Teacher, mentor, community builder, mother, and so much more, Tara Wilson’s early upbringing is shrouded in mystery. With enough digging, you might find bits and pieces of her story in different articles and documentaries. We took this rare opportunity to sit down with Tara herself to hear her origin story, from her strict upbringing to relearning Hip Hop in a faraway land.
In the first half of this two-part series, you’ll discover the ingredients that make Tara the community leader she is. We pause before the birth of PULSE and leave you on a cliffhanger for part two. Enjoy!
Under my father’s close supervision.
Did you know Tara was raised in a very strict, East Indian household? While she encourages all her dancers to find themselves through dance and personal ambitions, she wasn’t afforded the same luxury, with her father micromanaging her life through university.
Both of my parents were educators. My father was a University of Calgary professor. He wanted his children to be highly educated, become professors like him, and give back to society. If you know anything about East Indian parents, there wasn't any exploration of what you wanted to do or what you enjoyed. I wasn’t allowed to have sleepovers or do a lot of friend things. My path was set in academics, and that was that. I was shy and obedient, so I followed his plan, excelling in all my classes at school.
Baby cowgirl Tara dressed up for Stampede
Her father enrolled her in piano lessons with the expectation that she would achieve concert-level status. She was even put in elocution lessons (lessons to help students speak more clearly, confidently, and effectively, like reading poetry out loud).
Because I was so shy, my dad put me in elocution lessons, which I really enjoyed. I mastered the skill, garnering numerous accolades and prestigious awards. That prompted my teacher to encourage me to get into acting. She believed in me. And I wanted to act. So, I went to my parents, and they both were like, “Hell no. Get back to work.”
Tara laughed. It seems harsh to wrap your head around, but that was her reality at the time. She set aside her acting dreams to focus on obtaining a higher education. At the age of 13, her parents sent her to a private school in Boston for extra education during the summer.
While I was away in Boston, I had to write essays for my father on the Latin classes and Shakespeare plays he enrolled me in. It wasn’t all bad, though. I had a bit more freedom to take drama and acting classes. I enjoyed them so much, but I wasn’t allowed to pursue them seriously.
Tara with her Aunt and Father
Unleashing my rebellious side.
Going to university was non-negotiable. Tara had no idea people took time off school or did not go at all. It was part of her father’s vision, who again chose her courses at the University of Toronto. She was pursuing an honours philosophy and political science major.
I enrolled in all these classes, but I found the different kinds of people here more fascinating. I immediately got involved with a very rebellious group of people who loved to party, get in trouble, and never went to class. I would still be acing my classes, but I was definitely exploring more of my rebellious side.
She eventually moved into an apartment with friends, which sparked more parties and class absences. She became pregnant, and this marked the beginning of her life unravelling. Things were such a mess, she had no choice but to tell her parents...
I had to come clean to my parents and tell them I was pregnant. I was a year away from graduating, but they told me to come home.
After giving birth to Aiden, I mustered the courage to tell my dad, “I’m sorry, but it’s time for me to take my life into my own hands. You controlled my life to this point, and it got me here. I have a second chance at life, and I’ll choose what I do with it.”
A voice from within told me that dance was my destiny.
Tara was determined to go back and pursue her first love: acting. Her father agreed, under the stipulation that she finish her degree. She enrolled at the University of Calgary to finish her degree while taking acting classes. But her true calling was around the corner…
Tara in her early dance days
I was finally pursuing my dream and I loved it. I was a superstar in class. As a summer thing, I took dance classes to work off my post-baby body. I always wanted to take dance and wondered what it was like. Never having done anything athletic in my entire life, I walked into my first dance class. It was a beginner Contemporary class. I remember it vividly: we were doing point flex on our backs –
– It was at that moment that my huge epiphany came to me. It sounds so crazy, but I had this voice from God telling me this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I was like, what? The most unlikely person to ever be a dancer – starting now? At 20? After having a baby? Yet, I was falling in love with dance at that moment.
For the record, Tara was horrible in class. She couldn't stand on one leg, do leg swings, or balance. We asked her why that moment was so magical.
I was questioning this voice from God the entire time. But at the same time, I loved discovering my body. I loved the music. I loved the shapes. I loved all the physical expression. I love that you didn't have to talk. I just loved every moment of that class.
She moved onto the next level where she continued to struggle. She recalls learning Ballet with a bunch of 8-year-olds.
Keep in mind that I had no idea about dance studios. There weren’t any adult Ballet classes I could take, so I ended up taking Ballet at Mount Royal University with a bunch of 8-year-olds! I didn’t care. I just wanted to learn. Despite many humiliating and horrible experiences, there were a ton of great experiences.
We fast forward to Tara’s first-ever dance performance, which she invited her parents to. We’ll let Tara tell this part, but let’s just say it wasn’t her parents' proudest moment.
This woman hired me to take part in this half-hair, half-dance fashion show. So my haircut was this weird, half-red, asymmetrical thing. We had to wear really skimpy saran-wrapped costumes and perform on scaffolding way up high, practically half-naked. Oh my gosh, and I invited my parents to come to see this! This is their very first time watching me dance.
