As Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro premiered on Monday night (available to stream the next day on Disney+), the audience met one of Canada’s most talented dancers, Briar Nolet, from Oakville, Ont. Stepping out onto the dance floor for the premiere, performing a samba for judges Shirley Ballas, Mark Ballas and Derek Hough, next to former Dancing with the Stars troupe member, Stephani Sosa, Nolet tried to secure her spot in the next stage of the competition.

Nolet’s resume is stacked, from performing on tour with Jennifer Lopez to starring as Richelle in the series The Next Step and being a favourite on Season 3 of World of Dance. With more than 1 million followers on social media, Nolet’s talent continues to captivate dance lovers worldwide.

Spoilers for Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro Episode 1 included beyond this point

But Nolet’s time on Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro was cut short after she slipped at the beginning of her performance. Mark Ballas praised her recovery after the stumble, while his mom, Shirley, specifically critiqued her technique in her lower body.

Unlike others on Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro ballroom and Latin styles came to Nolet later in her career, really working towards her goal to be on Dancing with the Stars for about a year and a half.

“I grew up in a commercial background in terms of dance, so ballroom was kind of never at the forefront of my mind, because I just genuinely was never trained or introduced to it,” Nolet told Yahoo ahead of the series premiere. “But a few years ago, after I did the J.Lo tour, I was like, OK, what’s my next goal? Where do I see myself going? I was still so grateful to be young and in my prime with my athleticism and my body, and I was like, OK, I know I don’t want to do Broadway. I don’t see myself as a modern dancer or ballet dancer. I didn’t really even want to do really big tours and backup dance. [I] love acting. I obviously love TV, … and Dancing with the Stars is kind of one of those shows that I just felt brought all of my interests together.”

“The only thing was that it was ballroom, and it wasn’t commercial, so that brought out the goal-setting, driven side of me. … From research to watching the show, to training, to recovery, to nutrition, to sleep, I’m kind of an all-or-nothing girl, so it’s been the forefront of my focus the last year and a half.”

But having that commercial background also helped Nolet not be intimidated by the feedback from legendary judge Shirley Ballas.

“I guess to my benefit, I had never really been in front of her before. So I had heard how difficult she was, and obviously I had seen videos of how talented she was, … [and who] she is, but I hadn’t worked with her one-on-one,” Nolet said. “So in one way, I think it was to my benefit that I didn’t overthink who she was and what she was going to bring to the table.”

“And not coming from a ballroom background, I knew that with this first week being samba and that being quite a tricky dance, and a fast dance, and not only that, but a very technical dance, that it was going to be interesting to see how she judged me. So it was definitely nerve-racking, but at that point, I was like, you know, I’ve done everything I could to train for this, so however it was going to play out was how it was going to play out. And I just wanted to go there and have fun and do my best.”

‘Your one escape … was actually what was harming me the most’

Raised by parents who were gymnasts, Nolet started in gymnastics when she was young, but had to work through injuries when she was just six and seven years old. With her parents knowing the physical toll of gymnastics, Nolet tried out a number of different sports, and fell in love with dance when she started at age seven.

But at 16, Nolet began having seizures, which were specifically triggered by dance.

“It was really hard, and I think it’s crazy to think about now because when I had my first few seizures and we knew it was only triggered by dance, … I was putting myself in the scenario to have one. If I had not stepped into a studio, I wouldn’t have had one,” Nolet shared. “So I was genuinely just so in love with dance that I was asking for it by going into a dance studio, which I can’t even explain the pain that it was. … Your one escape, or what you think would be your escape out of the stuff that we go through in the real world, was actually what was harming me the most.”

“And it was also tough because my parents never saw one, because they were only in studios, and so it was just, at the end, my coaches being like, ‘We can’t let you into the studio because you’re literally putting yourself in the situation of us having to call an ambulance.’ … It started to get worse. … I’d have so much PTSD and anxiety from it. … By the end of that year that I was having them, I would say I couldn’t even cross the floor, I couldn’t even learn an eight count without me being like, I feel anxious I might have one, and then I’d sit on the floor, and I have one.”

Nolet was diagnosed with epilepsy and worked with a Toronto neurologist whom she calls her “lifesaver,” finding the right treatment for her. And impressively, less than two months after her diagnosis, she auditioned for World of Dance, and was filming that show just a couple of months later.

Now, Nolet highlights how “heartwarming” it’s been to connect with people who have epilepsy as she continues to be an advocate and inspire others.

“It truly just is the reason why I do what I do,” Nolet said. “As much as it sounds so weird to say, it’s a gift to be given epilepsy.”

“It truly was a hard time for everyone in my life through that period, but I think it’s truly made me who I am, and I think I wouldn’t be who I am and where I am today without it. So to be able to have that voice, I think, just gives me an extra sense of purpose for what I’m doing.”

Briar Nolet could be the next great action star

While Nolet isn’t giving up her goal to join Dancing with the Stars, she’s also hoping to continue her acting career.

“I love acting. I truly do. … In the ideal world, I would love to be able to continue to do both,” Nolet said.

In terms of what roles she’s particularly interested in, Nolet would love to do an action project or a rom-com.

“I think with my dance background and athleticism, I do love action,” Nolet said. “I think that is so cool, to be able to channel a character that also has that physical ability.”

“I love rom-coms. I love watching them. So I feel like that would be fun to play a character that has a lighthearted, soft feel, but also is really funny, and isn’t taken too seriously.”

While the Canadian dancer and actor is now based in Los Angeles, and is thriving, she loves the time she gets to spend back home in Canada with her parents, sister and her “hometown girls,” making a “non-negotiable” trip to Tim Hortons and hitting up a Barry’s bootcamp class in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood.