Spotlight on....Madison Yeates!

Dancer: Madison Yeates
Birthday: April 2
Team: Junior Company
Studio: Brigham

Madison Yeates dances on Brigham's Junior Company, and she definitely has a soft spot for her family and friends. Her favorite food is her big brother Riley's hot wings and her dad's barbecue ribs. I guess food just tastes better when someone you love makes it!

When Madison is not dancing, she likes to watch her brother's wrestle and spend time with her family and her English bulldog Bozeman.

When I asked her mother if Madison was ever NOT dancing, she said, "Yes, she has Mondays and weekends off." An interesting fact about Madison is that she talks in her sleep a LOT, and she is always arguing with someone.

Madison's favorite dance experience is performing last year's hip hop dance, Wind it Up. She loves hip hop dancing with her friends.

Her hero is her oldest brother Riley.

One thing that dance has done for Madison has given her the confidence and ability to control her long legs and arms.

Madison's nickname is Goose, and she likes it, and I already mentioned her dog Bozeman but she is a "major animal lover," according to her mom, so all of them have a soft spot in her heart.

And that's a little bit about Madison Yeates!

Spotlight on....Savanna Kemp!

Dancer: Savanna Kemp
Birthday: July 5
Team: Senior Company
Studio: Ogden

I would bet that a LOT of you already know who Savanna is, because she is so friendly and outgoing, and she loves to meet and learn about new people. But there are also quite a few things you don't know about Savanna, and we are going to enlighten you.

Savanna's favorite food is her dad's pancakes. He cooks them every weekend. All of Sav's friends love them, too, as they are very special. They are silver-dollar size, and perfect to dunk into syrup, which is in a small cup.

When Savanna is not dancing, which is very rare, she loves spending time with her family. She also likes having not just one friend over, but a whole group of them. One just isn't enough for her. She would invite everyone over if she could. She also considers her dance friends family, and whenever she is feeling down she just talks to one of her friends, or teachers at dance, and it all goes away.

Savanna's mom says that Sav considers her teachers like her "second moms, and yes, sometimes I get a little jealous."

Savanna has danced since she was two, and before that she just loved watching her big sister Makinzee perform on stage. She could not wait to get up there herself. It should be no surprise that she has never been shy. When she finally got to take a dance class, at her first recital she moved to the front and center of the stage in front of all the girls and did the dance perfect, with a big huge smile. When the song was over, she saw her dad in the audience and waved and then ran right off the stage to him. "It was the cutest thing ever," her mom said. "We were so proud!"

Savanna is an accomplished pianist, and she also has a photographic memory, and every piece of music she has ever played on the piano has been memorized. She is working on a 35-page piece right now called the Sonata Pathetic. And yes that memory does help with her grades, as she is a 4.0 student every term.

Her favorite dance experience has to be coming to dance at Infinity, according to her mother. "I am speaking for Savanna, but she tells me this every day she comes home from dance. She loves INFINITY and she loves the opportunities that Mandy has given her. It has given her so many new friends that she will have forever. Between her friends from Brigham and Ogden, WOW. Such amazing girls with a lot of talent."

Dancing has improved Savanna's life in many ways, according to her dad. She is always in excellent shape, both physically and mentally. Dancing always keeps her busy living a healthy lifestyle, and spending time with all her dance friends that she considers sisters. "She doesn't have any time to get in trouble," he said.

Savanna has a lot of heroes, including her sister and brother and her parents, and one of the most unique things about her is she is so perceptive and able to find the good in everybody. Savanna was born at 12:38 a.m. on July 5. Her parents were hoping for a fourth of July baby, but she insisted on having her own day.

Savanna has many nicknames, and her parents think she likes them all. She is called Sav, Savvy, Sam-I-am, Samster, and one that her parents didn't put down, but I remember clearly. When she was a baby, her mom tried to get her to call herself Savvy, and she would pat her chest and say, "Sassy!" Didn't matter how many times Tracee told her "Savvy," "Sassy" is what she called herself. And boy did it fit.

