Three Orillia dancers have returned home from representing Canada at the IDO World Tap Dance Championships in Croatia.
Adyson Nathan, 11, and her team of 22 tap dancers from across the country took home the silver medal in the children’s division.
The Samuel-De-Champlain Catholic Elementary School student says a ton of work went into the podium finish.
“It was a good experience,” Nathan said. “We started dancing and practising for this in August.”
While Nathan and her team were well prepared to go into the competition, she says she didn’t expect to win a medal.
“My expectation was to just have fun,” she said. “I was surprised to win a medal.”
Nathan has been tap dancing since she was two years old.
“I like doing the movements,” she said. “I like being able to make sounds with my feet.”
With her first international tap dancing competition in the books, she hopes to continue competing around the world with Team Canada for years to come.
Ella Ferry and Katie Crawford, 14, also competed in Croatia with Team Canada. The Orillia natives helped their team place sixth in the junior division.
“In 2019 we didn’t do that well, so it was good to finish this high,” Crawford said. “It wasn’t surprising to finish where we did, but it was still a rewarding experience.”
Ferry has competed on the global stage twice; for Crawford, it’s been three times. Ferry says competing in the world championships is always exciting.
“We made it through all the rounds this time,” she said. “Making it as far as we did felt pretty good.”
Like Nathan’s team, Ferry, Crawford, and the junior division team of 22 participated in five-hour practices beginning in August for the competition.
“It felt like our hard work paid off,” Crawford said. “Sixth out of 11 big groups between ages 13 and 16 is a pretty big deal.”
Ferry and Crawford have been tap dancing since they were three and four years old.
“I really like it,” Ferry said. “It gives me confidence.”
For Crawford, she enjoys the team element of dancing the most.
“I’ve built so many bonds through dance,” she said. “I’ve met a lot of people.”
Ferry, an Orillia Secondary School student, doesn’t have any specific goals in tap dancing going forward. While she does like the competitive aspect of it, her focus is on having fun.
“I kind of like doing this to have fun,” she said. “Even if we don’t place that good, it’s still always a great opportunity.”
As for Crawford, a Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School student, she would like another chance to compete on the world stage.
“I would love to do a solo at Worlds one day,” she said. “Even if I didn’t finish well, doing a solo on a stage like that would be cool.”
Nathan and Ferry thank Mariposa Dance Studio for all their support over the years.
Crawford says she is appreciative of her home dance studio as well, Tapps Performing Arts.
