Jan Kainer
Jan Kainer started dancing in Kamloops at the age of four when her mother, Pat Gee decided to organize a little dance class for her two daughters. The Rainbow School of Dance was started and became a big part of Jan's life. Jan took ballet, tap, jazz, character and Scottish dancing.At the age of eleven Jan had a sudden growth spurt over the summer and found herself towering over everyone at six feet tall. Group numbers became a problem since she stood out so much, so a soloist was born. Jan did well in tap and jazz competitions and loved every minute of performing. Her first jazz solo was a huge success because she decided to ham it up and the adjudicator loved it. After that, Jan's specialty was comedy. A highlight was winning the trophy for the Most Entertaining Performance at the Coquitlam Festival of Dance when she was fifteen.
Teaching in her mother's dance studio was a new experience. They went together to dance conventions in the U.S.
In 1969 Jan left Kamloops to attend UBC. in the Education Faculty. She stopped dancing and spent her free time playing basketball for UBC's Thunderettes. They won four Canadian Championships. She went back to tap with Jean Jepson when her children were babies and started a little class for her daughter. Jan Kainer's Dancers grew to 150 students, but she decided to focus on teaching elementary school instead. She kept her adult group going and volunteered to teach tap at Norquay School during lunch breaks.
The adult group developed into Razzmatap. Together they have enjoyed the excitement of competing, traveling and performing; the pleasure of working hard to do something well; and the support of a close-knit group of women who are always ready to help each other.