Her talent, dedication and passion for dance have enabled Lambton resident Tatijana Ignjatov (11) to make history in the world of dance.
She is a triple world champion.
The youngster has just returned from the IDO (International Dance Organisation) Dance World Championships which saw her winning not one, but three world titles.
She won the titles for her solo performances in showdance, modern and jazz.
The competition saw 4 200 dancers from 32 countries and five continents participate.
“This is the first time in history that a dancer has won all three world titles in the same year,” said proud mom Nina.
Tatijana competed in the showdance competition in Riesa, Germany, and then in the modern, ballet and jazz competition in Poland.
“It was very exciting to take part in the championships,” said Tatijana.
Only the top three dancers in each category per country were invited to participate in the prestigious event and Tatijana qualified with flying colours.
Now with the wins under her belt, she receives a “golden ticket” which means she gets automatic entry into next year’s event.
The young star competed in a number of categories.
In showdance she competed in the children’s 11 and under section for her solo.
She also competed in the 12 to 15 year category for small groups and in the junior section for formation teams.
In jazz and modern she also competed in the solo, duos, small groups and formation teams (in the abovementioned age categories).
Tatijana’s sister, Vesna (13), formed part of the small groups and formation teams so the sisters got to train and compete together.
Apart from winning all three world titles for her solos, Tatijana also came second in her modern duo category with Dani Allan, and was placed seventh in her jazz duo with Danielle Putter.
The jazz formation team won silver and the modern formation team and small group attained fourth places.
“It is not an easy task to become a member of the teams.
“The girls had to audition at the beginning of the year and compete against dancers from about 50 dance studios,” said Nina.
The Bishop Bavin School learner, who is going into Grade Six next year, said that it took some time for the reality of her wins to sink in.
“It took about two weeks for the reality of what I had achieved to sink in,” said Tatijana.
When asked why she enjoys dancing so much, the youngster said, “I can let my emotions out and get rid of all my stress.
“I also like being on stage.”
She added that she does get nervous sometimes but then she just breathes in and out and goes and does what she needs to do.
Tatijana said that in previous years she trained for up to four hours a day, but this year she decided to do things differently by concentrating on the quality of the training rather than on the quantity thereof.
“You need to put in the effort and make sure your training counts,” she said.
Tatijana trained mainly on her own at home this year but has received training from well-known choreographer Hope Maimane, who does choreography and trains people throughout the world.
“I am grateful to Hope as he helped me to win,” said Tatijana.
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When she is not dancing, Tatijana loves spending time with her family, namely mom Nina, dad Milan, sister Vesna and brother Vlado (7).
She also loves the family’s pets: three dogs (Terri, Bruno and Iggy) and a gecko (whose name keeps changing).
When Tatijana grows up she would love to be a doctor of some sort and is currently fourth in her grade for academics.
She also wants to carry on dancing.
The next exciting event Tatijana is looking forward to is an all-expenses paid trip to Croatia at the end of May next year which she won at the Dance Star World Dance Masters competition when she was named best overall female talent.
“I had a lot of fun at the Dance World Championships and enjoyed visiting the different countries,” Tatijana said.
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