Tag: the dance awards

Why You Should Know Comp Queen Keagan Elle Capps

Not only does 14-year-old Keagan Capps have insane flexibility, but she uses it to the fullest extent (pun intended). And her ability to nail a range of emotions and musical accents draws audiences in. Keagan took home the title of National Junior Best Dancer at The Dance Awards in 2019. This past summer, she took […]

How Choreographer Will Loftis Finds Inspiration

As a choreographer, Will Loftis has touched almost every part of the dance industry. He’s worked on television, from “So You Think You Can Dance” to “The World’s Best” to “The Voice,” and he served as the supervising choreographer for the “Dancing with the Stars” 2020 tour. He’s a regular on the convention circuit, teaching […]

How to Stay Motivated When You Just Don't Feel Like Dancing

No matter how committed you are to dance, there’s no denying that training can be grueling. Sometimes it’s physically exhausting; sometimes it’s mind-numbingly repetitive; sometimes, like during the annual Nutcracker run, it’s both. How can you ensure that your love for dance will survive these difficult moments, when you just don’t feel like spending yet […]

The Eyes Have It: How Dancers Can Use Their Eyes Effectively Onstage

Have you ever been unable to take your eyes off a dancer, only to realize it’s because they’re using their eyes so beautifully? Powerful eye contact can be the detail that takes your performance to the next level. Not everyone knows how to use their eyes effectively, though. Too much eye contact can make you […]

Meet Out-of-This-World Comp Kid Gracyn French

What do you get when you cross a 1920s jazz baby with an absurdly flexible alien life-form? Ten-year-old Gracyn French, who’s taken the comp world by storm over the past two years. After she became KAR Miss Petite Dance America 2017, the 2018 Nationals season saw Gracyn break the Top 20 at Radix and the […]

Tate McRae's First-Place Dance Awards Solo Will Leave You #SHOOK

Happy Nationals season, everybody! It’s that time of year when us lucky editors get to watch so, SO many gorgeous solos by dancers competing for big titles. But even among the insanely gifted artists at the top of the comp circuit, Tate McRae stands out. Just ask anyone who’s seen the solo that helped her […]

Dance Spirit Presents: JT Church's First Dance Awards Nationals

This Nationals season, Dance Spirit followed four talented dancers from The Dance Awards, NYCDA, Showstopper, and Starpower for an inside look at everything that goes into the biggest competitions of the year. Next up: JT Church from Club Dance in Mesa, AZ, who competed at The Dance Awards in Las Vegas for the first time […]