The Hottest Show In Town

Velvet Antler Productions celebrates local talent after eight weeks of boot camp

Folks wanting to see Velvet Antler Productions shows need to act fast—really fast. Tickets usually sell out online before the dance company’s co-owner, Kate Fitzgerald, has a chance to put up posters. The Naughty Nutcracker performance, last December, sold out in under four hours. The upcoming Spring Showcase, featuring mostly student performers, will likely be as in demand.

Approximately 40 people will be performing in the showcase. The popularity of Velvet Antler with student dancers is not something Fitzgerald and her business partner, Rebecca (Becky) Reynolds, anticipated when they joined forces for their first gig at the Dirty Northern’s first New Year’s Eve celebration in 2012. Reynolds came up with the fledgling collective’s name, Velvet Antler Productions.

“For the first few years we were a collection of performers run by Becky and I,” Fitzgerald said. “We did mainly corporate entertainment and events around town.”

Eventually, the pair made the business official in 2015 and started offering classes in response to demand from audience members who wanted to learn to dance. Velvet Antler rented various spaces in town, to offer workshops, while still performing at local events.

COVID-19 put a hold on live gigs, but they offered some online performances, such as Instagram shows, from the Guild. But what really flourished during the pandemic were the studio classes.

“The dance-studio side of Velvet Antler really took off,” Fitzgerald said. “Because of our regulations, because of our bubble, up here, we were actually pretty lucky to be able to operate with classes. And it was around that time that we got our own studio space.”

Velvet Antler found a permanent home in the Marwell Industrial area at 104 Tungsten Road. When it was possible to do live performances again, Velvet Antler gave their students the opportunity to show what they’d learned through their months of hard work in the studio.
“The first [post-pandemic] events we did were student showcases because we had all these women who were so dedicated and enjoying themselves the last couple of years—coming to class, with really nothing else to do—that we celebrated them by doing shows,” Fitzgerald said. “And that brought us to our last season where we had, in the last year, three student shows and four professional shows. So it got really big!”

The Velvet Antler team now consists of co-owners Fitzgerald and Reynolds, as well as Allyn Walton and Breagha Fraser.

“It could not run at all without the four of us. Everyone takes a really big piece of the pie.”

As well, each of them bring different backgrounds and styles of dance to Velvet Antler.

“My background is everything, but predominantly jazz and tap,” Fitzgerald said. “Becky and Allyn have a really strong ballet, modern background. And Breagha—who was trained by all of us, in a way, because she’s the youngest member of the team—she’s got a great street-dance vibe; she’s really good at jazz, really good at cabaret. She’s probably the most burlesque performer out of all of us.”

Which brings us to the Spring Showcase happening at the Guild Hall May 23 to 25. The production is a culmination of eight weeks of boot camp, where students learn one to three pieces of choreography, depending on their commitment, training and expectation levels. Most of the students are in the camp, with the intention to perform.

“We encourage everyone to do it, because it’s a pretty amazing time,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s not often in your adult life that you can play ‘dress-up.’”

The Velvet Antler team is enjoying their success with their students and their audience, but they do have a few things on their wish list: the first is a larger community theatre, as much as they appreciate the Guild Hall as a venue.
“They’re so good to us,” Fitzgerald said of the Guild. “It feels like home in that space. The dancers get a really great theatre experience that’s on a small and manageable, not-overwhelming scale. The downside is, it’s limited seating and so people gotta buy their tickets fast.”

The second item on Fitzgerald’s wish list is more recognition and support from the broader community. This includes hiring Velvet Antler for local events. Fitzgerald points out that there are industry standards for the fees that professional dancers receive and there is a reluctance to pay for the quality of entertainment that the dance company offers.

“Hire local entertainment,” Fitzgerald said, simply, pointing out that local artists will contribute back to the community.

To appreciate Velvet Antler’s contribution, we don’t have to look further than their dance studio, where they’ve created a space where folks feel safe and comfortable.

“Velvet Antler is a very welcoming and inclusive space,” Fitzgerald explained. “We invite folks from all walks of life, all backgrounds, all abilities. Everything we teach is at an open level, so if you have lots of training and just want to come and take classes and are humble and respectful, you’re going to have a really great time.

“And if you’ve never danced before, then you’re going to be in an environment of people who are going to help you out and who are humble and respectful and will make sure you feel comfortable.

“It is predominantly women, but all non-binary, femme-identifying folks … Dudes, if you’ve got your heart in the right place, you are always welcome.”

For links to tickets to upcoming Velvet Antler performances, follow them on Instagram or Facebook. And you can learn more about dance classes and entertainment bookings on their website (velvetantlerproductions.com).