For Briana Fram, dance has always been a way for her to express her emotions.
This season, the instructor and choreographer at Project Dance had the studio's entire competitive team help her in expressing the heartbreak of losing a loved one.
The dance troupe performed a routine — A Tribute to Jordan Fram — at three competitions this year. It earned accolades as the Sudbury region's People's Choice routine and is now up against 28 other routines from across North America, vying for an international title with the Federation of Dance Competitions (FDC).
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A routine — A Tribute to Jordan Fram — performed by the competitive team at Project Dance (pictured), is up for international recognition with the Federation of Dance Competitions. The public is invited to vote for the routine online until July 15. Supplied photo.
Jordan Fram, along with Jason Chenier, was killed June 8, 2011 in a mining accident at Vale's Stobie Mine.
Briana is Jordan's younger sister. She said she couldn't watch the routine without crying because of the raw emotion the dancers expressed through their movements.
"I miss my brother, but at the same time, it's just a beautiful piece to watch," she said. "It brings back so many memories."
Briana said her brother was often at the New Sudbury dance studio, helping out backstage and attending the Project Dance Christmas parties.
"He was a big part of the studio," she said. "We're a very close family ... the girls have seen what Maegan and I have gone through, and they've felt our pain, and they just did a beautiful job expressing that."
The dance, which was choreographed by Maegan Fram, Project Dance owner and Briana and Jordan's sister-in-law, tells the story of a girl who wants to go see the person she's lost.
"But all she has to do is ... look up to the sky and know they're there with her," she said.
"It reminded me that no matter how much I miss (Jordan) and how badly I want him back, I know he's always here with us and always in our hearts and beside us, watching us and looking over us."
Maegan began choreographing the routine last fall as a way to honour her brother-in-law.
"For both (Briana and I), dance has been a huge part of our lives and it was a way we could express our feelings and gratitude," she said. "I think it was a good way to keep Jordan's memory alive and just bring awareness to the public of the situation and what happened and just how much it has affected our community."
Maegan said she feels honoured to represent the community "with such a meaningful routine."
"We had so many people from other studios in Sudbury coming up to us and saying they were going to vote for us, and they were so happy it won," Briana said.
"Just because they knew how much meaning there is behind it," Maegan added. "Jordan was known by a lot of people in the dance community. He was such a loveable person, he had a lot of friends. He was just that guy."
A poll is set up on the FDC's Facebook page for the public to vote on a winner for the competition. The winner will be recognized at the FDC's international gala being held in Cancun, Mexico.
To vote for the dance, visit www.projectdance.ca, click on the Facebook link provided, "Like" the Federation of Dance Competitions page and vote for Project Dance under the Thunderstruck poll. Voting closes July 15.
To view the dance, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4UaeEHKKYI
Posted by Laurel Myers
