Spotlight on...Meagan Jones!

Dancer: Meagen Jones
Birthday: June 6
Team: Teen Company 2
Studio: Ogden

Meagen Jones dances on Ogden's Teen Company 2. She is the oldest child in her family, and she has two younger sisters, Courtney, age 10, and Hallie, age six. Meagen is 13 and her birthday is June 6.

Meagen’s favorite food is Italian. Her nickname is “Mimi,” and her family has always called her that because of her bright smile and cute personality. But when she was little, her dad would call her “Mug a Bug” because he thought she was as cute as a bug.

Meagen is full of life and fun-loving. She is involved in a lot of different activities at school. She is an eighth grade officer, on the track team, a peer tutor and a teacher’s aid. She attends Orion Jr. High. Meagen is a perfectionist and expects 110% of herself no matter what she is doing.

You probably didn't know that Meagen shows paint horses as a hobby. She is a World and Reserve World Champion with her horse, Vegas. Vegas and Meagen have become great friends, enjoy learning new things, and have a lot of fun with each other.

Meagen has won many local, state, and national titles in the first year with her new horse.

One of Meagen’s favorite dance experiences is when she danced at a Utah Jazz half time as a Junior Jazz dancer.

Meagen’s heroes are people who are positive and uplift others. She has danced most of her life, and she feels it has made her a team player and taught her a lot of discipline.

When Meagen is not dancing, tumbling, riding her horse, or getting a 4.0, she likes to catch up on her sleep. With that kind of schedule, who can blame her?

Spotlight On....McKenzie Sorrells!

Dancer: McKenzie Sorrells
Birthday: July 7
Team: Teen Company
Studio: Ogden

McKenzie Sorrells dances on Ogden's Teen Company, and according to her mom, dance she does. In fact, she never STOPS dancing.

When she isn't dancing, she enjoys eating fettuccine, playing softball, tumbling, and snowmobiling.

One thing you may not know about McKenzie is that she has a really bad fear of heights. On the plus side, most dancing is done on the ground, so she should be okay.

Her favorite dance experience was last year at the Jump Convention, which she really enjoyed.

McKenzie's dance hero is Mia Michaels. Her birthday is July 7, 1996.

When asked a way that dancing has improved her daughter's life, McKenzie's mom said it has made her more disciplined. That makes sense, considering you have to find a way to fit chores, homework, friends, etc., into a very busy dance schedule.

McKenzie's nickname is, not surprisingly, Kenzie. Her favorite pet is her grandparents' dog Dusty.

McKenzie's favorite vacation was spending two weeks in Scotland, and visiting the gold medal winners from the 2002 Olympics.

Spotlight on...Hailee Payne!

Dancer: Hailee Payne
Birthday: January 30
Team: Senior Company
Studio: Brigham

Hailee Payne dances on Brigham's Senior Company, as well as spending some time in Ogden, so many of you may already know her. But you probably don't know all about her, so we are going to share some facts about Hailee that might surprise you.

Hailee loves lots of foods, but her mother is sure her favorite is fettuccine!

When Hailee is not dancing, which is not that often, she loves to hang out with her family and friends. She enjoys going to movies and playing the WII. Other than that, she sleeps and goes to school--and dances!

One thing you may not know about Hailee is that she is very smart, and even with all the hours she spends dancing, she is dedicated to her education. She has never gotten anything less than a 4.0, and her parents are very proud of her.

With as much time as she spends dancing, it is hard for her mom to think of particular dance experiences that stand out, but she did come up with one from last year. At NUVO, Hailee was given the title of "Nuvo Breakout Artist" for her age division, and she was able to meet and talk with Travis Wall. He told her she was amazing and is going places! Quite a compliment coming from Travis Wall!

Hailee has several heroes, but when her mom asked her who she would say was her hero for this spotlight, she said it was her mom and dad. She is very appreciative of the sacrifice they make for her so she can dance. But her "dance" heroes are still at the top of her list, too. She admires anyone and everyone she gets an opportunity to dance with--especially those at Infinity.

Dance has been great for Hailee, and has resulted in her having amazing self-esteem. she is very disciplined because of dance, and she has grown as a person because dance has forced her to come out of her comfort zone.

Hailee's birthday is January 30, 1995. She has more than one nickname, but the ones heard most often are Hay-Dog and Hay-Hay. Her parents like to call her Darlin!

Hailee has two pets, Jasmine and Rosco. Both are mini schnauzers and Hailee's mom says they are big spoiled brats, but Hailee loves them.


Scary Hailee at Halloween!

Spotlight on...Josie Kemp!

Dancer: Josie Kemp
Birthday: February 23
Team: Junior Company
Studio: Ogden


Josie Kemp is a member of Ogden's Junior Company, and she's so quiet that we figured most people don't know much about her. So we are going to tell you A LOT about her.

Josie's favorite food is mashed potatoes and gravy. She always wants them for dinner but her mom does not like to cook, so she really looks forward to Thanksgiving. Since that's really close, we bet Josie is really excited.

Josie has a lot of nicknames, but the one she gets called the most is Jose (Hose A). In her spare time she loves to call her cousins and get them together, and in fact Josie has LOTS of cousins who also dance (or teach!) at Infinity. Her cousins include Makinzee Kemp (teacher, Ogden); Savanna Kemp (Senior Company, Ogden); Courtney Kemp (Junior Company 2, Ogden); Andrew Kemp (Junior Ballroom, Ogden); and Raegen Kemp (Tiny Prep, Ogden). And of course Josie also has her sister, Anna, who is on Mini Company, Ogden.

When she has spare time, she loves to call her cousins and get them together for a weekend sleepover, dragging out their playtime through Sunday night as late as she can. "Our family is close and her cousins are her best friends," said Josie's mom, Carlene.

Josie also likes to go hiking with her dad, and they did an eight hour hike in Escalante this past Easter. It was an extremely difficult hike requiring wet suits, because the water in the slot canyons is soooo cold. That was tougher than most of her hikes, though, as they usually they hike in the mountains behind their house.

Josie also loves to get a pedicure! She needs it after all that hiking and dancing.

Josie's favorite dance experience, according to her mom, was summer auditions at the studio. "Josie wanted to be on Junior Company so badly. She loved the team dances from last year and thought those girls were such good dancers. She worked so hard to be able to audition for that class and when she made it all of her hard work paid off! She loves her team and the dances they are learning and the girls were so accepting and made Josie feel welcome."

Josie's birthday is February 23, and she will be 12 this year. The Kemp family has a gray tabby cat named Caesar, and while he is very cute, he is not very nice to anyone.

Josie's hero is her daddy. He was shy and quiet too, when he was young, and so he gets Josie. They spend a lot of time together.

Dance has totally changed Josie's life, especially this year, because it has given her goals to work toward and has built her self confidence. Josie is very shy and quiet but has great strenghth and dancing with the girls on her team has made her a better dancer. It has also helped her realize that she can do whatever she strives to achieve.


Josie with Bailey Kelsey at Dance Fever