Brigus dancers step into Calgary Stampede spotlight

By Local Journalism Initiative Olivia Bradbury

The Calico Steppers of Vanda Maunder Dance Studio brought a little bit of Newfoundland to Cowtown during a recent showcase and parade prelude performances for the Calgary Stampede.

The original plan back in 2020 was to perform at the Grand Ol’ Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Sadly, due to the pandemic, this trip never took place. Later, when the idea of a trip was suggested again, some parents expressed their discomfort with the idea of sending their children to the United States given the country’s current political climate.

“We decided we’d go to Calgary because it’s still the country feel and the Stampede was there. So we went to work figuring out how we were going to do that,” said Vanda Maunder, who said 17 of the 30 Stepper members traveled to Calgary. “And it was more than I ever dreamed of. I knew we would have fun. I knew it would be. And I liked for them to have a cultural experience.”

The Steppers first performed in what is called the Downtown Showcase, which took place the day before the Calgary Stampede. For this event, the downtown streets are closed and groups perform at different locations along the route. The Steppers danced in front of an old theatre, performing their routine every 15 minutes for two hours. Because of this, they had a new audience for each performance as people made their way along the route.

“After they performed, lots of times people would come up and say ‘Oh, I’m from Newfoundland! I’ve been living here 20 years! Welcome!’” said Maunder.

The next day, the Calico Steppers performed in the Calgary Stampede’s parade prelude. Groups need to apply to perform in the prelude, and the Steppers were one of those approved.

“I had a funny feeling we’d get accepted because we were the only ones from Newfoundland or from out of their province actually,” said Maunder. She says they were very proud to represent Newfoundland and believes that further motivated the Calico Steppers to do their best.

Maunder says the prelude performers warmed up the crowd along the parade route. The prelude would perform at intersections along the route and, after each performance, proceed to the next intersection to perform again.

“I was so proud of the girls because their routine is high-energy,” said Maunder. The dance routine, which they shortened a bit for the prelude, took about seven minutes each time. “When they finished dancing at an intersection, they had to walk, out of breath, walk to the next intersection, dance right away.”

Neither Maunder nor the Steppers knew how many times they would end up performing the routine during the parade prelude. Maunder believes it was somewhere between seven and nine times.

“I don’t know how, physically, they did it,” said Maunder. “I think they surprised themselves.”

The Steppers are a step dance group that Maunder has been teaching for years. Their first out-of-province trip was to Vermont in the 1990s. They stayed there for 10 days, performing at a different school every day. They have performed in Florida twice, and in both P.E.I. and Ottawa, Ontario on Canada Day.

Maunder has been dancing since she was around five years old and opened her Brigus dance studio around 1972. The studio offers various programs, from Dance Start for preschool-aged children to the 45+ group Heart and Sole.

Maunder teaches ballet, jazz, tap, step dance, and occasionally ballroom dance. However, her studio does not participate in competitions.

“It’s just not me,” said Maunder. “I want to teach for the love of it, and have my students not worry.” She said dance competitions are lovely and exciting, but not what she wants her students to focus on. “I want them to learn to dance for our audience, dance for the joy of it, not to be graded.”

Maunder has taught generations of dancers. One of her current Calico Steppers, Beth Norman, is the daughter of Calico Steppers alumnus Angela Norman. In fact, Angela was part of the group that went on the first trip to Vermont three decades ago. Angela travelled with the group to Calgary, serving as Maunder’s music person while her daughter danced in the events—two generations of Calico Steppers doing their parts.

“From when I first came and started teaching till now, yes, children have changed, the world has changed that they live in. However, the love of dance has not changed,” said Maunder. “The camaraderie we have here, that has not changed. It’s a safe place. We all love music, we all love to dance.”