Kia Jimmy is a member of the Thunderchild First Nation. (supplied)

By Angela Brown

Dream come true

Thunderchild First Nation ballerina accepted into international company

Oct 2, 2019 | 5:04 PM

When Kia Jimmy steps into her role on the stage as a ballerina she says she finds her voice as an artist.

The Thunderchild First Nation member who grew up in Saskatoon is thrilled she was accepted into an international ballet company so she can go on to pursue the career of her dreams.

The 20-year-old joined The U.S. International Ballet company, based in Wilmington, North Carolina, in July after auditioning in March.

Jimmy, who is spending the first year as a trainee, said joining the company has been a great experience and is “definitely life-changing.”

“So far I’m really enjoying it, and I’m having a lot of fun,” she said.

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The young woman wanted to join this particular ballet company because she found it to be more inclusive and focused on a dancer’s passion and talent, rather than based on a particular body type.

Jimmy said she always had the desire to dance professionally since she was just eight years old.

“Since then, I’ve just loved it,” she said. “I feel like I’m a pretty shy person so dancing allowed me to open up and show what I had [to offer] the world.”

She is currently working on a Halloween-themed production with the U.S. company called Vampires, and will be taking part in a performance of The Nutcracker closer to Christmas.

Jimmy started as a youth with the Sitter School of Dance in Saskatoon, where she studied hiphop, lyrical dance, jazz, tap and ballet. When she found her passion in ballet, she wanted to pursue it.

“I feel like you can express more,” Jimmy said of the beauty of ballet as an art form.

At age 14 she completed an intensive summer workshop with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. The following year she auditioned and was accepted into the School of Alberta Ballet, where she attended for the past four years before graduating in 2019.

Jimmy said she believes she is the only Indigenous dancer with The U.S. International Ballet company, and enjoys bringing her unique heritage to her art.

Her father Wilfred Jimmy said the family is extremely proud of Kia’s success.

“It’s nice to see that through hard-work, commitment, and dedication you become successful,” Wilfred said. “One thing we have always told her as parents is: never give up.”

He said although there may be obstacles to overcome it is important to keep trying.

“You’ll be surprised how much goodness comes out of you when you set your mind to something,” Wilfred said.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow