From jumping off a stack of 25 chairs when she was a small child to crashing through a movie set's window as an adult, Humboldt native Heidi Ford is making her mark as a stunt double in the film industry.
Ford is no stranger to being in the spotlight since becoming a professional dancer almost two decades ago.
"When I was growing up in Humboldt, I had an amazing dance teacher," she said.
Her love of dance saw her enrol at the Randolf Dance Academy in Toronto where she graduated with honours. She then studied abroad at the Oxford School of Drama.
Some of her credits include choreographer for the 2009 Jeux Canada Games, director/choreographer for Anne and Gilbert in a production of "Anne of Green Gables" in Prince Edward Island and producer/director/choreographer for "That Dance Show". Some of the other well-known productions on Ford's resume include "Grease", "Nunsense", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "Hello Dolly!" and "My Fair Lady".
Ford then founded the original Broadway Bound in Canada, bringing artists from across the nation to a small studio in Prince Edward Island. After its success in the Maritimes, Ford expanded the company west to her home-province of Saskatchewan, where its reputation has grown across the Prairies.
Several years later, Ford and fellow collaborator Lisa Stevens put their heads together and created Broadway Bound International, a company that offers an inspiring, two-day dance and musical theatre workshop that gives students aged 8-22 years (beginner to pre-profession, boys and girls) exposure to the professional world of Broadway and commercial dance.
"Dance is still part of my life," said Ford. "But when I was on (movie) set(s), I always knew I wanted to do the stunts."
Approximately 18 months ago, Ford and her husband moved from Toronto to Vancouver.
"My husband, who was my fiancé at the time, said he couldn't live in Toronto because there were no mountains," she recalled. "I said okay let's move to Vancouver and we can go snowboarding on the weekends."
An admitted thrill seeker, the mountains with its snowboarding venues and the strong film industry in Vancouver were an excellent match for Ford's aspirations.
She started taking stunt classes in Vancouver and six months later, in August, she began booking jobs.
"It is a difficult industry to break into," she said. "There has to be a lot of trust between the stunt double and the stunt coordinator. Mistakes can not only be costly but also fatal and a stunt double must be really good under pressure."
Having pursued athletic endeavours growing up and pursuing her dance and acting career, Ford was no stranger to pressure and how to effectively deal with it.
"I'm the right body type," she said. "I also look like a lot of people which helps when you are doubling for someone."
She made the most of her opportunities and has added a string of stunt double projects to her resume.
"It was a case of being in the right place at the right time," said Ford.
She has already appeared in a number of "Fringe" episodes. In the fourth one, the character she was doubling for died by going through a glass window.
"That one was the most difficult one I did," she said. "If I missed on that take, it would have been very costly to reshoot it. But after I was done I got a round of applause from the set crew. It was really exciting."
Ford has also worked on not yet released movies such as "Final Girl", doubling for Abigail Breslin "The Trainer", "The Stalker" and "No Clue" with Brent Butt. She has also worked on a new television series, "The Bates Motel", that is set to air in the near future.
"I am committed to this line of work for the foreseeable future," said Ford.
Coming from a small community in Saskatchewan has not prevented Ford from going after and fulfilling her dreams. Her advice to young people, especially those wishing to pursue a career in the arts industry is to find a mentor who can inspire and help you along the way.
"With the Internet, young people can learn so much if they don't have firsthand access to activities they want," she said. "If you want to learn how to hip hop dance, you can find that online. No matter what it is you want to do, get creative. If you want to put on a musical, find people who also want to, find a venue or create partnerships so it can happen."
Perhaps her most sound piece of advice for those pursuing a career in the entertainment sector, is to stay grounded and remember what is real.
