Lauren Tokiwa has overcome sickled feet to become one of the most promising young dancers in the province.

When dance teacher and choreographer Tonya Wejr first watched the Brookswood teen dance four years ago, Wejr saw some great potential. But she also feared the young dancer’s propensity to incorrectly point her feet while dancing could hurt any hopes of a career in the arts.

Well, with a lot of hard work and intense training, Tokiwa has not only overcome this common hurdle, she’s won one of the highest awards possible for an aspiring young B.C. dancer.

For the second consecutive year, Tokiwa won top spot in the stage dance category at the Performing Arts BC provincial competitions in early June.

This is an uncommon – almost unprecedented feat – said Wejr, who was bursting with pride when they shared the news of the win with the Langley Advance.

“I was floored,” said Wejr, who started working with Tokiwa at another dance studio, and has since opened her own studio, Kick It Up a Notch Academy of Dance, in Aldergrove.

“I was honestly shocked,” Wejr said, not of her pupil’s talents, but of the fact that a 16-year-old won twice in a row.

“I’ve been to the BCs myself, as a young dancer, and I know what it’s like,” Wejr said. “I didn’t think it could happen twice, at least not two years in a row.”

Tokiwa was equally shocked, but not necessarily for the same reasons.

Going up against dancers ranging from 16 to 20 years of age, the Grade 11 Langley Fundamental student was competing against about 20 of the province’s best entries in the senior stage dance category.

“I was quite surprised to make it into the top three this year, given that I was one of the youngest ones,” she said.

Tokiwa’s mother first signed her up in dance at age four because she was such a high-energy child, and is now glowing with pride at the girl’s accomplishments.

Sitting in the audience at the provincials with her peers – after a gruelling week of workshops and dance competitions – Tokiwa remembered those beginnings and was actually reminiscing about her early days in dance classes, when – much to her astonishment – the judges called her name.

She made it in the top three.

She jumped out of her seat, hugged her mom, and ran up on stage to join the other two contestants.

“I was on cloud nine,” she said, of making it into the finals.

But with only a few minutes to bask in the joy of the moment, she and her competitors had to switch gears.

They had little more than an hour to return to their Prince Rupert hotel rooms, change, warm up, and get mentally prepared to perform again.

Of course, in between, Tokiwa had to squeeze in a call to “Miss Tonya,” as the students call Wejr, to share the news.

“By the end of the week, we’re getting tired… It definitely took focus, especially to perform at 8:30 or 9 p.m. at night,” Tokiwa said.

But focus she did, explained her mother Kelly, who is always astonished by her daughter’s ability to switch “into the zone” and dance with such grace and precision.

With the adrenaline pumping, Tokiwa took her turn on the provincials’ stage, performing a near flawless jazz solo routine.

“I wasn’t going in expecting to win,” Tokiwa recounted. But she did.

“It’s still exciting,” she said days later. “It’s still shocking to me. I wasn’t expecting it this year… It just motivates me to keep on dancing so when I come in to class I just love to be here.”

What lies ahead for this up-and-coming dancer is still unknown.

But this recent win helps solidify for her a future revolving around dance.

“Oh dear,” Wejr said, smiling over at her star pupil, “what am I going to do with her next year?”

Having achieved the top ranking for a solo dancer in stage, Tokiwa’s newest challenge is dancing with a partner.

Looking a little further into the future, she said she could join a contemporary dance company. But born and raised in Langley, she’s not too sure if she wants a life of travel.

Maybe she’ll follow Wejr’s lead and compete in So You Think You Can Dance Canada. To do that, however, she’ll have to wait until she’s 19.

For now, she’ll continue entering four or five dance competitions a year. She’ll keep travelling three days a week to Aldergrove to dance, and at least one day a week to teach.

Life after high school will probably include some post-secondary education at the University of the Fraser Valley. But Tokiwa doesn’t know yet what kind of area of study she’ll hone in on.

For now, her world is consumed by dance.

“I don’t think I could just stop dancing,” she said. “It’s just been a part of my life since I can remember.”

Mom said there’s hardly a moment when her daughter isn’t dancing, except while sleeping and reading. In fact, Kelly said, the only time she can remember her daughter sitting still was when she was reading – even in sleep is questionable.

At 11 p.m., Tokiwa is often dancing in her room. Even after a full day of competition, the teen arrives home and can be found flitting around the kitchen.

Admittedly, Tokiwa knows the span of a dancer’s career – even if they succeed – is short. So she’s seriously been thinking of a second career as a teacher – dance teacher, naturally. Again following Wejr’s lead, she might also consider choreography.

“For dancers, dancing is a very short part of your life,” said the straight-A student. “I’m hoping to dance for as long as my body will let me.”

She’s come a long way, Wejr said.

“I remember when I first met her, she was a talented dancer, a passionate dancer with sickled feet. We said we were going to fix it, and we did it.”

Wejr really believes her pupil has the ability and talent to make an imprint on the dancing world.

Tokiwa started at the regionals

To qualify for the provincials in Prince Rupert this year, Tokiwa had to first win at a regional festival.

And she did. For the second year in a row, she competed at the Chilliwack Lions Club Music and Dance Festival in February and won.

Last year, she was picked to represent the intermediate dancers at the provincials. This year, at age 16, she moved up into the senior age category.

There are three regional festivals held in the Lower Mainland, one in Chilliwack, one in Surrey, and the other called Pacific West.

Each regional festival sends its most promising young artists between the ages of 10 and 28 to participate in the annual provincial festival.

The five-day event encompasses special master classes, lectures, coaching, workshops, technique classes and adjudications.

More than 32,000 young musicians, dancers and dramatic artists, ranging in age from five to 28, participate each year in one of these regional festivals.

The provincials, is the “eagerly anticipated pinnacle” of B.C.’s festival circuit, and is hosted by a different regional festival each year. Only the most promising young performers from each regional festival are recommended to the provincial festival – where they compete and participate in adjudicated sessions, master classes, coaching, workshops and technique classes with some of North America’s top adjudicators.

Classes are offered at the provincial level in classical voice, musical theatre piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, guitar, chamber music, speech arts, ballet, modern dance, and – Tokiwa’s category – stage dance.

The very best performers in various music disciplines are then recommended to move on to the National Music Festival, but there is no national competition for stage dance, Wejr explained.