A 16-year-old Yorkton resident will represent Saskatchewan at a prestigious national talent competition in Ontario this winter.
When Lauren Denysek, a Grade 11 student at Yorkton Regional High School, submitted her audition video to the senior competition of the 2011 Saskatchewan Youth Talent Search in June, she had good reason to believe she would make it into the preliminary round. After all, Lauren was a two-time winner of the talent search's junior competition in past years.
But she had no idea if she would go any further than that. Lauren entered the show as a tap dancer, but the provincial competition (held in mid-August at the Saskatoon Exhibition) is open to performers of all types. She was up against 24 other senior competitors who varied as much in age-13 to 21-as they did in talents.
Fellow dancers, variety acts, instrumentalists, singers, and bands from every corner of the province had a spot onstage during the five days of the preliminary competition.
"I was getting nervous. You never know what talent's going to come out of Saskatchewan," remembers Lauren, whose performance was scheduled for August 13, the last night of preliminaries. "I had no clue if I was going to make it to the finals or not."
It was Lauren's second year of refining her tap solo, a routine choreographed by her teacher Tammy Kostersky of Dance Innovations. She was confident in her steps by now, and confident that the lively, complex routine was a crowd-pleaser.
"It's all to rhythm and piano music and different instruments and it's very fast paced, and you're hitting every note on the beat.
"It was one of my more difficult solos, so that was a challenge, but it always feels good once you do it and once you nail it," says Lauren.
The performance went well. When Lauren checked in later that night for the list of finalists, her name was on it.
"I was so surprised. I was super pumped, thinking I'd just made it to that round," she recalls. "I honestly didn't think I was going to win, but I was obviously going to try."
The competition was even stiffer for the final performance the following night. Among the final seven, two vocalists, a dance duet, and a beatboxer were particularly exceptional. Even Lauren's mother, Christina Denysek, began to have doubts.
"There was a couple that really stood out, and I didn't think she was going to win," she laughs. "So I'm learning to keep my mouth shut in the future."
After finishing her dance, Lauren awaited the results with her fellow contestants onstage, simply relieved to have it over with.
"I was just honored to stand with these people, not thinking I would win or get runner-up or anything."
Her name was announced: first place. She was blown away.
Unlike the junior competition, winning the senior Saskatchewan Youth Talent Search means more than just prestige and a prize package; it's a golden opportunity. The 13 winners from across Canada go on to represent their provinces at the Canadian Youth Talent Competition, held this year in London, Ontario from November 16 to 19.
Lauren and her family haven't been told much about what to expect at the national competition, a part of the annual Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions (CAFE) convention. She won't know what sort of talent she is up against until she arrives.
"I'm just really excited to go, and I'm excited to meet the other talents that came from the other provinces-to see what they have to offer and see how they got there."
Participating in the Canadian Youth Talent Competition puts Lauren in some distinguished company.
Past competitors have included Michael Bublé, Canadian Idol finalist Craig Sharpe, and dancer/pop singer Blake McGrath.
Lauren's mother thinks her daughter, who has been dancing since the age of three, could take home the gold. She believes that Lauren's love of the art and her extra training in acting and singing put a rare spark into her stage presence.
"It's not just about being able to get onstage and execute steps: it's also about performing and the audience enjoying what you do. I think that's something she's really worked hard at," says Christina. "I'm probably biased as a mom, but she really brings life to the performance."
Lauren isn't focused on the national title. She's just thankful for the opportunity she's been given, and for the support from her dance instructor, her teachers at school, her family, and the community.
"Even just being there is enough."
