‘Just try your best and have fun’: Young dancers shine at The Collective Dance Challenge in North Battleford

Junior soloists Vivian Richardson, Mika Beckman, Gracie Acaster, Rowyn Martin and Kendyl Martin all advanced to the final dance-off, while senior dancers Jaya Duffin Heitt and Georgia Antoine also earned spots among the top competitors.

The studio’s senior group performance, The Rose, claimed the top overall title, while another group routine, Conga, finished as first runner-up among junior groups.

“We’re proud of our students,” said studio owner and director Daylan Sabin.

“I think our studio did extremely well, considering we didn’t even bring our whole studio. We only had about 60 entries compared to our 200 that we can bring.”

But for Sabin, the results only tell part of the story.

“It’s not necessarily about winning… It’s about the growth within your dancer,” she said, pointing to the hours of practice and progress behind each performance.

“A really exciting moment for me is like how you see them dance so beautifully. They really let it all out there and gave it their all and wanted to show the audience what they were capable of and how beautifully they danced.”

Among those dancers was Mika Beckman, whose high-energy hip hop performance earned her a second-place finish in the junior division.

For Beckman, dance is more than choreography.

“I like dancing because I can express my feelings through it,” she said. “I could show all of my energy and show off how energetic and happy I am at the time.”

Mika Beckman, who placed second overall in the junior division at The Collective Dance Challenge. (Image Credit: Kendra Beckman)

That energy is something her mother, Kendra Beckman, recognizes instantly from the audience.

“It brings tears to your eyes every time you watch your child dance,” she said.

Mika began dancing at four years old and now spends more than eight hours a week in the studio, along with extra time for solos and group routines. When she steps on stage, the focus stays simple.

“Just try your best and have fun,” she said.

Now in its second year, The Collective Dance Challenge is helping rebuild a local competition scene, giving studios a chance to perform closer to home. It was organized by Cayla Ellis and Hanna Mullock, who launched the event after the Battlefords Dance Festival Association, a previous local competition, stopped running.

“It’s just a competition within the community for studios to come and showcase their dancers and their hard work and… compete against one another, hopefully in a friendly, uplifting manner,” Sabin said.

Dancers take the stage during The Collective Dance Challenge at the Dekker Centre in North Battleford, held April 9 to 12, 2026. (Image Credit: The Collective Dance Challenge/Facebook)

Beyond the stage, events like this bring visitors into the city and strengthen ties between studios across the region.

For Sabin, one of the most meaningful parts of the weekend came away from the awards.

It was seeing former students – now teachers in their own studios across places like Wilkie, Unity and Biggar – return, this time guiding the next generation of dancers.

“It’s kind of really heartwarming that my students, whom I used to teach dance to, have moved on to teach dance, and I get to see them in a different setting, right?”

Backstage, the atmosphere was shaped by encouragement as much as competition.

“There’s a huge dance community in the Battlefords and they’re all amazing… and people should come watch them,” Kendra Beckman said.

For Mika, what keeps her dancing is quite simple.

“Hip hop brings me joy,” she said.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

by battlefordsNOW Staff

‘Just try your best and have fun’: Young dancers shine at The Collective Dance Challenge in North Battleford

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