Nathan Fadear doesn’t look anything like Snoopy, but comic strip creator Charles Schulz’s quote “to dance is to live,” suits him to a T.
Back in Salmon Arm to accept the 2014 Salmar Award of Excellence, Fadear’s dancing has taken him around the world.
After dancing in the Vancouver Olympics opening ceremony in 2010 and 1 10-month program with performing arts school Industry, Fadear was offered a contract with Princess Cruise Lines.
Next came six long weeks of rehearsal in Los Angeles in which he and the rest of the team learned 14 45-minute shows for onboard performances.
While dancing in the World Cruise Show on the Pacific Princess, Nadear travelled to more than 40 destinations.
“The ship is its own world and you can’t leave the world,” Fadear laughs of days at sea on cruises that run anywhere from seven to 107 days. “But you get off in different beautiful countries.”
The long cruises departed from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., ended in Venice, Italy and featured 13 different shows.
Fadear says most of the passengers were avid and experienced travellers, who could recommend sites and activities in every port of call.
“I met some beautiful people from around the world; a lot of adoptive grandparents wanted to take us under their wings,” he says, offering only a quiet smile when asked if he had met up with some not-so-likeable passengers. “It is like a family, but it is a service industry and I am still working in it. The people I chose to be with, were the lovely people.”
Performers were onstage anywhere from once a week to every second night, with shows spaced out because it was a longer cruise, he says, noting artists worked seven days a week, taught dance classes and were expected to converse with the passengers to give them a memorable cruise experience.
After almost two years and two world cruises, Fadear returned to Salmon Arm in January 2013 to find his land legs.
But he was gone again in June, heading to Vancouver where he has performed in music and dance videos for a local pop artist and was hired by the contemporary Lux dance company.
“You have to be a very well- rounded dancer in this industry,” he says.
Fadear began developing his credentials in Grade 8 when he joined the Just For Kicks studio, starting with lessons in jazz and hip hop.
Loving that, he moved into other genres – ballet, contemporary, modern and musical theatre.
Delighted to have won the Salmar Award of Excellence, Fadear plans to use the $1,000 prize to continue to train and work on his craft.
“You can always grow and work on your artistry, especially in Vancouver,” he says, describing the dance scene as a fast-paced, competitive game. “I’m enjoying it – it’s the best time for independent work and different types of dancing. Lots of videos and movies are being shot, so there are lots of opportunities.”