A local teen will compete on a world stage this fall as part of Team Canada at the World Tap Dancing Championships in Germany.
Sixteen-year-old Kristie Sita is the youngest competitor on the adult team that hopes to wow the judges this December in what's referred to as the "Olympics of Tap."
"I'm very excited," Kristie said. "There is a lot of pressure but it feels good."
Kristie made the Team Canada cut last month when she auditioned along with hundreds of other hopefuls in the Lower Mainland.
"There were six different places you could audition," Kristie said, noting there were at least a hundred people at her audition location alone.
"It was about a two-hour audition and we found out that night that I had made the team."
Although tap is not Kristie's passion, she said she had "always tested really well" in the genre, so she decided to try out for the team at her dance teacher's urging.
"I took a shot and it turned out," Kristie said.
Kristie prefers the contemporary lyrical dance style but she credits the Coast Academy of Dance in Sechelt for their pre-professional program, which exposes dancers to many different genres.
"That's the great thing about our studio. It totally rounds you as a dancer because I do hip hop, tap, ballet, point, jazz, and they also train us in boot camp classes and flamenco classes so you just get a taste of everything," Kristie said.
Her training in tap has certainly paid off, and this week she was told she will perform a small group routine that will feature six of the 21 Team Canada dancers.
The special six were chosen at the end of the first rehearsal, and Kristie was thrilled to be picked.
The Team Canada tap dancers come from around the country, including Quebec, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Alberta and B.C.
Kristie will leave on Dec. 1 for the competition and return to the Coast on Dec. 8.
She is currently fundraising for the $3,500 it will cost to attend the championships in December. If you would like to donate, contact her at [email protected].
