There wasn't a dry eye in the house when Tyson and Dakota won the Dancing in the Ridge competition in November last year, and they will offer a repeat performance at the upcoming Ridge Meadows Home Show.
The Family Fest stage features entertainment throughout the event, May 2 to 4, and the dance duo of Tyson Aubin and Dakota Best will again perform Guardians of the Wishing Well.
Aubin is a local actor and community volunteer who has cerebral palsy, and performed in his wheelchair. Best, who is also an artist and dancer, said they had a message, and wanted to amplify Aubin's voice.
She gives him care, but clarified "it's a lot more than just that – I consider him a friend too. He's a really great person."
At 35, and from a dancing family, the show presented by the Maple Ridge Community Foundation was Aubin's chance to live a dream to dance on stage, in a contest modelled after the reality TV show Dancing with the Stars.
Aubin asked Best to be his partner, and chose the song Live in the Moment, by 'Portugal. The Man'. Aubin knows music. She said the song was a great choice, with its message, and with the symmetry that the band's guitarist Eric Howk uses a wheelchair.
The song's lyrics include a wishing well, and Tyson and Dakota were on the stage dropping coins into their wishing well.
"It was really inspiring, and we created a story through dance," she said.
Dakota explained that Tyson has limited speech, and communicates well with a device, but he is given a big voice through performance and art. They moved people, and made a difference.
The audience loved the show. They won Dancing in the Ridge, and were asked to perform at the Home Show – a great venue for local performers.
Siusan Kenney, who ran the competition for the Community Foundation, said they placed first over some "significantly skilled dancers."
"This [Dancing in the Ridge] was about community, and how you made the audience feel, and the fun you're putting up on stage," Kenney explained. "They represented Maple Ridge so well in this event."
She said the storytelling touched everyone.
"It said 'Don't feel sorry for me – this is what I do,'" Kenney recalled. "He's been in a wheelchair all his life, but he doesn't limit himself."
The talent on stage at the Family Fest also knows no limits. Dane Warren as Michael Buble will be on the stage on May 3 at 1 p.m.
He is from Vancouver, where he has been a musical theatre actor for more than 15 years. He has appeared in many high-profile productions such as Oklahoma! Crazy for You, Titanic, Bye Bye Birdie, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, and most recently Disney’s Beauty and The Beast as Gaston.
Other acts over the weekend will include Norden the Magician, The Great Gordini, local hoop dancer Jane Wylie, Blue Crane Contortion, and more.
The Family Fest will also feature a Monster Foam Party, Bells and Whistles Mini Golf, crafts, the Bring Back Play Sandbox by Haney Builders, face painting, wandering characters and much more.
Guardians of a Wishing Well will be performed by Tyson and Dakota on May 3 at 2:30 p.m.
The Ridge Meadows Home Show – which features the trade show; the Family Fest complete with amusement rides, live entertainment, and a monster foam party; psychic and wellness fair; food truck festival, and much more – takes place in and around the Albion Fairgrounds.
The event runs May 2 to 4. It’s open from 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Parking is free. The only admission fee is for the home show component of the event, which is $5 per person or $8 for families.
