Merritt is better known for cattle, pickup trucks and country music than a perfect plié and pointe.

But the town found itself abruptly in need of a ballet and dance instructor back in 2012.

Long time and much-loved teacher Linda Sandford, registered with the Royal Academy of Dance, planned to retire for health reasons.

This was of some community concern. Dance provided one of the few opportunities — and a highly prized one — for high culture in the roll-up-your-sleeves Nicola Valley where ranching, farming, forestry and transportation are the primary industries.

“The town advertised for months for a dance teacher for the town,” says Merritt resident Georgia Clements. “There is precious little for young girls to do unless they hunt, fish or ride dirt bikes. So, the dance teacher idea was primarily to provide a sliver of culture for them in a rather redneck community, and I say ‘redneck’ with affection.”

Sandford says a top standard of instruction had been established at the dance studio she ran. It showed in the students’ performance and both she and the parents wanted to maintain standards after she left.

So the Merritt Dance Society began advertising for a suitably qualified instructor to take over the program. They advertised first in Canada and then internationally.

Enter Lizette Nel, a South African dance instructor with 30 years of experience and a pedigree that includes the Royal Academy and the University of Pretoria. She not only came with top-drawer qualifications, she had a connection to Merritt. For the past five years her three grandchildren have been living in Merritt, where her daughter is married to the community’s golf pro.

The dance society saw a chance to maintain the high standards they sought; Nel saw a great opportunity to both work and have an extended stay with the grandchildren.

The Merritt Dance Society then applied for what’s called a “labour market opinion,” a federal government requirement that assesses to ensure a qualified Canadian isn’t being displaced or denied the job.

It got a favourable LMO and Nel applied for a foreign worker’s visa. This document, renewable each year to a maximum of four years, enabled her to legally work in Canada.

Considering enrolment at the dance studio under Sandford’s direction, the dance society felt comfortable offering Nel a wage of $25-an-hour and thought it was getting a pretty good deal considering her qualifications.

“She is an excellent teacher,” Sandford says. “She is a superior teacher. She has exceptional skill. I felt very comfortable leaving my students in her hands.”

Enter our helpful federal bureaucrats.

Sandford says it was made clear from the outset that because the dance lessons dovetail with the school year and other recreational activities, it was essential that the new dance instructor be in place by September.

Instead, her visa application was delayed for three months. When she arrived in December, the studio’s enrolment had dwindled to 12 as parents signed kids up for other recreational programs in the absence of a dance program.