Toronto, Canada, July 15, 2015 – Performing Dance Arts (www.performingdancearts.ca), Toronto’s leading dance studio for children of all skill levels, is reacting to Cirque Du Soleil’s performance at the opening ceremony of the Pan Am Games.

After years of preparation, the Pan Am Games finally kicked off in Toronto on Friday July 10 in front of a crowd of 45,000 at the Rogers Centre. (Source: Huffington Post “Pan Am Games 2015 Opening Ceremony Features Dance, Flame, and Donovan Bailey,” July 10, 2015 http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/07/10/pan-am-games-opening-ceremony_n_7773804.html)

A huge part of the opening ceremony was the performance by Cirque Du Soleil, which featured 625 performers from 25 nations. They were not only chosen to be part of this event for their global recognition but because the Pan Am Games organizers felt they could best recite Toronto’s story of diversity through dance.

“The expectation that comes with the name Cirque Du Soleil is incredible,” says Ashley Daychak, Creative Director at Performing Dance Arts. “Dance is so often a part of any type of celebration and who better to get than the most well-known performance dance collective in the world?”

Daychak notes that it’s an incredible achievement for athletes to be a part of the Pan Am Games—over 10,000 athletes and officials are participating in what will be the largest sporting event Canada has ever hosted.

“It’s a massive undertaking,” Daychak concludes. “Unless you are a part of putting these games together, it’s difficult to comprehend just how much time and preparation goes into pulling this thing off as smoothly as possible. And though there was some criticism leading up to the games, I think once the opening ceremony got started, most Canadians felt the excitement and realized how big of a deal this actually is.”

The Pan Am Games runs until July 26, while the Parapan Am Games runs from August 7–15.

Performing Dance Arts is excited to support Toronto’s hosting of the Pan Am Games. To learn more about Performing Dance Arts, and its dance programs, visit https://performingdancearts.ca.