Quartet of seniors from each studio leading the teams

By Robert Williams

Editor

Dancers from the Northern Lights Dance Academy (NLDA) studios in Frazee and Park Rapids are embarking on what has become a summer ritual—the chase for regional and national championships.

“Even the kids, there is a pressure now to do it,” said NLDA Instructor Kiala Rae Velde. “It’s kind of nice to be in that spot where you don’t know what’s going to happen and you’re just…well, whatever happens we’re going to be happy. We know what we want to get to.”

NLDA’s Production Line has reason to be confident coming off two regional first place finishes and are seeking a third consecutive regional and national title. The Production Line heads into those dances undefeated in the past three years.

Production Line has an incredible 62 dancers and even wilder is the fact they practice once a month compared to some of their competitors who are working on their routines weekly.

“They come in every year knowing what to expect,” Velde said. “Once a month, three to four hours, that’s it. That’s all they get.”

There are other teams the dancers are a part of and Production includes dancers from the Park Rapids studio. Park Rapids dancers have to drive to the Frazee studio because their home studio could not hold the full 62 dancers.

Each dancer gets videos to which they rehearse on their own time and Velde expects them to return knowing the routine very well.

“This year has been the easiest year even though I think it’s the most difficult choreography we’ve ever done and we have big props,” Velde said.

The props have been made by dance dads, who also install them on stage at competitions.

“They’re very into it; our prop dads feel like they have something to do; they’re super excited,” Velde said.

That excitement has transcended to the performance as the team not only is chasing a third straight national title, but doing so at a new difficulty level.

“Between the props and the hardest choreography we’ve ever done we’re definitely taking a risk, but it’s my favorite dance that we’ve done for Production,” said Velde. 

Going a different direction is part of what Velde looks for, something that will even surprise the judges.

“We definitely want to win but we want to love the dance; that’s super important to us,” she said. “I feel like the judges can feel that when they see the dances. The kids love doing that dance and I loved choreographing that dance.”

NLDA has garnered so much success from the team aspect to overall industry recognition that they do not feel obligated to blow the crowd and judges away but that is their goal.

“I feel like we always want to be the ones where other studios go, ‘that was really good,’ because it’s hard as a choreographer to sit there and gosh, that beat me. For another studio to come and say, ‘that was incredible,’ whether the judges agree or not, their studios are complimenting you.”

Competing against larger studios for the competition is why NLDA schedules so many of their road trips to the Twin Cities.

“It’s harder and it puts more pressure but it makes us better dancers,” Velde said.

NLDA also enters those competitions with a much different reputation. They used to be that talented group from a small town. The perspective of their competitors has changed.

“Most of the studios we’re competing against, and I’ve worked at some of them too, the teachers will start chatting,” Velde said. “They know our jackets now.”

The NLDA jackets will be known at Wisconsin Dells, where the winning streak began in 2023. This year’s Triple S Regional will be held June 15-19. Teams not only are chasing regional titles but looking to qualify for nationals, a competition that happens this same week at The Wilderness Resort in the Dells.

The top three Production teams will square off at the end of the weekend for the national title.

“You have to fight to get that spot,” Velde said.

Teams go into the competition not knowing what other studios are going to be there, but NLDA is showing up with two having balanced out the talent between Frazee and Park Rapids.

In fact, the Park Rapids Elite team had the top score at the first competition of the year this season.

“They are some of the hardest workers,” Velde said.

A big part of NLDA’s success is having found a way to mesh between both locations while keeping up a healthy and friendly competition.

“The bond between the two studios—they love their Sunday Production Line days that they are together and there are a couple of them that do a trio together.”  

That trio is a unique amalgamation of dancers with two being from Perham and one Park Rapids and all three are in different grades – seventh through ninth.

Park Rapids has always been playing a bit of catch up to Frazee. The Frazee studio is currently in its 19th year, while Park Rapids has been going for a dozen years.

“There was definitely a gap and when they started you could see it,” Velde said. “But I think the parents were super inspired. They could see it and not only get there but surpass them in some competitions has been really fun. When they beat our Frazee girls it’s fun to watch their faces, ‘You’re good too!’”

Velde credits the humility of her Park Rapids squad, while also praising the more tenacious aspect of her Frazee team.

“Frazee has a little more bite; they’re a little more vicious,” she said. “They just have a fire.”

Which is what makes this year’s Production Line chase so special for both studios. In essence, it’s a competition where everyone wins.

“It’s nice when they get that moment,” said Velde.

Nationals also means the end for seniors in the program. This year, Velde will say goodbye to four from each studio. From Frazee, that quartet is Miranda Poser, Lainey Jacobson, Natalie Tusow, and Grace Doll. Poser and Tusow are Perham High School grads, while Jacobson and Doll are recent Frazee-Vergas graduates.

“Grace is my quiet one; she never wanted a solo and she ended up making it in the top 15 in all our competitions,” said Velde. “She’s actually the lead in Production Line, which I knew last year at nationals. I told my coworkers I have this idea for a dance and Grace Doll is going to be my lead. She does such a great job at that part; she just steals the show.”

Velde gave Doll the lead in “The Museum” because of her team-first attitude and selfless character.

Poser started dancing when she was seven-years-old. Of the four seniors, Velde says they were, “born and raised at the studio.” 

“Miranda started competition and then took a year off and when she came back the fire underneath that girl was crazy,” Velde said. “She’s the oldest on this core team and she’s been such a good role model for everyone. She’s quiet but she works hard.”

Tusow also started the same year as Poser and is dealing with a hip injury, although she has been cleared for competition. 

“I know she’s in pain almost every day but she doesn’t let it get to her,” said Velde. “She’s been a leader on my teams for years. She’s the kid that everyone looks up to, super organized, plans extra parties for them to get together. She does all those little extra things and she’s my assistant for my junior team.”

Jacobson is an example to her teammates as both a person and a determined athlete.

“I’ve never met a nicer kid; she doesn’t say anything negative about anyone ever, there’s no judgment,” Velde said. “She’s just the kindest kid and she has worked so hard on all of her dances.”

Jacobson and her three senior teammates all have a similar vein to their performances.

“I’ll say this about all four of my seniors, for none of them it came easy; dance didn’t come,” said Velde. “Like your Autumn Moes, your Sophie Nelsons, they were just good dancers. It was so simple. They got their splits down, right away they’re jumping. All four of them definitely had to work through stuff to get there and they never complained. They just worked their tails off.”

For more information on Triple S visit https://www.triplesdancecompetition.com/nationals/ and follow Northern Lights Dance Academy on Facebook for updates.