If you’re ever looking for proof that drive and determination can help you achieve your dreams, you don’t have to look past Natalli Reznik.

The 29-year-old Toronto native, who won a nation’s hearts with a top-four performance in the TV ratings blockbuster So You Think You Can Dance Canada, admits she actually failed dance class when she first started out. She was still in school then, but her journey from there to here, as one of the country’s top dancers, is a compelling story of a woman who overcame her fear of failure to post her name in the spotlights.

It might have been easy enough for Natalli to give up early on. Still fairly new to Toronto – having moved a year ago from Israel (via, very briefly, New Jersey and Montreal) – Natalli was in her early teens, a time when insecurities can rear their head, when every failure seems to be magnified.

And, Natalli reveals, despite being a popular, outgoing girl with a lot of friends, she did have her insecurities. She came from a family bursting with artistic talent – her mother was a successful dancer, actress and writer; her brother, an accomplished pianist – and she was fearful that she herself might come up short in comparison.

Natalli however kept her feelings of self-doubt to herself, and appeared to all the world to be every bit the beautiful young woman bubbling with confidence.

Almost paradoxically, despite her insecurities and her resulting emotional challenges, Natalli had a strong sense of self. She just knew when there was something that aligned with her spirit; she had that inner sense when she discovered something worth pursuing. And that’s the feeling she had about dance.

There was a stirring inside her belly, a sense that dance would help her truly express herself, make her complete. At the age of 17, Natalli knew that, more than anything else, she wanted to dance. She was not certain about the road ahead, much less where this glimmer of passion would lead her, but she took her first steps on this road nevertheless.

She put the disappointments of her first failed dance class behind her and decided to get some formal training. She approached Donita Nahon, who was the ballet teacher at her high school, North York’s Newtonbrook Secondary School. Her first real dance training was in ballet, which demands precision and discipline of the highest order. Natalli remained committed right through, training with Nahon for the next five years. Indeed, she credits Nahon as being instrumental in establishing her foundation in dance while helping to refine and polish her style.

But Natalli yearned to learn more than just ballet. She wanted to try different styles and perhaps find a dance that would be a true expression of herself… her trademark, as it were.

So, against Nahon’s wishes, she decided to spearhead her dancing in a different direction. Her quest to feel fulfilled artistically was as yet unquenched.

To expand her dancing horizons, she began to frequent clubs, and noted that hip-hop and salsa were beginning to take root. Natalli recalls her club days, and with a laugh remembers that she became known as “Crazy Dancer”.  

Although she enjoyed hip-hop, it was salsa that began to capture her interest. She decided to completely give up ballet, realizing that she no longer saw herself a ballerina. All her years in ballet, however, weren’t wasted – if anything, she realized ballet had helped her become a stronger dancer. 

“When I love something, I find it difficult to let go,” she says, “but ballet helped me with other dance styles.” 

That same summer she auditioned for Cirque de Soleil. To no one’s surprise she was accepted, and participated in the Cirque’s Love, The Beatles – a spectacular extravaganza that featured the music of the Fab Four.

Natalli stayed with the Cirque for about six months, but there was a growing realization over that time that her hunger for self-expression was not being fulfilled. In what she describes as one of the hardest decisions she has had to make, she opted to terminate her contract early and take time off to do some soul-searching. She returned home and ‘hung out’ for four months.

It was during this time, that she met Moti Rosen, a man of prayer and the person who Natalli says has been her biggest inspiration. “He taught me not to get too attached to material things. He taught me to think that I was special. He became a confidant, a spiritual guide and mentor. 

He was a special teacher,” she says.

“Through his teachings of the Bible, and through prayer and meditation, I discovered peace and balance,” adds Natalli. “Moti encouraged me to find my inner voice, and most importantly, to listen to what it was saying to me. It was this that allowed me to more easily make the decisions I made.”

Along with her new-found spiritual growth, Natalli followed in the footsteps of mother, and began pursuing an acting career. She began studying with teacher Cindy Tanis, who coached her for four years.

Natalli’s face lights up when she recalls the role Tanis played in her artistic development, especially with regard to her emotive skills. “Together we worked on my self-expression, which helped me tremendously during my dance routines,” she recalls. 

She eventually began working again, not as a dancer but as a waitress at the luxurious Ultra Supper Club in Toronto. As bleak as this decision might have been at the time, it was not all for nothing. It was here that she met Canadian diva Nelly Furtado, who would later ask Natalli to join her on a two-year world concert tour. She became exposed to Latin music and dance and her pre-Cirque interest in salsa began bubbling again. 

“It was during this time,” says Natalli, “that contemporary dance finally left my body and soul.” 

She fell in love with all that Latin music stood for. She loved the passion it evoked, the tight, sensuous manoeuvres, the heat that it sparked between two bodies, and yes, even the big gypsy skirts. “I loved everything about it,” she recalls, “and all I wanted to dance was Latin!” She adds with a laugh: “Latin is in my hips.” 

As fate would have it, it was around that time that she met celebrity urban choreographer Luther Brown. She was 25 at the time, and a confident dancer, but she was “terrified to audition for him.” 

Somehow, she found the nerve to go through with it, and recalls with the hint of a smile, how he looked at her with surprise after she finished and said: “Where did you come from?” 

Brown would be named one of the judges on the first edition of So You Think You Can Dance Canada, and his favourable comment on her performance made her wonder if she might have a chance in the contest. She was not terribly confident but, urged on by her friends, she decided to audition. “They kept telling me not to underestimate myself, and just go for it,” she says. 

“When I first found out that I was one of the top 20 contestants, all I could say was ‘Ohhhh My God!’” Natalli says, recalling the moment with pride.

Perhaps it was her easygoing personality. Perhaps it was her joie de vivre and her zest for life. But ultimately her passion for dance, her explosive Latin moves and deep appreciation for precision combined with her raw sexiness juxtaposed with the-girl-next-door charm would do it for the judges. Perhaps it was all of these that placed Natalli in the top 20 and ultimately helped her finish in the top four.

It wasn’t an easy ride, Natalli recalls when talking about the show.

“During the gruelling hours of rehearsal, it was difficult to find time to eat and sleep, sometimes it was pure adrenaline that keep you going.”

Everyone on the show was very professional, says Natalli, and the dancers were wonderfully supportive of each other. She picked out Francis for special mention, as well as Allie and Miles, who she grew close to.

What about Nico, winner of the competition and named Canada’s favourite dancer? 

“Dancing with him was fun, but at times it was challenging,” says Natalli. “He is very meticulous and such a perfectionist. I knew he was going to win. But we had to find our ‘rhythm’ together, and I believe in the end we did. I was excited to be his partner and to learn from him.” 

There wasn’t much time to get to know the other contestants on a social level. “It was so hectic most of the time and as much as we were all together rehearsing, the show didn’t leave much time to socialize,” says Natalli. Lengthy, complicated routines had to be learned fast and efficiently.

“It’s only after the show that I caught up on my sleep, did some cleansing, ate organic food, and just looked after myself,” she says. 

Sometimes it’s the journey, rather than the final prize, that makes us who we are. That certainly seems to be the case with Natalli. Asked how the show has influenced her, she responds that she has become calmer, more self-confident, and believes in herself a lot more than she used to. Her journey thus far had taken her to a place that was well worth the search, from her time of training to be a ballerina, to her finding her love of Latin dance; all the decisions finally led her to a place she was content with. 

Although getting to where she is now has been a long journey filled with years of hard work and many bumps along the way, Natalli admits that she still approaches dance with a child-like enthusiasm. It’s her expression. 

Her art. It’s who she truly is.