Dance to the Beat competitive dance team competed again this past weekend in Warren, Ohio. Overall, this has been the best and most successful competition of the season yet. Here are the amazing results.

The competition started Saturday morning, with Tenley Murphy, Camila Whiteley, and Elise Boucher getting 1st place overall out of the junior duets/trios, and following in second was Sarah Whiteley, Layla Mosher, and Charlotte Goodwill with their great trio. So the competition was already off to a great start, earning the two highest spots they were able to.

Next was the newest company members competing in their junior, small group dance. They also earned 1st place overall. This group contained Lily Amy, Olivia Sheldon, Rylyn Gurdak, Monique Johnson, and Madison Damcott. A few moments later, Tenley Murphy, Elise Boucher, Amarah Jordan, Tori Yoder, Karleigh Moon, Taylor Sproveri, Finley Mitchell, Avery McCray, Charlotte Goodwill, Camila Whiteley, Sarah Whiteley, and Layla Mosher competed in two large group dances. Their jazz large group took home 2nd place overall in the large group category, and their lyrical dance (with Olivia Sheldon) earned 1st place overall. DTTB is still on a streak of placing the best they have the ability to. 

Sunday morning began the 13 and older group dances. The senior dancers, Audrey Baker, Kenzie Knight, this reporter, Willow Bowen, Jonas Anthony, and Izzy Kellogg competed in two small group dances in the teen category.  Their fun jazz dance placed 3rd overall, and their beautiful lyrical dance placed 1st overall, as well as getting a “Fantastic Fluidity” special judges award. 

Competing in the novice level was Shawntel Dyne, Mac Ricketts, Evie Beckman, Mikayla Jackson, Cadence Miller and Halle Beach. Their lyrical routine placed 3rd overall, and their jazz dance scored 1st place overall in their division. Placing 2nd in this division was a tap dance made up of Jonas Anthony, Avery McCray, Taylor Sproveri, Halle Beach, Layla Mosher, and Izzy Kellogg. These two dance groups combined to compete together in a large group lyrical, and a large group hip-hop dance (not including Halle Beach in the hip-hop). The entertaining hip-hop dance scored 2nd place overall, and the heartfelt lyrical dance was the 1st place overall large group winner. 

This article did not include all of the soloists’ scores, but they all danced beautifully as usual.

To conclude, I would like to shed light on one of the happiest, most dedicated dancers that the dance team has ever seen: Olivia Sheldon. Olivia is 15 years old, and this season was her first year as a company member. Sadly, days before the first competition in Pittsburgh, Olivia dislocated her collarbone at dance practice. Her family still traveled to Pittsburgh and went to the hospital there to get checked out. She was cleared and allowed to dance. She was restricted in a sling, but still managed to compete and dance beautifully at three dance competitions. However, after making another trip to the hospital a month after the first, she got the news that she is not able to continue this dance season and will need surgery. This news broke this determined dancer’s heart, as well as all of her fellow dancers and dance teacher. She is such a sweet girl who was doing absolutely amazing and fulfilling her dream of becoming a member of the competitive dance team.  Wishing Olivia a fast, easy, and healthy recovery and we can’t wait to see her back on the stage doing what she loves next spring.