Support and hard work. Sophomore Kaitlyn Stafford stands with her mother, Dana Stafford, for a picture after a dance competition. “My mom and my dad have supported me the most throughout dance because they go to my recitals and competitions,” Stafford said. Dance has taught Stafford to persevere and work hard.

Sweat drips to the floor, smiles stretch ear to ear and songs replay on full blast–it’s a typical night at the studio for sophomore Kaitlyn Stafford. 

“I chose dance because I’m kind of flexible. It’s easy for me and I love music,” Stafford said. “I think I have a good ear for music and it’s fun.” 

Stafford competitively dances at Dancer’s Edge Studio three days a week. Her classes include ballet, jazz, contemporary and musical theater. Her stress levels have decreased, and she’s become a stronger dancer since starting dance.

“If I’m stressed out or anything, sometimes I go into my basement and do ballet barre. It helps me calm down,” she said.

Growing as a person, dance has increased Stafford’s confidence and taught her that if you work hard, you will improve in all aspects of life. She is confident on stage and loves to express herself through movement and music. 

“Her confidence has grown because she’s able to perform on stage for hundreds of people without hesitation or fear,” Stafford’s mother Dana Stafford said.

Stafford believes the hardest part of competitive dance is remembering the choreography when getting on stage at competitions. She believes it takes a lot of memory, even though she picks up things well. In the studio, Stafford’s peers notice her passion, hard work and ability to show her personality through dance.

“She really likes it, and she picks up learning new choreography easily,” freshman competitive dancer Chloe Oliver said.

Her parents are her biggest supporters, and her mother always notices her dancing around the house, according to Stafford. She has noticed improvement comes from working hard and keeping consistency. Stafford also notices the dances become sharper and easier to remember by the last competition.

“The most rewarding part about dance is getting to see all your dances fleshed out. You’re finally in your costumes and seeing how much your effort paid off like oh my god, we work to this’,” Stafford said. “You’ve finished your dance in December, and then you see it in March and you’re like ’oh my god, this is completely different.’”