Item 2018-019/001(01) - Skydome Dance Troupe (1995)

Item consists of an Afghani family’s home movie featuring children and teenagers from the Raptors Junior Dance Pak rehearsing a dance routine at the SkyDome.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Around 1994, 9-year old Azada Rahi living in a nearby co-op auditioned at the Cabbagetown Youth Centre to be part of the junior Toronto Raptors Dance Pak. The choreographer was Clarence Ford, who auditioned kids, teens and young adults from all over the city, and ran the Pak once the crew was established. He was a delight to work with, was extremely kind, and was great at keeping so many young people organized and focused.

Here, November 2nd ,1995, at the SkyDome (presently the Rogers Centre) the Pak rehearses the same routine over and over in preparation for the opening performance at the first-ever Toronto Raptors game. On the day of the performance, Azada recalls pushing through the stomach flu to perform, her hard work could not go to waste, and it was a very exciting time. They had already performed at the Toronto Raptors opening dinner gala the previous summer. The Junior Dance Pak continued to dance at games and other functions for some time, though Azada only stayed with them for about a year and a half to two years.

In 1996 the Pak was hired to perform at the YTV Achievement Awards. Dawning matching plaid and denim ensembles, the Pak backup danced for Indigenous Canadian country singer, Rebecca Miller. This country line-dancing number was one of three performances they did at the Awards that evening, including one with Aashna Patel.

For Azada, the years she spent in the Pak, encountering Canadian athletes and entertainers were "fun and weird". These tapes are the sole recordings of her dancing that she has had access to. Looking back at the footage proved surprisingly hilarious, and are a chance to reflect on herself as an uninhibited young dancer."