Inspirations Dance Academy wins big at competition
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KQTV) -- Inspirations Dance Academy competition team members earned top honors and an invitation to the Ultimate Invitational Championship during the Showstoppers Competition held in early February.
The Savannah-based academy's team secured multiple Platinum awards and first-place finishes across several dance categories.
The event featured wins for large groups, small groups, duets and solo performers in genres ranging from jazz and tap to acro and musical theater.
The Junior Jazz Large Group performance of "Blackbird" earned Platinum and first place overall. The routine featured dancers Zoie Beaman, Taylin Brennan, Billie Clardy, Alexia Collings, Avery Davies, Kylie Madget, Izzy Naber, Miley Ward, Marleigh Weichinger, Harper Werner, Grayson Wise, Addison Workman, Hope Zahnd and Mercy Zahnd.
A Junior Open Line routine titled "Happy Little Dance" received a Choreography Award for academy owner Mary Ingersoll, competition choreographer Raychel Baker and Amanda Rose. The performance earned High Gold and second place overall.
Baker serves as the lead acro instructor for the academy and praised the team's effort following the results.
"So proud of all of you I saw so many personal bests on stage and that's the real goal!" Baker said.
In the Teen Jazz category, Collings and Beaman took home first place overall and the Champion in Category title for their duet, "What It Sounds Like."
Werner and Madget placed second overall and earned Champion of Category for their Junior Jazz duet, "If You Go Down." Payton Campbell and Clardy received a Judges Award for "Best Friends Forever" along with a third-place overall finish for their duet, "Count On Me."
Other top duet finishes included Elizabeth Ingersoll and Piper Thompson, who placed fifth overall in Petite Acro/Gymnastics, and Wise and Naber, who earned eighth place in Junior Tap.
Several soloists earned high rankings, including Wise, who placed sixth overall in Junior Open. In the Teen Open category, Ward took fourth place overall and received a Judges Award for "Beautiful Message." Brennan placed fifth overall in Teen Lyrical, while Naber finished eighth overall in Junior Musical Theatre.
Special solo awards were given to Davies, who won Champion in Category and a "Smiles for Miles" Judges Award for her Teen Jazz solo. Olivia Campbell received the Heart of Gold Award and a "Heartfelt Radiance" Judges Award for her performance in Junior Lyrical. Werner also received a Judges Award for "On Your Way" for her Junior Lyrical solo.
Small group performances included "Yellow Submarine," which took third place overall in Junior Tap. "True Colors," a Junior Lyrical Small Group, received a Judges Award for "Elegance Refined," and the Petite Hip Hop trio performance of "Schuyler Sisters" received a "Broadway Remix" Judges Award.
The Inspirations Competition team will next compete at the Precision Arts Challenge in Kansas City in April 2026
