A Burnaby dancer is taking her place amongst the world's best again this year.
Caroline Kiddie, a student at Douglas Ballet Academy, has been accepted into Team Canada West for the second year in a row and will represent the country in ballet and modern dance at the International Dance Organization world championships in Poland in December.
The IDO world championships, which run from Dec. 7 to 14, draw top dancers from more than 90 countries around the world and are described as the "Olympics of dance."
Caroline has been named to the junior large ballet group, small ballet group and small modern group and will also be competing in the ballet solo category.
Last year, the junior team - of which Caroline was a member - won two gold medals in ballet, placed fourth for large jazz group and sixth for large modern group.
Caroline and her teammates are already rehearsing intensively every weekend in preparation for the competition.
On top of that Team Canada commitment, Caroline attends the half-day pre-professional training program at Douglas Ballet Academy, studying ballet, contemporary, lyrical and jazz. She's also in Grade 10 French immersion at Moscrop Secondary School.
Caroline is also fundraising for her trip to Poland - which costs $3,600, plus costumes, for each dancer. She's selling Team Canada pins, planning a dance-a-thon, applying for arts scholarships and seeking sponsorships from the business community.
She'll also be part of a fundraising gala for Team Canada on Saturday, Nov. 29 at the Massey Theatre in New Westminster.
Contact skiddie@shaw.ca or head choreographer daniellegardner6@gmail.com if you're interested in sponsoring Caroline and other Team Canada dancers.
