CALGARY -- No one knows if there will be a Calgary Stampede in 2021, but that's not stopping the Young Canadians from making sure they're performance-ready.

The 130 plus ensemble has returned to training, albeit in a format that fits a pandemic.

The group of singers and dancers, who receive Broadway-level dance training in order to perform at the yearly Stampede Grandstand Show, are being being broken down into smaller practice groups, in order to adhere to Alberta Health Service guidelines.

Young Canadians

And while the tap dancers are free to move about the dance floor, wind instrument players and singers face unique challenges, because those latter two have been deemed to be highly spreadable forms of creative expression.

Although they can't rehearse as they normally would, they're keeping up with music theory, and finding creative ways to remain performance-ready.

The Stampede says that despite being unable to schedule major shows in the near future, they are thrilled to be back in the rehearsal room and reconnecting with friends and mentors.