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Friday, March 22, 2024 5Brooklin Town Crier By Richard Bercuson By the end of this year, it is entirely possible that Brooklin dancer Madison Williams will be on her way to realizing her dream of dancing and acting in Los Angeles. What is standing in her way of obtaining the required visa is, well, not much given her determination. "Trying to book an agent there is really hard," she says. "When you don't have the credits, footage and so on, it can take years to build up the background. But my time is now." There is a single-mindedness in the young woman, now 27, who began dancing at age 3 at the Durham Dance Centre and has turned her passion into a career. She now teaches dance, choreographs s h o w s , takes acting lessons to expand her marketability, and, of course, performs. Choreography, she says, while rewarding is also physically and mentally exhausting. "You pour so much of yourself into it." Dance was it Even at age 6 while competing in shows in Florida and Buffalo, she knew dance was for her. By the time she was finishing high school at Sinclair Secondary School because of the French Immersion program, she realized where life was going to take her. She enrolled at University of Guelph to study psychology and marketing, isn't entirely sure why, yet by her third year, it was clear dance was her future. In an art form where so many performers limit themselves to just one or two styles, Williams takes pride in loving nearly all of them. "I train in them all. It's helped me a lot because being versatile is so important to make a career or it." She describes how there seem to be more older dancers, over the age of 35, than before which means she is still well within the range of what shows will look for. And more recently, she's been adding acting to her resume, performing in commercials and reality shows, all the while aiming for bigger and better gigs. Important mentor She credits Montreal dancer Kim Gingras with being her mentor. "The more you invest in yourself," Gingras has told her, "the more you will be on the right path. Be proud of what you're doing." Gingras has performed with some of the biggest names in show business and has had an enormous influence on Williams. "This industry," Williams says, "can make you feel down. You can get 90 NOs and 10 YESes and really wonder what you're there for. Kim has kept me focused." Just last year, Williams admits she had one of those moments when she asked herself, "What am I doing? Is this meant for me? "As a dancer, you give up a lot. I've had to push my ego and pride aside and look at the steps I need to take to get me there. It's mind over matter. Some people are just comfortable where they are. I'm not one of those." And to prove her point, her pursuit for a career on the biggest possible stage continues unabated. Brooklin, we need your help to clean-up our parks! The Brooklin Ashburn Myrtle (BAM) Lions Club is organizing the 21st annual Pitch-in Brooklin cleanup event the first Saturday after Earth Day, April 27, 9 - 11 am at all Brooklin parks (rain or shine), excluding Grass Park (being renovated). Please arrive at 9 am, to sign in, obtain gloves and trash bags. Thank you for your interest in helping clean up our parks as part of the Earth Day celebrations that week. Tim Hortons beverages and treats to be available for participants. If you are interested in being park captain or event sponsor, please contact Steve at BAMLions@gmail.com. Park Location Map for Pitch-In Brooklin Pitch-In Brooklin Looms The Dancer Has A Vision Photo by @aidantooth