An Abbotsford woman was part of a recent event that reunited the cast of the 1992 Experience Canada/Spirit of a Nation tour.
Hannah Celinski, the head of arts and integrated studies at University of the Fraser Valley, said the tour had a “monumental impact” on her life and that of her cast mates.
“We were so fortunate, and I can’t imagine such a tour being funded and supported now,” she said.
In 1992, 125 performers ages 16 to 25 were selected to participate in a new show about being Canadian and recognizing the responsibility of caring for the land, air, water and people.
The production was created – with funding from the Canadian Heritage Arts Society – by Jacques Lemay and Janis Dunning in celebration of Canada’s 125th birthday
The cast travelled 30,000 kilometres over 125 days – by bus and trucks – to share the message of Canadian pride through song and dance.
The Spirit of a Nation show eventually led to the creation and founding of The Canadian College of Performing Arts by Lemay and Dunning, who both received the Order of Canada in 2022 for their “outstanding and numerous contributions to the arts and to young artists in Canada.”
Celinski auditioned for the tour – her first as a dancer – at the age of 18 and left high school early to join the production.
The group rehearsed in Vancouver and then toured Canada, performing for the Queen, with Celine Dion on live TV – where Celinski fell down due to the stage being slick from the pouring rain – and with David Foster and Roch Voisine on Canada Day, 1992.
Celinski described Lemay and Dunning as “visionaries.”
“They … were already promoting reconciliation in the form that it took in 1992 and continue to amplify Indigenous voices and artists,” she said.
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After the tour, Celinski attended Ryerson University in Toronto to study dance, then to Sheridan College for a diploma in musical theatre.
She worked as a dancer in film, television, theatre and cruise ships before settling in Abbotsford.
Celinski said many of the other cast members of Spirit of a Nation went on to star in Broadway productions and films.
“But the interesting thing about this tour is that many people did not go into the arts but used the experience to propel them into incredible lives that positively impacted the community,” she said.
Celinski said of the people who stayed with her for the reunion, one became a medical doctor, another is a high school teacher who was also a firefighter, and another is a teacher and director who produces and promotes playwrights.
The reunion for the cast ran Aug. 4 to 6 in Vancouver, drawing people from across Canada, the US and even New Zealand.
Their first event was a meet-and-greet on Friday. On Saturday, they took a dance class with Lemay and began rehearsing a song for Lemay and Dunning to thank them for everything they did for the cast.
Saturday also included some touring in the afternoon followed by a gala event in the evening.
On Sunday, the group chatted with Lemay and Dunning before saying their good-byes.
Celinski said she will always treasure the experience she had with the tour.
“I’m sad that the current generation of young people won’t have the same experience that I did,” she said.
vikki.hopes@abbynews.com
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