Snapshots

15. Kenzie

Growing up, Kenzie dreams of becoming a professional dancer or a dance coach. No matter what, she's going to do something with dance.

But Dancemania changes everything. While it doesn't do much for A-Troupe aside from causing a lot of tension and stress in the weeks leading up to Nationals, it does introduce Kenzie to the world of television. She's never given much thought to how TV shows are put together behind the scenes, but there's something about watching the crew work together to put on the best show possible for people all over the world to enjoy that catches her attention. Even after she returns home, and Nationals and then Internationals are all said and done, she can't stop thinking about TV production.

She applies to the California Institute of the Arts just for the hell of it. She mostly just wants to see if she can get in, but then she does. She takes it as her sign from the universe that this is what she's supposed to do and tells her parents over dinner that instead of her original plan to train in dance in New York, she's moving to California instead. Her parents are a little bewildered and very wary of her moving so far away from home, but they support her nonetheless. It will be a stark contrast to their own careers in the medical field and her sister's career in accounting, but Kenzie's always been a go-getter. When she knows what she wants, nothing stops her from going after it, and she's never wanted anything more.

College is everything she wants it to be and more. She grows. She makes mistakes. She falls in love and out of love and everything in between. But most importantly, she falls in love with the industry completely, and by the time she graduates, she's more than eager to finally start her career.

California remains her home for years after she graduates. Noah and Henry are living together in LA, having moved to the city to work with the best producers to further their music careers. They're the only A-Troupers Kenzie stays in frequent contact with though she FaceTimes Lily once every few months, catching up with her best friend like no time has passed. As for everyone else, she keeps up with their lives through Instagram and Facebook, but they all gradually fall out of touch no matter how hard they try to keep their little family together.

A-Troupe, dance, and The Next Step will always hold a special place in her heart, but as Kenzie's learning, life has a way of moving on whether you want it to or not. Before you know it, you're an adult with a job and rent and bills, and the people who were once your everything are only memories of the past.

Some of her old teammates still get together once a year for an official A-Troupe reunion. Kenzie knows this because Amy sends an invitation via Facebook every year. But she's never gone. Her job keeps her busy, and she barely has enough vacation days to go home to visit her family, let alone people she hasn't talked to in years. That's another thing she's learning. The longer you stay away from home, the harder it is to go back.

She's 26 when her father falls ill. Stage 4 colon cancer, the doctors say. They give him six months to live, and all at once, Kenzie's world comes crashing down around her.

It's been over three years since she's last been home, and the guilt weighs her down, that little voice in the back of her head telling her she's missed out on so much time that she can't get back now, all for her career. Which is supposed to be more important?

She drops everything- quits her job, packs up her apartment, and moves back to Toronto. If her father has six months, she plans on spending as much of those months with him as she can. Thankfully, there's an opening for a producer at SNR Network in Toronto. It takes her back to her roots, reminding her for the first time in years of all the competitions she dedicated so many hours of her life preparing for. She charms everyone in her interview, and her background as a dancer seals the deal for her. She starts work the following Monday.