers private tutoring if that makes an individual more comfortable. No partners are necessary, and singles are welcome, she added.
“The thing I want to do most in this world is help facilitate creative expression and give people freedom. Swing dancing is very playful and creative and fun,” Thomas said. “I really can’t wait to have more people to dance with.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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