Canuck Kids Choosing Hip Hop Over Hockey

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 15, 2016) - While Canada is idolized as an international hockey powerhouse, Canadian children are now surprisingly more likely to lace up dance shoes than hockey skates, with 625,000 kids stepping into the dance studio versus 531,000 into the ice rink annually. According to a recent nationwide study by Solutions Research Group, this trend is particularly strong with girls aged 3-17. There are currently more girls in Canada registered in organized dance, ballet and gymnastics (24%) than girls participating in all team sports combined (22%).

As Canada's professional dance sector enters a tremendous growth period nationwide, Ontario dance studio Canadian Dance Company has announced the launch of new studio facilities in Oakville that are set to dramatically elevate the current standard for professional and commercial dance facilities in 2017. The expansion, which boasts a 16,000 sq ft purpose-built studio and new intensive professional ballet department, comes in response to the significant increase in Canadian youth involved in dance, which is largely credited to the growing popularity of reality dance shows in Canada including Family Channel hits Backstage and The Next Step.

Ontario has experienced the most dramatic provincial increase in the dance sector in recent years. With 56,900 artists, Ontario has nearly twice as many performing artists as any other Canadian province. This development is in part due to an increase in television shows being filmed in Toronto, including international phenomenon The Next Step of which many of the principal cast trained at Canadian Dance Company, including Briar Nolet, Isaac Lupien, Myles Erlick, Devon Brown, Jamie O'Leary, Lamar Johnson and Nicholas Maiorano.

"Incorporating dance into the reality TV sector has had a profound effect on the dance scene in Canada," said Allain Lupien, Creative Director at Canadian Dance Company. "With an increase in the popularity of dance-related TV shows, such as So You Think You Can Dance or The Next Step and Backstage, there has been a major increase in commercial dance opportunities. With those opportunities comes tremendous exposure for the industry and when coupled with the explosion of social media platforms, young people are increasingly becoming exposed to diverse styles of dance and role models within the industry that they can aspire to."

While competition from international talent for these roles is strong, Lupien insists that the opportunities are there for Canadian dancers willing to commit.

"Canadian dancers have a strong work ethic and are hungry for the professional opportunities that are available in Canada. These attributes make them ideal candidates, even against international competition," said Lupien.

About Canadian Dance Company:

Established in 1985, Canadian Dance Company is an award-winning dance studio that is family-owned and operated. Now with two Ontario locations in Oakville and Burlington, Canadian Dance Company was founded with the objective to not only provide professional level training but also to nurture a student's love for dance by giving them an outlet to express their passion and build spirit.