Two local dancers are among those representing Canada this week in the World Dance Championships in Reisa, Germany.
Natasha Orchison, 14, from Abbotsford Dance Centre and Alexis Harper, 11, from Dance In Motion are among several local dancers who auditioned and were selected for the championships, which run Nov. 20 to 25.
The pair were among 50 of the best young dancers from Western Canada to earn a spot on Team Canada ShowDance West, led by accomplished head choreographer Danielle Gardner.
Gardner, a former World Champion dancer, is a former finalist on So You Think You Can Dance Canada, and has had film appearances on CBC’s Motive and the iconic dance film Centre Stage.
The group of young dancers, ages seven to 19, trained with Gardner every Sunday for 11 weeks.
The International Dance Organization has more than 250,000 member dancers from six continents.
The World Championship format is Olympic-style with only one gold, silver and bronze medal presented on the podium.
“Being offered the opportunity to bring together amazing dancers from all over Western Canada, who have not danced together, to form them into a team and then to watch them proudly representing Canada on the world stage is indeed a treasured gift,” Gardner says.
Visit teamcanadadance.com for more information.