For Natalie Allin, it’s a time to celebrate, and a time to look back on all her accomplishments with Jasper Dance as she prepares for her final recital on April 29. 

The 17-year-old dancer is looking forward to stepping on the stage to perform on Friday, but knows it’s going to be bittersweet.

“I think it’s going to be sad,” she said, before practising with dance partner Alexandria Bossio on April 25. 

Allin has been dancing with instructor Nicole Koebel since she was only eight years old, but has known her since she was a baby. 

With one great thing ending, a world of possibility lies before Allin. The teen recently travelled to Calgary in February, where she was selected as a finalist at the Miss Teen Alberta World pageant for girls ages 15 to 19. The pageant circuit is something Allin had no previous experience with, but she decided to try out for the fun of it – and ended up advancing to the national competition in Toronto in July. 

“I had never even thought about entering a pageant in my life,” Allin said. “I actually thought it would be kind of boring and superficial.”

But Allin discovered it was nothing like that once she was selected from preliminary interviews to compete in Calgary with about 50 girls hoping to represent Alberta in Toronto. She made friends and has had the opportunity to team up with other pageant girls to fundraise for Free the Children, Miss Teen Canada’s charity of choice. 

“Everyone there was just so unique in their own different ways,” Allin said of her competitors. 

She was chosen to move on based on her performance in Calgary.

Allin said she was extremely surprised to hear her name called as one of the finalists. 

“I really don’t know anything about the pageant world,” she said. 

After Calgary, Allin is getting a bit more familiar with the idea. The competition includes a gown portion. Allin said some girls spent hundreds of dollars on custom dresses, but she chose hers off a discount sales rack for $75. 

The girls also have to perform a dance number and be interviewed, and there’s a swimsuit portion that Allin described as awkward. 

Since the  pageant in February, Allin has had many opportunities come her way. She got to speak to young girls at the Go Girl Conference in Edson recently. She enjoyed the experience, speaking to girls ages 11 to 15.

“It was really fun, they’re all so cute,” she said. “I think it’s very important because that’s a very sensitive age.”

Allin is not expecting to be crowned Miss Teen World Canada, but should she be chosen from the 70 girls across the country, her life will change dramatically. The winner of the pageant gets to travel all over the world – travelling being one of Allin’s favourite things to do – take acting classes, be interviewed by national media, compete in Miss Teen Universe and more. 

“I’m really not going there thinking I’m going to win it,” she said, adding that she just wants to have fun. “It’s already opened up a lot of doors for me.”

If she were to win, Allin said the opportunity to travel would be the best part. 

Allin said it’s great to be from Jasper and get such an incredible opportunity. 

“A lot of people think there’s not as many things you can do (here), and not as many opportunities,” she said. She hopes that Jasper’s youth take advantage of things that come their way like she did. 

Besides dance, Allin enjoys hiking, biking and snowboarding. As her graduation from high school looms, she has been working on her school work, and has a dance competition coming up this weekend at Dance Evolution in Calgary. There she will perform three solos, one duet and three group dances with other talented Jasper youth. 

Allin was already a busy volunteer in Jasper before the pageant, but has stepped things up since entering. Now that she is graduating, she hopes to pursue a career in the performing arts – most likely dance – in either Vancouver or Toronto. She enjoys modern dance the most, but also does lyrical, ballet and jazz. 

A week before the pageant in July, Allin will need the community’s help to collect votes. She will have information on how to vote on her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/missteenwesternalberta. There, Allin will post updates on her progress. She will also be hosting a Youth Arts Showcase on June 23, that will feature many talented youth in Jasper.