By Kelvin Gawley
Friday night was special for Justin Bieber fans from across the Lower Mainland, as he played a sold-out show at Rogers Arena. But it was extra special for one Abbotsford Belieber.
Kelly Blancas, 13, not only saw the megastar in concert for the first time, she got to meet him backstage and dance with him onstage in front of thousands of fans.
Kelly, who has been dancing for 10 years, was one of four dancers who won the opportunity to dance with Bieber for one song, after submitting a video of herself. Her skilled performance of the choreographed dance for Bieber's song "Children" won her a spot on his dance squad.
She was at the dance studio when her mom phoned, telling her she was going to perform with her idol.
“I was in shock,” she says. “I was crying.”
Bieber is including dancers like Blancas, aged nine to 15, at every show on his worldwide Purpose tour.
Kelly said that she spoke with the singer briefly, before the show.
“He was really nice… He just asked how we were, if we were nervous.”
And nervous she was.
“My palms were sweating like crazy.”
The performance went off without a hitch, despite the nerves, and Kelly was able to enjoy the rest of the concert from the pit, right in front of the stage.
When asked if she would like to dance with Bieber in the future, as a full-time job, Kelly responded without hesitation:
“I would love to! That would be amazing. This is what I really want to do.”
Kelly wasn’t the only Abbotsford native who got to meet Bieber this week. Canucks forward Jake Virtanen posted Instagram pictures of himself hanging out with the singer in Vancouver.