Tam Ti Delam - The Key to The Soul

"When my shoe broke in the middle of my audition,

 I tied its broken strap to bottom of my pant leg, 

because nothing would get in the way of my shot."

Tam Ti Delam. The three words that mean so much to so many people, (including me.) It's these words that spark joy into the person who speaks them and ignites a flame into their hearts. For some, they mean nothing at all, and others they mean everything. But whoever you may be and whatever you might like, once Tam Ti Delam makes an entrance into your life, it's there to stay. Tam Ti Delam is dance, acceptance and trust. It is a sport that brings people together in a healthy environment clear of judgement and is enhanced with dedication, perseverance and love. 

To begin, my story. I was 6 years old when I was first introduced to the magical world of dancing with Tam Ti Delam (aka, Tamti). I had just finished my ballet courses and was no longer interested and wanted change. After a couple weeks of searching for a new activity, I got a phone call from my aunt, who told me about a dance group called Tam Ti Delam. “What could that be?” I thought. Little did I know that that phone call would end up changing my life. She first described it to me as being “tap” dancing, and since I was willing to try something new, I told my parents that I wanted to join. From the moment I started my first lesson, I fell in love. Tamti brought out a new side of me. It pushed me to repeatedly step out of my comfort zone. It wasn't tap , it was everything,  from Russian dancing, Irish dancing, Bollywood, tango, Hungarian dancing, traditional Quebecer folklorique dancing; “la gigue”, and every other style possible. I was without hesitation that I would continue dancing with tamti  for many more years to come. So, as the years passed I went up in levels and continued to learn a variety of new things. Throughout these years I would see the “adults” who danced super well, dancing in the same shows as I was. I was intrigued by them. They went by the name of “ la troupe.” As I went up in levels it meant that I was also getting closer and closer to “la troupe”. When I made it into “la releve” I was at the last level before “la troupe.”At the time my older sister had just been accepted into “la troupe” herself,and, I, however, being the younger one still had to wait a year until I could even audition to try and get in.Even though I was so close to what I wanted, the two were completely different. In the “releve” my practices lasted two hours, once per week, where as my sister’s lasted three to three and a half hours, twice per week. In the shows, I did two to three dances when my sister did seventeen to twenty. The comparison was surreal. So, even then I knew the chances were very limited because they weren't looking to recruit new girl dancers at the time  and I had only one year in the “releve” of experience when most people had 2-3 years. I was still determined. When I finished my year, I knew that I was going to audition. I spent the entire summer using my sister as a private dance teacher and made her teach me all kinds of new moves and techniques that would help me get accepted. Finally at the beginning of September 2015, it was time to audition.

I remember walking into that dance studio with nerves in my stomach but  my head held high. I knew I had to give it my all. So, I did. When my shoe broke in the middle of my audition, I tied its broken strap to bottom of my pant leg, because nothing would get in the way of my shot. About two days later I got a phone call from one of the choreographers telling me that I was accepted into “la troupe.” I made it. The youngest person to have ever been accepted, and it was me. Five years later and I am still dancing with this amazing group. It was all about going after what I loved and being determined to achieve this. 

The reason why people like me end up spending years dancing with tamti is because it is available to practically everyone. Kids can start dancing at a very young age. The groups start with ages four to five, then six to seven, eight to nine, “mini-troupe” (ages, ten to eleven), “releve” (ages, twelve to varying), and lastly the “troupe” (ages, varying). This allows them to fall in love with these types of dances right at the beginning of their lives. Not only do they dance but they learn about a lot of things related to dance as well. Let's take a traditional folk dance for example. They learn that this type of dance needs traditional folk music as well as traditional “gigue” shoes. Then a choreography needs to be put in place by a choreographer. Finally, the costumes, hair and makeup. These all are key elements that tamti dancers get to learn about their traditional quebecer folklorique dance. All of these are key reasons that show that Tam Ti Delam  is the best. Not only do we provide dance and learning skills to young children, we allow teens and adults of all ages to continuously push themselves to achieve goals in a healthy environment where people work together as a team to come up with one spectacular result. Whether it be, getting in the troupe or acing a new dance move, there is something for everyone.   

Naomi