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North Delta teen dancer to make her debut on the world stage

Emma McQuarrie will be competing in Portugal this June for the Dance World Cup
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Emma McQuarrie will be heading off to Portugal in June to compete in an international dance competition. (Grace Kennedy photo)

Twelve years of dancing and numerous awards are not enough to make Emma McQuarrie conceited.

The 16-year-old has been dancing since she was a toddler, growing in skill as she expanded her repertoire to include jazz, lyrical, contemporary and ballet, as well as choreography and musical theatre. This year, she’s playing Sophie in Burnsview Secondary’s performance of Mamma Mia — and choreographing the show as well.

Although ballet is her favourite dance style, it’s not necessarily her professional dream. Instead, McQuarrie hopes that someday, maybe, she can make her debut on Broadway.

“Broadway is my dream,” the North Delta teen said.

“I know that’s a very difficult goal, because you have to have really good connections,” she said. “But … I think that if I kept working as hard as I am, I could make it. Even if it’s just as a chorus girl.”

For now, McQuarrie will have to be content with showcasing her ballet, jazz and contemporary skills on the international stage.

This June, McQuarrie will be heading off to compete against some of the best young dancers in the world at the Dance World Cup in Braga, Portugal.

“It’s going to be scary, but it’s going to be really fun,” McQuarrie said.

The Dance World Cup has been an international competition since 2004, allowing children and young adults to showcase their talents in a variety of dance genres.

Last year saw 5,850 competitors attend the Dance World Cup in Spain, and it’s not clear exactly how many dancers will be there for 2019, as qualifying competitions continue to take place around the world.

This past spring, McQuarrie was selected to be part of the World Performers Canada — the Canadian team for the Dance World Cup — during a competition in Chilliwack. Initially chosen to be part of the jazz team, she also successfully auditioned to compete with the ballet and contemporary groups as well.

The Remembrance Day long-weekend saw McQuarrie practice with the other B.C. dancers for the first time since August.

“That was very exciting but very stressful,” she said. “We wanted to make sure we weren’t disappointing any of our choreographers because we don’t [normally] dance together.”

“My group is very confident with our contemporary dance,” she added. “We’re confident that we’ll be able to figure it out. It already looks pretty clean to the choreographer, and she’s happy with the progress that we’ve made so far.

For ballet, we’re a little bit more unsure because the choreography is very intricate,” she added. “But, we are going to do our best, and we will be figuring it out.”

During the Dance World Cup, the Canadian team will be performing in two different age categories in a number of different groups. The B.C. dancers, who will be performing together, are part of smaller ensembles. The Eastern dancers, from Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, could be in groups of up to 30 people.

In total, 153 Canadian dancers will be travelling to Portugal to compete in the Dance World Cup.

SEE ALSO: Surrey dancer headed to Portugal for prestigious ballet competition

This will be McQuarrie’s first time competing internationally — she’s performed in Las Vegas and Disneyland, but never in a competition format — and from a dancing perspective she feels ready. (Or, she will be by the time June rolls around.)

But financially, there’s still some work to do. McQuarrie has to find $4,000 in funds to pay for her fees for World Performers Canada, as well as an additional $5,000 for the necessary trip to Toronto before the competition and the following trip to Portugal.

So far, the family has held one fundraiser — a sip and shop in North Delta that raised about $800 for the teen’s trip — and the next will be held on Saturday (Nov. 17) at the One20 Public House (120 - 8037 Scott Rd.).

The fundraiser will feature performances from Surrey musician Ashley Pater, The Showstoppers Trio and McQuarrie herself. All performers are local, and many are from McQuarrie’s circle of acquaintances.

The family is hoping to get 150 people to attend, so the pub can be booked as a private function and underage attendees can continue to listen to the music after 10 p.m.

“We want the friends and the youth to be able to stay and enjoy the evening,” McQuarrie’s mother, Jennifer, said. “It would be really nice if we can sell out the pub so we don’t have to worry about that transition.”

Tickets for the event can be purchased at the door: $15 for adults, $10 for students. Tickets for people over the age of 19 come with a complimentary wine and beer tasting. Kids under the age of 12 are free, and doors open at 6 p.m.

Although the goal of the fundraiser is to help raise money so McQuarrie can represent Canada overseas, that’s not what she focuses on.

“Of course I want people to come to the fundraiser to help me fundraise, but … I don’t want your money,” McQuarrie said. “I would rather someone hear my name … or see a picture of me dancing on the world stage and say ‘I’m really proud of her.’”

For more information on McQuarrie’s coming fundraiser, check out the Facebook event at facebook.com/events/2202971969971801.



grace.kennedy@northdeltareporter.com

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