There must be something in the water here in Alberta. Theo Tams is Canadian Idol, Miles Faber and Allie Bertram were close runners up in the first season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada, and now Lethbridge’s Tara-Jean Popowitch has won the second season of the hit show.
“It is insane! I think Albertan’s just have a really solid work ethic. Every dancer I have met from Alberta doesn’t have an ego, they just work their butts off in everything they do. That is why Albertan’s go so far,” Popowitch surmises.
We caught up with her on the phone from Lethbridge, where she has returned home. A week after her victory she was still taking it all in.
“I was not expecting it at all. As soon as I woke up that morning my gut feeling was that Vincent was going to take it. When Leah said Tara-Jean it took a couple of seconds to kick in. I am still in shock actually. I am the happiest I have ever been in my life, my feet haven’t touched the ground yet.”
The joy of the moment was the culmination of an emotional roller coaster for Popowitch.
“It is really stressful. You start in your audition city and perform a solo and there are 4 cuts you have to go through. …Performing for the judges is very intimidating because they are trying to find their next favorite dancer. The top 100 has so many great dancers you have to just stay confident throughout the process. Once we hit the top 20 I have never been surrounded by so much talent in my life! The process got harder because there is more pressure and the country is starting to know you. I was not in my comfort zone, I only did one number that was my genre which was contemporary dance. The rest was ballroom stuff I had never performed before. It is a very stressful process but at the same time the best experience of my life. I worked so hard, I would have to watch YouTube to find out what dance style I was doing. I was practicing non-stop. One of Luther’s comments was, you are the hardest working dancer in the competition. It was nice to be recognized and that made me want to work even harder.”
Now that she is home, it is at times strange, as she catches up with friends who are adjusting to her new found fame.
“It is crazy being home, people are giving me hugs, people are nervous to talk to me. I am still a person, and being called famous is something I don’t think I will ever get used to. I have been really busy and doing a bunch of interviews a day, so I haven’t settled down into a routine but I don’t want to. I do have to clean my room though - I am back to being a regular person. My friends are the same, happy and crying a lot more than usual. Some friends I can tell want to ask questions and are nervous, wondering, now that I am famous, if I am different. I pull them in and give them a hug and say, it’s still me!”
Her homecoming is a brief respite before heading out on tour. So You Think You Can Dance Canada’s top ten tour hits Edmonton November 30th and Calgary December 2nd.
“I miss it already. I am texting everyone from the show because we miss each other so much. I want the tour to come faster than it is. It is the first time I am going to be touring Canada, I can’t believe I get to do what I love doing and see my country at the same time. It is a huge thing and the luckiest thing for dancers. I don’t really get too nervous anymore because I love performing for thousands of people now. I never thought I would say that. We are going be like rock stars and there is really nothing you can do to prepare for that, nerves are going crazy and you hope the show goes well - there is nothing you can do to prepare for that kind of experience.”
She is especially excited about the tour stop in Lethbridge on November 29th.
“I get to say thank you in person instead of through radio and interviews. I just can’t wait to thank everyone in every city for voting and watching the show, especially in my hometown of Lethbridge. I was bawling when I found out we were doing a show here.”
Like any dancing girl, Tara has a lot of gay friends and fellow dancers, including Top-20 finalist Taylor James.
“He is the nicest and funniest person ever. I have many gay best friends, they are so personable. He is awesome and so entertaining. He is always dancing which I absolutely love. It shows how much he loves dance.”
The love of dance she shares with James is something that Popowitch wants to pass on to others. She takes her new status as a role model very seriously.
“I feel like the luckiest person having that role. I was up until 4 in the morning trying to reply to people. Young girls are messaging me on Facebook saying, I don’t know how to achieve my goals and am too afraid to go for them. Honestly if you want anything in life, it is a lot of hard work but you can achieve it. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from, you can achieve anything in life as long as you put everything you have into it.”
With a new car, $100,000, and fame as Canada’s favorite dancer, the world is Tara-Jean’s oyster. Season one winner Nico Archambault focused on his group The Pinup Saints. Tara-Jean hasn’t settled on one plan yet.
“They are shipping the car to me on Monday. It worked out well because my little Pontiac Sunfire broke down before the show so I needed a new car. I want to keep dancing. I love doing TV and film so I will be auditioning as much as I can. I want to do my own show, hire my own dancers, choreograph and rent the venue and put on a show. I am hoping to do that next year. Some of the money I won will go to that. I am going to pay the rest of my Mom’s house off for her. My brother, even though he is the most stubborn person I have ever met, I am going to try and make him take some money to pay off his school. I tried to pay for dinner last night and he got mad at me, so I will try my best.”
“Thank you for making me Canada’s favorite dancer. I appreciate it more than the world and can’t wait to perform for you on tour.”
