GALION – A local dance studio has wowed the judges and walked away with top honors at a major dance competition in Galveston, Texas.
Competitive dancers from the Eagle Dance Center, 110 Harding Way West, brought home a total of 26 awards in “Showstopper,” one of the largest dance competitions in the country, during the four-day event in July.
“It was almost surreal; honestly, the entire week we were there,” said Anna Matney, who officially took over as owner and director of the studio on June 1. “I was overjoyed. It was pride, honestly. It was definitely a good week for us.”
Eagle Dance Center bested dozens of other dance studios nationwide by earning two double-platinum award adjudications, 21 platinum award adjudications, and three gold award adjudications in the Gulf Coast Finals show.
The group garnered first for its “Scooby Mi Pa Pa” number in the Teen Performance Large category and placed second in the same category for “Rain on Me.” They also won in the Senior Performance Small category for the routine “Die For.”
Kira Metzger, Emma Shaffer, and Olivia Bower captured third, fifth, and seventh place, respectively, for their solo performances. In duets and trios, the team racked up five awards dancing to “Already Gone,” “When I Look at You,” “I’ll Be There,” “That’s My Girl,” and “Please, Mr. Jailer.”
Emma Shaffer and Olivia Bower finished second for their “That’s My Girl” routine, while Shaffer, Bower, and Sydney Eckert took third for “Already Gone.” Fourth place went to the duet of Bower and Carly Kent, who danced to “When I Look at You.”
Placing sixth overall for their duet were Isabelle Pohlabel and Adalie Flick, who performed to “Please Mr. Jailer.” Rounding out the overall awards were ninth-place finishers Autumn Miller and Alexis Cawrse for their “I’ll Be There” duet.
A first-place trophy for “Scooby Mi Pa Pa” went to dancers Jillian Hart, Carly Kent, Isabelle Pohlabel, Kira Metzger, Autumn Miller, Melanie Wheeler, Sydney Eckert, Ava Stowers, Adalie Flick, Emma Shaffer, Olivia Bower, Alexis Cawrse, and Grace Sparks.
Another trophy for first was awarded to dancers competing in the “Die For” routine – Sydney Eckert, Olivia Bower, Emma Shaffer, Melanie Wheeler, Kira Metzger, Jillian Hart, Carly Kent, and Alexis Dure.
Placing second for “Rain on Me” were Melanie Wheeler, Isabelle Pohlabel, Carly Kent, Alexis Dure, Ryleigh Pickering, Alexis Cawrse, Trinity Doyle, Grace Sparks, Ava Stowers, and Raegan Welch. Fourth place went to the members of “Got You” – Olivia Bower, Sydney Eckert, Melanie Wheeler, Isabelle Pohlabel, Carly Kent, and Alexis Dure.
As a surprise, Matney said, longtime studio owner and founder Shannon Eagle of Galion also showed up at the competition to offer support and encouragement to her and the team. Eagle announced her retirement earlier this year.
Matney, a dancer at the center since she was three years old, said Eagle has been her coach and mentor.
“My whole life has been around dance.
I’ve done it my entire life, but not to this extent, to flip flop things around and not be on the stage.”
The downtown studio has grown considerably over the years, Matney said, and now has 23 competitive dancers and 100 other girls enrolled in the program, ranging in age from three to 18.
Dancers, she said, hail from Crawford and surrounding counties.
The 2021competitive team also includes Jillian Hart, Kendall Kronick, Maelyn Webb, Kaitlyn Tanner, Maria Wegesin, and Katelyn McMullen. Assisting Matney are staff members Taylor Eagle, Kennedy Thompson, Tiffeny Bowersock, and Keaton Durbin.
Matney, a Galion native, and Galion High School graduate said she’s thrilled to be taking over the dance center, especially since it’s her home studio. “I’m just super excited honestly to be planting roots in Galion, in Crawford County where I grew up.”