"All these nicknames have come from numerous family and friends at different stages of her life," said her dad, Jeff. "We all know, however, that there is only ONE SAVANNA!"

Savanna has a 200-pound black Great Dane name Bentley, who thinks he is a lap dog. Apparently, he is not aware just how big he is. He is her favorite "pillow buddy!"



Click on the picture to see a larger version.

Spotlight on...Tiffany Kingsbury!

Dancer: Tiffany Kingsbury
Birthday: February 2
Team: Junior Company 2
Studio: Ogden

Tiffany Kingsbury dances on Ogden's Junior Company 2, and this is her first year at Infinity. Her favorite foods include strawberries and pasta. Since you know she likes pasta, it will be no surprise to learn that her favorite place to eat out is the Olive Garden.

When Tiffany isn't dancing, she likes to practice dancing! She does a lot of freestyling and having fun. She also likes to read and enjoys school.

Tiffany's mother said she is always dancing in some form. Even when she is playing with a friend, they always end up dancing to some music.

One thing that Tiffany enjoys that has nothing to do with dance is ice fishing. Her Dad started taking her when she was about two, and he even takes her ice fishing in the bitter cold. She can sit out in the cold all day fishing with her Dad. She once caught a fish that was bigger than she was; she was only three at that time.

Tiffany's favorite dance experience was last year when she did her first solo. She enjoyed performing in front of the crowd and felt the experience was awesome! Dance has improved Tiffany's life and continues to do so because she feels a joy doing it and wants to improve and progress in dance skill and technique.

Her hero is her Grandma Kaser, who always supports her in everything, and is always there for her and the rest of her family.

Tiffany's birthday is coming up (February 2) and she will be 10 years old. Her nickname is Tiff, but her family calls her Tiffy.

Her favorite pet is her dog Dawson, a four-year-old year old chocolate lab. Tiffany calls her "honey," and Dawson comes running.

Spotlight on...Julia White!

Dancer: Julia White
Birthday: June 11
Team: Mini Prep
Studio: Brigham


Julia White dances on the Mini Prep team at Brigham City, and her favorite food is spaghetti! When I asked her mom to tell me a little bit about Julia, she said that when Julia is not dancing, she is singing. In fact, she is ALWAYS singing. She makes up songs about every thing, every day. And she even sings when she dances. Her mom said she is actually pretty good for a six-year-old.

She was three years old when she decided she wanted to be a rock star when she grew up. She likes to play on the piano at home, although she has not had lessons. "She actually makes up some things that sound ok," her mom said. "Go figure!"

Because Julia is only six, we know she has a lot of dance experiences ahead of her, but if she had to pick one from those she has experienced so far, it would probably be Dance Fever this year. She was excited to stay in a hotel, and in one of her classes she was picked with a friend to go up on stage and do the routine. She thought it was great.

Julia really looks up to her big sister Jordin! Her mom said, "I don't know if you could call Jordin her hero, but Julia thinks Jordin is the greatest dancer on earth!"

Two years ago, Julia wouldn't even go to dance class because she was so shy. Now Julia makes tons of friends, and loves to go to the studio! Her birthday is on June 11, and in an interesting note, her family has called her Julia Gulia since she was born. (Anyone who has watched The Wedding Singer is familiar with that name!)

"We figured someone, sometime would call her that, so we thought she should get used to it. I don't know if she likes it or not, but she just smiles when we call her that. I work at her school, so some of the teachers that I work with even call her that!"

Julia's favorite pet is her dog, Daisie, a miniature schnauzer. She has had a broken foot for the last six weeks and just got her cast off a few weeks ago. Julia sleeps with Daisie, dresses her, reads to her, dances with her, sings to her, and anything else there is to do with a dog! (And maybe a few things that shouldn't be done with a dog. Gotta love kids!)

So that's a little bit about Julia Gulia White.

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!