Dancer of the Year
Primary & Secondary
Mikaela Kelley
Primary NHSDA Dancer of the YearWhat’s your favorite Style of Dance? Contemporary and Lyrical
Who is your biggest inspiration? Miss Kelsey!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Dancing at Radio City Music Hall as a Rockette
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Rockette and a dance teacher/studio manager
What do you do when you aren’t dancing or at dance? Facetime with friends and learn new fun make up trends
What are some of the biggest lessons dance has taught you so far? Dance has taught me how to work as a team. You can’t go out in a group dance and everyone dance as soloists, you have to dance all together as a team!
Kamryn Smallwood
Secondary NSHDA Dancer of the Year
What is your favorite style of dance? My favorite style of dance is hip-hop, but I really am passionate about all styles.
What is your favorite food? My favorite food is popcorn. However, it is technically a snack but really my go-to after dance practice and before bed.
Who is your biggest inspiration? My biggest inspiration is my teachers at OSCA and Upsurge. They had such an amazing career and I really like their story of their journey and work ethics.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I see myself hopefully dancing in music videos, going on tours, and teaching my own pop-up classes all around the world.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to keep dancing and expanding my knowledge of all the different and complex genres of dance. Choreography is also something I’m passionate about, so definitely a choreographer.
What do you do when you aren’t dancing or at dance? When out of dance, I try to keep stretching, learning new tricks, working on older skills, and improving. I also take my greatly-needed breaks since I sometimes dance from sunup to sundown.
What are some of the biggest lessons that dance has taught you so far? Never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. It took me a while to learn this and once I did, I felt myself getting better each week. I took this one from a convention about a year ago and the teacher said, “Don’t let improv scare you, it’s your best friend” I’ve realized how much I’ve been scared of being watched by my peers during improv or being judged by the teachers. However, I’ve learned that I have to be confident in my movements and sometimes judges see you improv which could make or break you. Sounds harsh, but improv is an important skill to be comfortable with. Dance has taught me so many lessons, some good and some bad, and I appreciate them all because they help me grow.
Mikaela Kelley is an Orlando, FL native currently training at Upsurge Dance Company. She has started dancing at the age of 3 and is now entering her seventh year competitively training and performing throughout the dance circuit. Over the last few years, she has had the privilege of being selected to participate and train in the world renowned intensive, PowerPak, hosted by Star Dance Alliance. Mikaela has been able to travel throughout the USA performing routines and has won numerous overall and special recognition awards while performing under the direction of the staff at Upsurge Dance Company.
She is excited to be able to represent Upsurge’s Primary National Honor Society of Dance Arts as their 2023/2024 Dancer of the Year!
Kamryn Smallwood is a junior dance major who has been dancing since she was 5 years old. She is honored to share her passion and love for dance. She has competed in multiple dance platforms and enjoys all genres of dance. Her love for dance has provided her the opportunity to travel throughout the U.S. Also, she was deemed “Rising Star” by Fikshun a well-known hip-hop dancer. In 2019, she graced the stage with her amazing drama performance in “Annie” stage play. Her talents are abundant as she is also an honor roll student, earning a place in the National Honor Society. One of her greatest accomplishments was being inducted into the National Honor Society for Dance Arts.