NEWS COVERAGE
RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL
Creator of Canada’s Dance Competitions
Mona D’Amours is the driving force behind Canada’s dance competitions."We've hosted dance competitions in every province in Canada. The competitions bring together dancers in every category; from ballet to jazz, contemporary to hip hop, tap to folkloric dance. Dance is a performing art. The stage is our canvas."
Today in Montreal, an exciting 10 days that brought dancers and delegates from over 20 countries, such as Japan, China, Indonesia, Ecuador and Portugal to name just a few, is culminating in the medal ceremony for the Dance World Cup.
Dancers and choreographers are among the top 10 growth occupations in Canada.
In June1994 when Mona D’Amours hosted the first competition in West Vancouver, the dance landscape in Canada was very limited. But a combination of events, beginning in January 1994 with an “Economic Services Bulletin” which Mona read in her position as training consultant for Human Resources Development Canada, changed everything. The bulletin stated: "Dancers and choreographers are among the top 10 growth occupations in Canada in the next decade. In fact, it ranks 4th with a 5.3% annual growth rate."
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For Mona, the seed was planted. Since then it has been a labour of love and a family affair. Mona and her husband, Desiderio Fortunato met as dance partners in Italy in1979. Now they’re partners in this venture. The couple’s 3 children, who grew up dancing, made their contributions and have followed various careers in dance and entertainment. But it was Mona’s vision. Their son, Sheu Fortunato, has since taken over the reins.
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Diversity is the key to success today
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Mona D’Amours credits the growth of dance, in its many forms, to Canada’s multi-cultural society, to more boys participating, and money! In the competitions she has organized over the years, the best performers have been awarded over $2,000,000.00 in cash. Yes, 2 million dollars. And Mona D’Amours is demanding.
For the coveted Dancer of the Year award, the winner must perform three solos in three categories, such as ballet, hip hop and tap, and the dancer with the highest score based on the three solos wins $1,000. Her motto is that ‘diversity is the key to success’ and that goes for dancers too.
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Again this year, talent scouts from Canada’s Cirque du Soleil will be involved in the competitions, looking for the individuals that have what it takes to make a career of their passion. A quarter of the Cirque du Soleil’s performers are former dancers.
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This has been a special gathering in Montreal. It was the occasion of the first International Dance Council World Congress outside of Europe. But closer to home, it is the beginning of the twentieth anniversary of the 5678 Showtime in Vancouver, where it all began, and a family reunion for the D’Amours-Fortunato’s.
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By Carmel Kilkenny | english@rcinet.ca
Wednesday 10 July, 2013
Radio Canada International
DANCE WORLD CUP HISTORY
Over 8,000 dancers from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, and USA have competed at Dance World Cup. Dance World Cup, that is recognized by the International Dance Council, CID celebrated their 11th season at Fairmont Tremblant, le July 1-8, 2018.
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2008, 5678 Showtime hosted its first Dance World Cup competition in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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2010, 5678 Showtime applied for the legal trademark from the Government of Canada, and received the trademark in 2012 as the only organization legally entitled to host Dance World Cup.
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2011, Dance World Cup gained global recognition as the first CID event hosted in Canada. CID (International Dance Council) was founded in Paris, France in 1973 with memberships in 155 countries. CID is the only non-profit organization representing dance, recognized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization).
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2012, Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 160 million spectators in more than 400 cities in over 60 countries on 6 continents. Cirque du Soleil Casting has offered workshops, tours of their headquarters, group tickets for their shows, and have been on the jury of Dance World Cup since 2012. Dancers were treated to the Michael Jackson, The Immortal World Tour in 2012, Luzia in 2016, Corteo in 2018, and Kurios in 2024. Mona D’Amours, Director of Dance World Cup was invited to attend the Cirque du Soleil dance audition in Montreal, June 29 - 30, 2013. This is an honour no other dance competition director has ever been offered.
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2013, CBC News covered Dance World Cup, and named Mona D’Amours, “Creator of Canada’s Dance Competitions”. Mona D'Amours, Director of Dance World Cup has hosted over 250 dance competitions with 5678 Showtime Inc across Canada since 1994.
