Lake Stevens dancer earns
“Awesome Dancer” award

At the Spotlight Dance Cup, a dance competition held in Spokane on March 17 and 18, what was considered to be a small group of dancers from Lake Stevens came home with a considerable achievement.

Talitha Thurston, a 12-year-old dancer from the Lake Stevens Dance Academy, was awarded the”Awesome Dancer” button.

The button is the creation of the students at the Chris Collins Dance Studio in Alexandria, VA. In 2005, each Chris Collins dancer was given a button along with the assignment to watch other dancers and find one who encourages and respects their fellow dancers. They were then asked to award the button to the dancer they had chosen and let them know why they are “awesome”.

Each recipient is then asked to pass their button on to another “Awesome Dancer” and record why they chose that person on the Dance Button Project internet site.

This Dance Button Project has reached over 22 states and parts of Canada.
The project has now reached Lake Stevens and will continue to grow with the help of Talitha.

While sitting at the awards ceremony following the weekend competition, Talitha turned to her friends and said, “I never win these awards.”

To her surprise her name was then called and she was asked to come up on stage.

I thought they were joking,” she said, “I thought my parents were playing a joke on me.”

Her family and teammates were all excited that Talitha had won this prestigious award.

“It was so exciting, she was so surprised,” her teammate Ashley said, “I loved the look on her face.”

According to The Dance Button Project website, Talitha was chosen because of her “driven spirit and positive attitude all weekend long”. She was also selected because she is a “phenomenal dancer and an amazing person”.

Talitha and her teammates, Lisa, Ashley and BrieAnn were competing against some teams of over 80 girls. They practice together over 20 hours a week and are coached by dance instructor Jennifer Lin who has been with LS Dance Academy for over three years.

They all love to dance and they all get good grades. They are a close-knit team and are all so strong and passionate,” Lake Stevens Dance Academy Director, Teresa said.

Now it’s Talitha’s turn to decide who will receive her “Awesome Dancer” button.

Will it be a dancer who is facing adversity or one who has finally mastered a dance she has been struggling with for a while?

Maybe it will be a dancer who loves dance because it enriches her life, just like Talitha.

“Dance let’s me release all of my emotions from the day,” she said.
“These girls dance because it is who they are,” Teresa added.

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