Jan’s dancers hit their stride at the Midwest Starz National Dance Championships held June 16-20th at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells Wisconsin. In the largest competition the studio has attended, more than 2,000 entries, Jan’s collected 22 platinum’s, 17 high score awards and seven judges choice awards. In addition, the studio qualified seven numbers for the prestigious “Grand National Shootout” which featured the “Best of the Best” from the weekend competition. The studio also earned “Best Entrance Award from judges.

The Ruby and blue lines scored well with high golds in jazz and lyrical and platinum in hip hop and clogging.

Gem jazz and Turquoise clog also sparkled with platinum and high score awards.

Teen lyrical and Junior lyrical earned high gold awards while the upstart Mini lyrical dancers earned a platinum and high score honors.

The Diamond line continued their torrid streak of pure platinum with another platinum, another high score award, a special judges award for “Hot Hooten Hoedown” and a spot in the Grand National Shootout. They also combined with Turquoise line to earn high gold in jazz and a special judges choice award.

The Silver line captured a high gold in jazz and finished their season with a platinum on the national stage in clogging.

The younger building blocks of the studio showed they are a force to be reckoned with on the national level with the Coral line earning a platinum and high score award in jazz and a platinum and number one high score in clogging.

The Purple and Emerald lines also danced well by taking home high score awards for their efforts in clogging and high gold in jazz. In their first national competition, “Uh Oh” and “Hippy Hippy Shake” danced beautifully to high gold honors.

In the clogging upper-level lines, Copper clog earned a platinum, and a number 1 high score, and a slot in the Grand National Shootout. Giant clogging’s “Stand On It” followed suit, and added “the Show Stopper Award” to its list of honors.

In specialty routines, the studios novelty numbers, “Frozen” and “The Greatest Showman”, both earned platinum as did Contemporary 3, while Contemporary 2 and Contemporary 1 earned high golds. Contemporary 1 also earned a high score award for “Lost Boy.”

In Hip Hop, Hip Hop I and Hip Hop II earned high gold awards, while the senior Hip Hop III line earned platinum and high score honors.

In the Irish number, “Cry of the Celts”, the dancers earned platinum and high score honors, as well as “Terrific Technique” accolades from the judges. For their efforts they earned a coveted spot in the “Grand Nationals Shootout.”

In the individual competition, the trio of Molly Barker, Nathan Barker, and Xavier Beal won high gold, while the trio of Cate Pottinger, Autumn Keller, Mekede Radiate earned platinum, high score award and a spot in “Grand Nationals”.

In the duet category Barker and Beal earned high gold and judge’s awards, while Alex Talley and Jessica Geerdes earned platinum. In the third studio duet, Reese Kuglin and Haley Sherry earned a platinum, high score award, and a spot in “Grand Nationals”.

In solo action, Londyn Overlander, Brailyn Gintner, Brenna Rowe, Jessica Geerdes, Lyla Rae Likes earned high gold honors, while Amber Puckett , Page Lunsford, Molly Barker, Cate Pottinger, and Mekede Radiate earned platinum. Pottinger and Radiate earned high score awards and judges awards with Radiate qualifying for “Grand Nationals”. Lunsford also won a second award in “Improv”, while Barker and Pottinger won National Stand Out Honors.

In the final event of the competition, “The Grand Nationals Shootout” runner up trophies were awarded to the solo of Radiate, the duet of Kuglin-Sherry, and the Trio Keller-Pottinger- Radiate. In group competition the studios premier Giant clogging routine “Stand On It” won the Grand National Championship and earned the highest group score of the Grand National Competition.

Copper, Diamond, and Super Clog were awarded runner up trophies for their superb performances.

On the final evening of the event, Studio director, Jan Tripp, was also awarded a “Lifetime Achievement” award by the Midwest Starz staff for her 40 years of service in the dance industry.