LANGLEY — It's OK to call hip hop dancer Kelsey-Mae Hayes a 'hot dog' but she'd rather you ordered one.
The 12-year-old from Aldergrove is fundraising to pay for a trip to the World Hip Hop Championships in Bochum, Germany in September.
And people can help out at her hot dog sale 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday (July 26) a the Otter Co-op. Her other fundraiser is a pub night at the Murrayville Pub from 5 p.m. to midnight on Sept. 6. Tickets are $25 and include a roast beef dinner.
When she's not fundraising, Kelsey-Mae is spending 20 to 25 hours each week dancing, not just hip hop but also ballet, jazz, lyrical, acro, stage and even contortion work.
"Dance is not a hobby for me, it is my passion," she said. "I love to dance but hip hop is one of my favourite styles. When I hip hop I feel very swaggy and like I can just let loose."
She took part in auditions for Team Canada for this International Dance Organization in Germany. Among her most recent accomplishments since joining Company Competitive Dance three years ago is a gold medal win for her contemporary performance at the Dance World Cup 2014, held in Niagara Falls July 4 to 6. As part of Team Canada's Hip Hop, junior group, Kelsey-Mae is required to raise $3,500 to cover the costs of travel, choreography, coaches, Team Canada jackets, hotels and entrance fees.
The International Dance Organization (IDO), is a federation with a membership of more than 90 nations, representing more than 250,000 dancers on six continents. The best dancers from around the world will be competing for the world championship titles at this event.
At this event, dancers go through several rounds as numbers are whittled down until the final few are in a dance-off. Last year, there were 3,200 contestants from five continents, entries are not due for another week, so it is hard to say how many dancers there will be this year.