You Should Know: Tate McRae
To say that 11-year-old Tate McRae is multitalented would be a huge understatement. Her boundless flexibility and impressive control earned her the Dance Awards’ 2013 Mini Best Dancer title, a Capezio Athlete sponsorship and a spot on the 2014 Dancerpalooza Beat Squad. But Tate also excels as an actress (she does several voices for the show “Lalaloopsy” on Nick Jr.), a singer/songwriter, a model and a dancewear designer (for her own line, TWEAR Dancewear). When this leggy lady’s not busy taking over the world, she hones her technique, training daily at The School of Alberta Ballet and YYC Dance Project, and assisting at conventions in her hometown of Calgary, Canada.
“When I passed down my Mini Best Dancer title at the 2014 Dance Awards, I got to perform a solo I choreographed to my own cover of the song ‘Human.’ The whole faculty got teary, which felt really special.”
Performing “Human” at the 2014 Dance Awards (photo courtesy Break the Floor Productions)
Birthday
: July 1, 2003
Nickname
: Tatey or Tatey-Pie
Favorite teacher
: “My mom! I train with her at YYC Dance Project. I also love my ballet teacher at Alberta Ballet, Ashley McNeil.”
Performer she’d love to work with
: Chantel Aguirre
Favorite companies
: Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Shaping Sound Dance Co. and Still Motion Dance Company
Favorite foods
: Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes
Dream role
: The title role in Matilda on Broadway. “It suits my personality—and I already sing a lot of the songs.”
Favorite dance movie
: Footloose, with Kenny Wormald
