48/52 Izzy Fraser

48/52 Izzy Fraser

“I moved back to Toronto in 2017; my dad had passed away and I was going through somewhat of a depression. My friend came and she said ‘pick a dance class, we’re getting out of the house’. It was dancehall; at the time, I had no idea what it was. We went and had so much fun so we kept going. But one class there was a substitute teacher. She said ‘Today, we’re not doing dancehall, we’re doing ‘Soca’

As soon as she put on the music there was some sort of immediate connection…everything is about love, and community, and acceptance…After class she said, If anyone wants to talk about what Carnival is and how to get involved in the parade, come see me. So, I did.

So that year, I bought a costume, and ended up pretty much going alone. It’s weird going alone, not knowing anybody, but if you know your ‘why’, you can still find your purpose and sense of belonging. For me it’s the fact that this music has been able to pull me out of dark places over and over and over again and it’s helped push me outside my comfort zone… I feel like if it can do that for me, I also want to give back… I’m trying to understand a culture that I’m not a part of, but I want to help out, and give back in whatever way I can.”