Promoting dance in St. Vital

St. Vital

One of the more interesting parts of the city councillor job is discovering that groups you didn’t even know existed can sometimes become your partners. I had one such experience over the past year.

Early in 2025, I invited a group of residents to the Glenwood Community Centre to discuss their interest in paving their gravel back lane. While I was there, I met parents from a group called Kids in Kilts, whose children were taking highland dance lessons. These parents expressed their interest in upgrading the rehearsal space at the community centre into a proper dance training studio.

After a few months of legwork (dance pun intended), we worked out a project where my office provided $13,000 to install dance mirrors and curtains in one of Glenwood’s meeting rooms. I went to check it out in early December, and the space was transformed! The mirrors look fantastic, and the new curtains protect them well — I can confirm this after seeing them in use during Breakfast with Santa at Glenwood a few weeks later.

Thanks also to the Kids in Kilts group for inviting me to take a photo in the finished dance studio.

Well, to be honest, I invited myself, as I had never worn a kilt in my life. These small projects help our local youth, upgrade the City’s community centres, and promote interest in the arts. Not a bad result from a meeting about a gravel lane.