My father was traumatized. Here I was. I had gone to a private school. I have won many awards in elocution. I had concert-level piano skills. Now, I was dancing half-naked in a fashion show with an asymmetrical haircut. And I wasn't even good. My parents were distraught. I was putting them through hell. But this voice guided me to keep at it and keep growing.
First modern dance piece - They were wearing face makeup because they were elements (Tara was fire!)
Tara embodied motivation and humility, a consistent trait to this day. It didn't matter if she was in a class of only 8-year-olds or embarrassing herself in front of her parents. She just wanted to learn. She continued with her Contemporary studies and took Ballet and Jazz classes on the side. A moment that really speaks to Tara’s dedication and love for dance happened one Christmas. Pregnant with her second son, Asher, Tara broke into the dance studio to learn the Pas de bourrée.
I remember not being able to get the Pas de Bourrée. I was training 6 hours a day and it wouldn’t click. My friend and superstar of the class, Dana, offered to help me on Christmas Day. I left my family at home and bussed to the university in the snow. It was locked, but we pulled the theatre door so hard it gave. I was so motivated. For what? I don’t know. There was no upcoming show. It was literally this voice pushing me to get better.
Wait – Hip Hop wasn’t invented in LA?
For those curious, Tara DID end up getting the Pas de Bourrée that night! She kept getting better. Her teachers challenged her despite her age, skill, and motherly duties. She couldn’t afford dance classes at DJD, so she would clean their studios in exchange for free classes. She eventually taught Funk classes there. And this is where her love of Hip Hop started.
I was about to graduate from the University of Calgary with a dance degree distinction, but I didn't know what to do next. I was already teaching some classes at DJD, but I felt I needed to train with a teaching mindset.
I found the Bates Dance Festival in Maine and registered for a bunch of Contemporary classes and Hip Hop with Rennie Harris. I always assumed Hip Hop came from LA and this guy was from Philadelphia. What was he going to teach me?
You heard that right – Tara thought Hip Hop started in LA. The Bates Dance Festival would be a blessing in disguise, enlightening her on the styles within the Hip Hop umbrella. Several dance companies performed for the festival, including Rennie's, Pure Movement.
I will never forget the first day of the festival. I’m meeting all these amazing dancers and it was so exciting. And then Pure Movement performed on stage and I'm not joking – my mouth was on the floor. I was in awe. The athleticism, the music, the movement… it was mind-blowing for me because it was nothing I recognized as Hip Hop (from my summer in LA).
From then on, I was looking forward to taking Rennie's class. It was the most eye-opening three weeks of my life. That same voice from God was speaking to me during his classes, telling me this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I looked around the class to see every kind of body in Hip Hop. I was obsessed with Contemporary, but I didn’t have the body for it. Same goes for Ballet. Here in this Hip Hop class: I was next to a big giant fat guy, a skinny white guy, an old lady, and other body types in class. It was a completely different experience.
Rennie introduced Tara to Breaking, Popping, and Locking. Her enthusiasm ushered her to the front of the class with other amazing dancers. Rennie was tough on her, but she was finally on the right path.
When I came home to Calgary, I felt like I was the only person with this wealth of Hip Hop knowledge in the city. Mind you, DJD was my dance community at the time. I needed to find others in the city who knew what Hip Hop really was.
Hard Lino: Calgary’s First Ever Streetdance Series
In 1998, Calgary's Hip Hop ambassadors Wayne Headley and Brad Rapier organized Canada's first Streetdance series, called Hard Lino. Legendary dancers from Rock Steady Crew, Flo Master and Mr. Wiggles attracted dancers from all across North America. This was Tara’s introduction to the Calgary Hip Hop dance scene.
A poster with graffiti lettering caught my eye while teaching at DJD: Hard Lino. It was a two-day workshop at the university with some of the pioneers of Hip Hop teaching here in Calgary. We learned Breaking, Locking, and Popping. I was dancing next to this guy who was taping me while we were taking classes together. That guy was Raul Guevara, who would soon form Calgary’s premiere Breaking crew, the Original Rudes.
Raul and I had this connection. I would invite him and his Breaker friends to my Funk Hip Hop classes to come and hang out. It was a vibe. Raul would take class from me, and then we started teaching together. That’s when he invited me to dance in one of his projects.
Raul would teach Tara how to Break at the Village Square Leisure Center, with babies Aiden and Asher in tow. His crew didn’t share his same sentiment, annoyed to have her at practice.
Raul was patient. He was teaching me the 6-step and I would learn it in the corner, separate from his crew. I was obsessed with Breaking and Hip Hop culture as a whole.
Tara with Locking Creator, Don Campbell
To be continued! We leave you with a cliffhanger to part 1 of Tara Wilson’s story. Join us for part 2 where we talk about being a community leader, the birth of PULSE, and her goals for Hip Hop and Streetdance in Calgary.
