To help the community heal after the horrific stabbing attacks at Lynn Valley Village last month, a North Vancouver mom inspired a dance trend, which has culminated in an uplifting video.
Nicole Byrom, a longtime Lynn Valley resident, said she created the dance video as a way to help the community mend after the violent incident on March 27.
“I've lived in Lynn Valley my entire life and I've never felt the community feel so sad here before and I needed to figure out a COVID-friendly way to lift the community’s spirits up and to help us move forward from it and feel safe again in our own community,” she said.
Byrom had originally thought of doing a flash mob dance as a “modality to heal” but with COVID-19 numbers spiking, she switched to a dance routine that groups of 10 could perform safely, eight feet apart.
“My whole family loves music and dancing, and I just thought that helps heal us. So, let's see if it can help heal the community,” she said.
“Part of the idea of dancing in uniform is togetherness. So, we are dancing as one. We are standing as one. We are moving forward as one.”
With both of Byrom’s daughters in classes at RNB Dance, at Lynn Valley Village, she asked Hayley Walker, the principal and artistic director at the studio, to help by creating a dance routine for everyone to follow.
The dance is choreographed to a song called Soundwave, by Lynn Valley’s very own Trevor Guthrie.
Coincidentally, both Byrom and Guthrie attended Ecole Argyle Secondary, albeit a few years apart. Guthrie is also a friend of Byrom's husband, so she reached out to him to see if she could use his song for the video, and he was more than happy to allow it.
“I wanted a song that was very relevant to our community and he is a Lynn Valley song artist,” she said. I also wanted to make sure that the message was uplifting and that the beat was danceable.
“The fact that it was by Trevor Guthrie was just so huge, it’s a voice of Lynn Valley singing to Lynn Valley.”
Up to 16 community groups and organizations rallied to take part in the dance, including Lynn Valley Lions Club, North Shore Rescue, North Vancouver City Fire Department, District of North Vancouver City Fire Services, BC Ambulance Service Local 248 paramedics, North Shore Emergency Services, Lynn Valley Elementary, and a number of local dance groups.
#lynnvalleystrong We love our community & we stand together, we stand as one.
— North Vancouver City Fire Dept (@NVCFD) April 15, 2021
Watch the video - https://t.co/LKhaMQwNcU#lynnvalley #northshore #love #northvan #northvancouver #strong #standtogether #westandasone #dance@CityOfNorthVan @NVanDistrict @DNVFRS @NorthShoreNews pic.twitter.com/JjqnVJOKGZ
All the groups filmed their routines separately and Byrom compiled them into one video so it can live on and continue uplifting spirits in the community and sending the message that Lynn Valley stands together.
“If you're feeling scared, know that you are not alone,” Byrom said. “We are here. We are one and we are going to move forward together. That was the whole purpose.”
Byrom said “it was very heartwarming” to see so many people get involved.
She gave her heartfelt thanks to everyone who dusted off their dance shoes in the Lynn Valley community and made the effort to be a part of the video.
“I couldn't have done this without the community,” Byrom said. “Thank you to Lynn Valley for rallying around us and making it happen.”
