Katy Fairbairn is all set to tap her way to Prague this fall.
The Snow Valley resident and Barrie North Collegiate graduate is part of the 23-member Team Canada competing in the International Dance Organization World Tap Dance Championships against 40 countries at the end of October in the Czech Republic.
“Before going to Prague, we rehearse roughly 15 to 20 hours per week … on top of any other dance commitment,” says Fairbairn, a second-year student at Queen’s University.
That involves trips the Toronto area every weekend while she spends the summer working full time in digital marketing and communication for Empower Simcoe in Barrie. That trek becomes even longer when she returns to school in Kingston. The rehearsing continues right until the dancers hit the stage in Prague.
Fairbairn says she enjoys dancing and competes in all styles, but found her strength in tap.
She trained for many years at All That's Dance & More in Innisfil, which closed this year. She’s currently involved in at the new Official Dance Project on Bayfield Street where she is teaching this summer.
Fairbairn, who dances on the adult team, will be joined in Prague by junior dancer from the new studio.
“I’ve been dancing my entire life and something I’ve realized, especially going away to school, is I always find opportunities to dance. It’s not a thing I can easily give up. To say I’m obsessed with it would be an understatement. I absolutely love it," she says.
“I want to be able to continue dancing and making a positive impact whether it’s at home or at school or whatever I’m involved with while still being able to represent my country on an international level.”
Describing Fairbairn as active, doesn’t quite capture the breadth of activities in which she's involved.
During her first year at university studying global development and business, where she maintains a high academic standing, Fairbairn found her groove. She became the first-year intern for Queen’s University dance club executive team, one of Canada’s largest student-run clubs with just over 600 members.
“I got to shadow all of the different executive roles,” she says. “I was able to learn from each person … This upcoming year I’m going to be the director of marketing for the club.”
She’ll also be teaching with the club.
She was also involved in the Vogue Charity Fashion Show presented by Queen’s students. It involves three days of shows involving music, dance, modelling and design that raises money for a local charity. This year, the club raised close to $80,000 for Extend-A-Family Kingston, which works with people with disabilities.
During high school, she was student council president, captain of the girls’ basketball team, creator of the Barrie North dance team and grad-wear representative. She graduated with several awards, including the Ontario Principal’s Award for Leadership and the school board’s Excellence in Education Award.
This year’s trip to Prague is the second time Fairbairn will be competing internationally. In 2022, she attended the same competition in Zagreb, Croatia.
“It was an incredible experience. I got to meet people from all over the world. We did decently well, as far as placements go, and I made some really good friends,” she says. “I really want to go back. I loved it.”
But the venture isn’t cheap. She figures the trip and preparations to exceed $4,000 and is hoping to land community sponsorships to offset those costs.
In her requests, she includes a letter from Team Canada Dance national director Bonnie Dyer, who explains that dance is not recognized as a sporting event and dancers are not eligible, therefore, for government support.
Fairbairn is keen to hear from potential sponsors as well as anyone able to donate an item to a fundraising raffle.
She can be reached at [email protected] and on Instagram, @katyfairbairn_.
