Dancers and teachers from Steppin’ Out Dance Studio in Tuttle traveled to Arlington, Texas for the Encore Dance National Competition this summer and returned with a variety of awards and trophies.
At the end of the Grand Slam, the showcase spotlighting top dances of a week-long competition, Steppin’ Out was announced as the winners of the Studio Technique Award. The studio also received the Choreography Award for Mermaids, which was choreographed by Carrie Blakey and Hayley Dennison.
Four dances from Steppin’ Out were chosen for the Grand Slam, including Body Love, Heal, Higher Love, and Humble and Kind. Tuttle’s Claire Hardin also performed in the opening number. She was chosen for the honor during the Encore regional competition in the spring.
Other awards from the competition included:
Juniors Level 1
Group Dances
Humble & Kind : Ultra High Gold, 5th place overalls
WERK: Ultra High Gold, 6th place overalls
Uptown Funk: Ultra High Gold
Duet
Greater Treasure: Ultra High Gold
Solos
Everybody Wants To Be A Cat (Savannah Bolton): Platinum, 2nd place overall
I Need Something That I Want (Belinda Garvie): High Gold
Better When I’m Dancing (Cameron Schroder): High Gold
Senior Level 1
Duet
Falling Slowly ( Brooke Matchen, AJ Fleming): Platinum, 1st place overall
Junior Level 2
Group Dances
Higher Love: Platinum, 1st place overall
Warrior: Ultra High Gold, 8th place overall
Solos
L.O.V.E. (Olivia Markum): Ultra High Gold, 10th place overalls
Heart of Blue (Brianna Howard): Ultra High Gold
I Love Me (Alyssa French): High Gold
Teen Level 2
Group Dances
Tarzan: Platinum, 1st place overall for productions
Mermaids: Platinum, 1st place overalls for large group
Heal: Platinum, 1st place overall for small group. Highest Scoring Teen Group Dance Level 2
Solos
Metamorphous (Claire Hardin): Platinum, 3rd place overalls
Slow Down (Allie Surber): Ultra High Gold, 20th place overalls
Heart Hope (Emily Blakey): Ultra High Gold
Senior Level 2
Group Dances
Body Love: Platinum, Grand Slam Winners
Dream: Platinum, 2nd place overalls
One That I Want: Platinum
That Man: Ultra High Gold
Cell Block Tango: Ultra High Gold
Magic: Ultra High Gold
Duets
White Blood (Bailey Clawson & Claire Hardin): Platinum, 1st Place overall
Solos
Human (Bailey Clawson): Platinum, 3rd Place overall
Sound of Silence (Karima Merzouk): Ultra High Gold, 8th place over all
Fever (Bekah Kerr): Ultra High Gold
Rescue My Heart (Ryleigh Clem): High Gold
I Don’t Know What I’d Do (Lenora Garvie): High Gold
Team instructors at Steppin’ Out include Carrie Blakey, Hayley Dennison, Krislyn Chambers and Matt Crow. The studio will be holding their Open House this weekend, Friday, August 11, 5-8 p.m. and Saturday, August 12, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Fall classes begin on August 21. Steppin’ Out is located at 2017 E. Hwy. 37, just two miles east of downtown Tuttle. For more information, call 381-2272, visit them online at steppinout.biz, or find them on facebook.