The Citizen, 2016-11-17, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016. PAGE 19.
McGavin grabs gold from international dance event
PS 2018
etzlar/Germany
Big winners
Members of the adult Canada team at the International Dance Organization (IDO) World
Ballet, Modern and Jazz Dance Competition in Wetzlar, Germany brought home gold and silver
medals in the modern and jazz categories, respectively. Walton's Teegan McGavin, third from
the right in the back row, is a proud member of the championship team. (Photo submitted)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Team Canada brought home
dozens of accolades from the recent
International Dance Organization
(IDO) World Ballet, Modern and
Jazz Dance Competition in Wetzlar,
Germany, including some hardware
for Walton -area dancer Teegan
McGavin.
McGavin, a 16 -year-old student
from F.E. Madill Secondary School,
was part of the adult modern dance
and jazz formations that performed
at the competition, earning a gold
with the team's "Silence is the
Loudest Sound" modern routine and
a silver in the jazz competition for
their performance called "Chicago".
The team includes several dancers
from Lucknow's Danceology dance
studio as well as from across the
eastern part of the country.
McGavin explained to The Citizen
that there wasn't a lot of time for
Championship talent
Walton's Teegan McGavin, right, and one of the
choreographers for Team Canada's award winning
championship adult modern team Stephanie Rutherford
from Toronto, posed for a photo after the team brought
home the gold from the International Dance Organization
world competition in Wetzlar, Germany. (Photo submitted)
sightseeing during the trip.
"We practised every day, Monday
to Wednesday after we got there on
Sunday and got situated," she said.
"After that, we started dancing on
Thursday"
The competition ran a week, Oct.
23-30.
McGavin explained that the event
saw dozens of teams narrowed down
to six for the championships in each
round, and that the dance -off made
for a long day, starting at 9 a.m. and
consisting of several performances,
the last nearly 12 hours later at 8
p.m.
"We were pretty much on standby
Thursday to Saturday. Saturday was
a long day," she said.
Getting to the top wasn't easy,
McGavin said, as dancers from
Serbia, Norway, Slovenia and
Germany stood in their way. This
was the first time the Walton teen
had been to the competition, but she
said she had been warned of the
fierce competition from those
countries.
"They were tough contenders,"
she said.
The tough competition and tight
deadlines, however, didn't phase
McGavin, who said the trip was
amazing.
"It was so different to be there,"
she said. "I was stressed out on the
first day, but I got over it and saw
some really amazing things"
McGavin said that Wetzlar is not a
big city and it is filled with
cobblestone paths to explore and the
different people to meet.
"It was so exciting and such a rush
to meet all these people speaking
different languages," she said. "The
dance styles were amazing as well.
Some people were similar to us and
some were very different"
Some of the amazing interpersonal
experiences were also with people
from her own team. While they
weren't foreign to McGavin, her
teammates do come from all over the
place and the choreographers really
proved to be really great teachers.
"The team was very important at
the competition," she said. "They
were amazing people to learn from
and learn with"
Shannon, McGavin's mother, said
she saw how the team got along at
home and wasn't worried, but was
very impressed with how well they
came together when they were on
foreign soil.
"They really jelled and
came together," she said.
"Everyone was a big help for
everyone else, the parents included"
That jelling led the team a long
way, as they brought home the most
medals, more than the next three
countries combined.
Team Canada set a pretty high bar,
bringing home 24 gold medals, 17
silver and 16 bronze, a total of 57
medals. Slovenia was second
place (14 medals) and Serbia
and Italy tied for third (nine medals
each).
As far as returning next year,
McGavin said she wasn't sure.
"It's a pretty long road," she said.
"Auditions are in March. I don't
know if I'm going to go back. I'm
considering it, but I'm also
considering taking a year off. Either
way, I'll be super happy"
McGavin spoke with wisdom,
saying that as much as she loved
dance, there are tiring moments in
the experience. Thus far, however,
the moments that inspire her love of
the activity overcome those
exhaustive moments.
"Every time I get on the stage, I
fall in love again," she said.
Shannon was happy to hear her
daughter say that.
"There is a lot of work involved,
so I'm glad she still loves it,"
Shannon said of her daughter. "She
loved the experience and that makes
it worthwhile."
As far as her favourite moment,
Teegan said it was definitely her
time on the podium.
"That's the real crystalizing
moment," she said. "You can make it
to the worlds and go through and not
really feel the impact of what's
going on until you're on the podium,
singing the national anthem and
watching the flags come up.
It's an incredible, unforgettable
experience"
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