Local singers and dancers shared the big stage with the Mini Pop Kids this Family Day, performing to a crowd of hundreds of youth and their parents at the Sault Community Theatre.
Youth from the Elite Dance Force and Northern Arts Academy were given the opportunity to showcase their talents alongside the group, who performed pop hits from Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan, among many others.
While the Mini Pop Kids perform for fans across Canada, with 29 cities planned for the Mini Pop Kids Celebration Tour, organizers said bringing local youth performers on stage is an important part of each show.
“It's very important for us. We love giving the community a spotlight,” said Mini Pop Kids director, Mike Ross. “Not many school programs or local community organizations … always get an opportunity like this, so we take pride in giving kids opportunities to share the stage.”
When approached by the Mini Pop Kids to share the stage, Northern Arts Academy director, Agnes McCarthy, said she jumped at the chance to put together a choir to perform for the city.
“This is a really special opportunity, because the kids performing in the Mini Pop Kids show, they're incredible,” she said. “It's wonderful for my kids to get a chance to see some professionals in action that are around their age.”
The way Mini Pop Kids incorporates local youth into their shows is a “wonderful” gesture, McCarthy said.
“It's so awesome – to come to a town and have a great audience, that they can see some local talent along with these amazing performers,” she said. “I'm really glad that they're supporting that local talent and giving us a chance to showcase the things that we do because Sault Ste. Marie has a lot of talented people.”
Local youth weren’t the only ones given the chance to share the big stage, as the Mini Pop Kids got three dads from the audience to show off their best dance moves before the crowd.