Obara off to compete at World Dance Championships
The world is about to become the stage for Macy Obara. The 14-year-old dancer is headed to the World Show Dance Championships in Riesa, Germany, Nov. 20-25 as a member of Team Canada West as well as Exisdance in Lethbridge.
As she gets ready for her first performance at a world championship, Obara will be busy with four dances.
“Team Canada West brings a large group and small group duo and two soloists,” said Obara, who will compete in the junior category (12-15). “I’m doing the large group, the small group, a duo with Tianna (Chilibeck, from Surrey) and a solo.”
It’s a full slate, but it’ll allow Obara the chance to perform in front of a world-wide audience.
Canada sends an East team and a West team to the worlds.
Team West is composed of 22 dancers who will perform one group Show Dance.
The Canadian Dance Organization offers elite dancers an opportunity to represent their country at the official World Dance Championships, giving Obara and her teammates the chance to meet other international dancers and dance together as a team with other dancers from across Canada.
The competition format is Olympic style with podium, flag raising and playing of the national anthem.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do outside of the studio,” said Obara, who has been training with Team West in Langley, B.C., since August in preparation for her worlds debut.
“Also, I get to dance with a bunch of dancers I’ve never met before. They’re all different because they’re from B.C. And every week I get to go see them. As well, I have a choreographer, Danielle (Gardner), who is amazing and fun to work with. I have a different choreographer (Charlene Hart), also from Langley, who does my duo and she’s amazing, too.”
It’s been an intense 10 weeks of training and travel leading up to the worlds.
“In August we started training and every weekend I’d fly to B.C. and practise on Saturdays and Sundays,” said Obara, who has been dancing since she was four. “We learned all of our dances at our first practice. Now, we clean them up and change them because there are a bunch of props. It’s a lot of work because you don’t have that much time. But it gets done fast.”
But, the hard work put into all four routines has paid off.
“Our large group has a really cool concept with Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolves. I’m Little Red Riding Hood in that one,” said Obara. “There are 21 wolves. It’s kind of a darker theme. That one, I think, looks really cool with all the props because we have trees and bushes. Our small group is a samurai theme and then we have a queen. There’s one queen and six samurais. Our duo is a Michael Jackson, that one is probably my favourite. We’re big fans of Michael Jackson.
“My solo that I’m getting help from my teacher (Exisdance Movement Company Inc. owner Janielle Scott) is kind of an escaping darkness theme. I start on the dark side and find light.”
Training in B.C. has been a highlight for Obara with the world event around the corner.
“I’ve become really good friends with my duo partner, Tianna,” she said “So that’s a big part of it. It’s crazy because I only see her once a week and we’re really close now. I get taught dance here, but when I go to B.C. I get taught different moves.”
As she prepares to leave for Germany Saturday, Obara’s focus is more on the routines she’s worked hard to hone rather than the podium.
“I don’t even really care if I win,” she said. “I think it’s going to be really cool because I get to see a bunch of other countries dance and I’ve never competed against anyone (outside) of Canada. Just the whole trip, going there with all my dancer friends. It’s really exciting.”