Hayden Hopkins (by Nathan Sayers) Hayden Hopkins, with her long, wavy hair, dream-dancer figure and legs that comprise 70 percent of her body, moves with intention, passion and a slyly sweet smirk. She teeters across the floor on a relevé so high you think her feet just might snap—but she has the strength to stay […]
The Finalists: (L to R) Madi Hicks, Hayden Hopkins and Alexa Luke (by Nathan Sayers) Each year the Dance Spirit editors discover that narrowing down the Cover Model Search competition to a few finalists is a nearly impossible task. We love watching the hundreds of videos we receive, but we hate having to choose just […]
You know the Donna Summer song, right? Well I’m here to preach it: As the month of December kicks off, it’s your last chance to enter the Cover Model Search! If you want to see yourself on the cover of Dance Spirit in 2013, you’ve gotta get uploading right this minute, because the deadline for […]
by Nathan Sayers When Megan Skalla traveled to NYC as a Cover Model Search finalist back in April, the DS editors were blown away by her stellar dancing and sweet, sincere personality—and clearly, you were, too. After more than 10,000 total votes (a CMS record!) and a race so close it came down to the […]
When watching Megan Skalla dance, several things are immediately obvious. She has legs for days and the archy feet to match. Her core is rock-solid, and her sweet smile is contagious. But the longer you spend with her, the more something else becomes clear: Megan’s got sass. Whether it’s a sharp shoulder roll during a […]
If you pictured a dream ballet dancer, you’d be seeing Hannah Bettes. The 16-year-old has gorgeous facility: impossible, effortless flexibility and crescent-moon feet. But watch her move, and it becomes clear she’s not just a Ballerina Barbie. She’s a smart dancer. When she gets a correction, it’s immediately absorbed, processed and—boom—problem solved. Though Hannah’s DS […]
“You’ll never dance again.” Those four small, terrifying words would change Alyssa Ness forever. She was 14 and dominating the competition scene, placing in the Top 10 at every Nationals she attended, even winning the mini and teen titles at West Coast Dance Explosion. But suddenly, she found herself with two torn ligaments in her […]
Megan, Alyssa and Hannah (Photo by Nathan Sayers) Each year, the Dance Spirit editors spend hours watching the videos dancers have uploaded in the Cover Model Search competition on dancemedia.com. And while that’s always entertaining—you superstars have some great technique and stellar stage presence!—what we really look forward to is the week when the three […]