Top 6 – Season 3
CTV’s So You Think You Can Dance
Born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Mackenzie has always had a love and passion for dance. He first found inspiration to train at the age of eight, after seeing other male dancers at a local dance production. Mackenzie began his training at Martin School of Dance, where he gained a strong foundation in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical, Acrobatics, Hip-Hop, and Tap. Soon after, Mackenzie began training and competing extensively across Canada and the United States, earning himself numerous titles, awards, and scholarships to places such as The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, The Banff Arts Centre, The Edge Dance Centre and Millennium Dance Complex. Mackenzie also had the incredible opportunity to represent Canada in England, France and the Netherlands with “Dare to Dance,” choreographed by Danny Austin.
After graduating high school Mackenzie’s moved to Vancouver, BC, where he was hired as a company member of “MOVE: The Company,” one of Canada’s top contemporary/ modern companies. He had the opportunity to perform in pieces such as “The Cell,” “The Electronic Series,” “Xibalba,” “Sold Doubt,” “Zero,” “Tools For Cutting,” and “Anatomy of Doubt,” taking him across Canada and the United States. Soon after, Mackenzie also began dancing with Kinesis Dance Somatheatro, where he was cast in the production “BOX4” and toured throughout Poland.
Mackenzie has also found success in the commercial film industry. Some of his first jobs in film have been as both a choreographer and dancer with artists such as PLEX, Adaline and Jon & Roy, which have been featured on MuchMusic & MuchMore Music. Mackenzie has appeared in Cascada’s music video “Au Revoir,” choreographed by Luther Brown, and These Kids Wear Crowns music video “Jumpstart.” He has also had the opportunity to perform with Shawn Desman at the 2011 Juno Red Carpet Special. Mackenzie’s film credits include The Twilight Saga’s “Breaking Dawn” as Taylor Lautner’s dance double, and the CW’s TV show “Hellcats.” Mackenzie has also appeared in Nickelodeon’s movie “Ragz,” where he had the chance to work closely with Rosero McCoy and Kelly Konno, and ABC’s new TV series “Once Upon A Time.”
When Mackenzie isn’t dancing he enjoys going to the gym, decorating, travelling, spending time with friends and learning to DJ and mix music. He has a cat named Colby that looks exactly like Garfield. Mackenzie also has a passion for teaching and choreographing, which has given him the chance to work with students across the world as well as at numerous conventions and dance centers, such as Groove Street Productions and Harbour Dance Centre. Mackenzie has also co-founded a convention called “EVOLVEdance Workshop”, which aims to inspire young Canadian dancers to pursue their dreams.
Mackenzie Is best known for his participation in CTV’s third season of the hit TV show “So You Think You Can Dance Canada,” where he was a top 3 male competitor. His appearance on the show has given Mackenzie the opportunity to work with many world renowned choreographers including: Mia Michaels, Luther Brown, Stacey Tookey, Blake McGrath, Jean Marc Genereux, Sergio Trujilo, Melissa Williams, Bill T. Jones, Longinus Fernandes, Gustavo Vargas, Sean Cheesman, Pierre Allaire, Maria Torres, Danny Arbour, and Sho-Tyme. Mackenzie will never forget his experiences on the show and is honored to have made a mark in Canadian dance history. He continues to learn and grow as a performer, and feels blessed to share his love of performing both on stage and on camera as a career!