Day one and two of the Southeastern Manitoba Festival (SEMF) took place this past weekend with days three and four happening March 21st and 22nd.

Dance Coordinator Susan Kreutzer notes there were close to 400 dance entries this year ranging from novice dancers as young as seven years old to adult and multi-generational dance groups.  Kreutzer adds there were some dancers who were scheduled for up to twenty dances in the SEMF.

Adjudicator Sofia Costantini has forty years of dance experience under her belt.  She notes a lot of the teachers in Manitoba were her students, she was with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for fifteen years, started a school dance program to encourage boys to dance and has also choreographed for film and television.  She says she's honoured for to be a part of SEMF for the third year and is amazed as well as inspired while watching the dancers.

The Southeastern Manitoba Festival includes tap, ballet, movie musical, hip-hop, jazz, improvisation, modern and lyrical both solo and group performances.

Costantini says the most important thing for dancers is to be confident and look at the audience.

"I think the difference between dancing and dancing for the people is really important.  And for me, dancing to your full potential so that everytime you go on stage you're leaving it on the stage and you know that it's the best job you've done." 

Costantini adds to be able to go up onstage and dance in SEMF not only requires confidence but years of training and months of practice.

Adjudicator Brianne O'Neill has also danced with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and explains she was impressed with how great the dancers were.

"It's pretty good.  There's a lot of great potential.  The little ones are little shining stars here and they're only going to get better as they get older."

O'Neill adds she would love to return to Steinbach to adjudicate again and feels there's great talent in the Southeast that will only continue to grow.