Nerys Stuart leapfrogs over Jamie Foster in a dance routine at Dance Oasis Studios. A group of local dancers are hoping to be heading off to Hollywood and Disneyland later this summer. Photo by Richard McGuire.

A group of young dancers is engaged in rigorous training in Osoyoos, honing performances they plan to take to Hollywood and Disneyland.
The 22 girls, currently known as the Dance Oasis Show Group, are working with choreographer Cheryl Blumke, from Kelowna, who says she’s “100 per cent sure” the girls will be accepted to perform at Disneyland, even though they haven’t yet auditioned.
The group is now looking for corporate sponsors to help finance the trip and they plan to hold a fundraiser with a silent auction and dance performances March 16 at Sage Pub.
At Dance Oasis Studios, in a large room with mirrors covering the walls on two sides, girls leapfrog over each other and perform gravity-defying spins in the air.
Some of the girls are teenagers and others are pre-teen.
For this studio and for Osoyoos, the California trip would be a first.
Blumke, however, has successfully trained other groups to perform at Disneyland and has taken about eight groups down since 1996.
“It’s a fantastic learning experience,” said Blumke as she outlined where the girls will go in Hollywood and other parts of Los Angeles.
They plan to go to Los Angeles in October and they’ll take classes at world-renowned dance studios at the Edge Performing Arts Center as well as at the Debbie Reynolds Studio, both in Hollywood.
Then, if accepted, they would do workshops with Disney choreographers and teachers, before performing at Disneyland and the Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park.
They will soon be putting together a video as part of their audition process to be part of the Disney Magic Music Days program.
Chrissie Serry, owner of Dance Oasis Studios, said this group began training in September and the dancers take at least four classes a week covering different dance styles. They also rehearse every second weekend for two to four hours at a time.
To get into this group, the girls had to audition over the summer.
“It’s a big commitment,” Serry said. “To get to a level like this you have to dance quite a bit and be very dedicated.”
Halle Foster, 11, agrees the training is a lot of work.
“It’s really worth it because just the feeling of dancing to me it’s everything. I like it so much,” said Foster, who began dancing at age four.
Kelsey Loura, 15, agrees.
“I’m so excited about what I’m doing right now,” said Loura, who has been dancing since age three.  “I’m just thrilled to be part of it.”
Tatum Brugman, 12, said she also plays some volleyball, but dancing is her true passion. She has been doing it since she was eight.
“You can dance from the heart and show your expression through it,” she said. “You can get all your stress away.”