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In 1993 at the second annual Calgary Country Dance Stampede, the North West Award of Distinction was presented for the first time. It was to recognize a resident of the North West for; dedication to Country Western Dance, personifying its spirit; for giving time; for promoting; for offering a helping hand; and for giving encouragement.
Since 2001 this award lay dormant until, in 2009, the Calgary Dance Stampede decided to reinstate an award. As it was a new beginning the award was to recognize contributions and those whom have made major contributions to the sport of Country Dance. |
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| The etching on the award reads;
Calgary Dance Stampede
In Recognition Of Outstanding Effort and
Contribution Toward the Sport of
Country Western Dance
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| WAYNE & DORIS KNIGHT - 2009 |
Background:
In 1984, a dance troupe was brought in from British Columbia (BC) to put on a show at Cook County Saloon in Edmonton. The organizers of that group had been learning and teaching their craft in the lower mainland in BC. Part of this original collection of dancers remained on the west coast, including those who put together Canada’s second major Country Western dance competition, the Blue Ridge Festival in Vancouver, BC in 1990 running under the old North American Rules which then became part of the United Country Western Dance Council (UCWDC). East of the Rockies two new dance troupes evolved, one each in Alberta and in Saskatchewan. The groups were performance and exhibition oriented rather than competitive. Over time, dance lessons from members emanating from these groups sprang up through much of western Canada, as far north as Fort McMurray and Prince Albert, and from the mountains to Manitoba. The lead couple taught full time on the road for a number of years, often travelling out of Medicine Hat as far east as Manitoba on Sunday night or Monday morning and working their way back to Medicine Hat on the weekend, teaching in different locales each night. It is no stretch to suggest that over time they taught Country Western Dance to more people in more places in Canada than anyone else. |
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The Recipients:
No one really knows how long some form of Country Western dance has existed. Other people and other areas in western Canada were already into the fledgling Country Western scene in the mid ‘80's . Edmonton was a factor with interest in and growth of the sport. The recipients of the 2009 award were not the inventors or creators of the movement but were definitely pioneers, leaders, developers, promoters. One would be hard pressed to find anyone with the degree of influence relating to the genesis, spread and growth of our form of Country Western Dance in its early days [in this part of the world]. So much of Country Western Dance as we know it today in western Canada can trace back links or a relationship to our recipients ... even this event.
For those of you who haven’t figured it out, the dance troupe was the Rocky Mountain Dancers and the first recipients of the new Calgary Dance Stampede Award in recognition of outstanding effort and contribution toward the sport of Country Western Dance are Wayne and Doris Knight.
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Wayne Knight
Accepting Award |
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