Of all the awards and accolades received by dancers at Miss Chelsea’s Dance Academy this year, studio owner Chelsea Lea is most proud of the ones that honored her students for their kindness.
First they earned the “Spreading Kindness” award given at a dance competition in Kansas City in February. Judges created the award on site just for MCDA, recognizing Lea’s students for their character and commitment.
A month later, MCDA received the Studio Sportsmanship Award at the Talent On Parade contest in Pittsburg, followed by the “Kindness Award” at a national dance competition in Branson, Mo., in June.
“I’m really proud of my kids for being so courteous and nice, both on stage and backstage,” Lea said.
“They walked around telling everyone good luck, break a leg, have fun. They were cheering for literally everybody. One of my students said, ‘I want someone to scream for me like that, so I’m going to scream for them.’”
Over the course of the past year, the team competed in four dance competitions.
The team has 35 dancers, ranging in age from 6 to 18, who typically perform a total of 36 routines.
Lea’s competition team grew significantly this year. In past years, the team had about 17 members and 21 routines.
“This year we had the most dancers, the most routines. It was a crazy year because we kept having kids who got injured playing sports or just in general, so we kept having to change the routines,” Lea said. “It was like taking a different routine each time but they still managed to pull together. Their dedication was amazing.”
This is the first year Lea took her students to a national dance competition.
“We usually take the summer to rest. Other sports have seasons but this one goes all year,” she said. “Every year I have students who want to go to Nationals, so we did.”
The team competed against 32 other studios from the Midwest, performing a total of about 1,500 routines.
MCDA competed at the intermediate level. The team had the top-scoring routine in their division, with 12 dancers who placed in the Top 10 in their category, and another nine placed in the Top 15.
They also won a Judge’s Choice award for their acting and performing skills. One judge described the dancers as “Broadway bound.”
“They worked so hard this year. Their love for dance and for each other, and their energy were recognized everywhere they went,” Lea said.
