Debbie Smith
Stories & Testimonials
DEBBIE SMITH
- Ottawa, ON
- Contemporary Dance, Classical Ballet
- Career Pathway: Physiotherapy
Debbie Smith: After 23 years in physiotherapy, Debbie has been retired for 8 years. During her dance career from 1975-1986 she performed with four Canadian dance companies: Anna Wyman Dance Theatre, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, The Dance Company of Ontario and Theatre Ballet of Canada.
DEBBIE’S STORY
“Like many dancers, I was ill-prepared to face the end of my dance career. I struggled with grief at the loss of both the physical and emotional identity of being a dancer. But the DTRC understood the phases of transition. With their financial assistance, I embarked on a journey of psychological and career testing, which revealed the person beyond the dancer – an individual with a learning style and problem-solving ability; with an intellect, a personality, and preferences. I started to think outside the box, and within a year was accepted into a four-year BSc Physiotherapy degree at the University of Ottawa. I received a Skills Grant to study French for one summer, as the degree was taught in French. For the first year of studies, I received both a Retraining Grant for university fees, and a Subsistence Grant. The second year, I competed for a Special Award, the Lynda Hamilton Bronfman Award. This award for a second year of Retraining and Subsistence was split between myself and another dancer also retraining in a medical field.
Without this significant DTRC funding, I could not have undertaken a four-year university degree, receiving Magna Cum Laude. Their support enabled me to imagine myself taking a different path, and the financial assistance to retrain allowed me to enjoy a diverse 23-year career. I am deeply grateful to this unique organization.
In turn, I have continued to give back as a yearly donor for the past twenty years, and will continue to do so. And I will only be ending this alumni journey with a bequest to the DTRC.”
DTRC’S SUPPORT
- Skills Grant
- Retraining (Study) Grant
- Subsistence Grant: Post-Performance Pathway
- Special Award
