For a girl that doesn’t plan on going pro, Alexa Stevens
certainly spends plenty of time at the top.
Andrew Matheson Sports Editor
Hollister – For a girl that doesn’t plan on going pro, Alexa Stevens certainly spends plenty of time at the top.
Stevens, 12, of Hollister, has taken home plenty of dance awards in her short career, but this past season proved to be one of her best.
“Technically, if you can call a three-year-old dancing, that’s how long I’ve been dancing,” Stevens said.
The incoming eighth-grader at Spring Grove spends some 20 hours practicing in the off-season, and while she plans on teaching dance to pay her way through college, her strenuous practice schedule is paying off now.
At the regional dance event in San Mateo in March, Stevens finished in second place overall for her Junior Character Routine, and was one of six individuals at the regional – with only 40 individuals nationally – invited to open for the Top Groups of 2007 at the Showstopper National Dance Finals in Anaheim.
The honor allowed her and 39 others to perform a dance number to open the final, providing her the opportunity to work with Broadway choreographers, as well as have her hair, makeup and wardrobe done by stylists from the Fox TV show, So You Think You Can Dance.
“Basically, it was the highest honor to learn from the expert choreographers,” she said. “There’s only 40 spots in the nation available for people. You have to place into those spots. It seemed like a good experience.”
Stevens’ dance team, No Limits Dance and Performing Arts in Soquel, also qualified for Nationals, but only go every other year due to expenses. Since Stevens was going to be National-bound to perform the opening number, though, she decided to perform her solos as well, and it was a good idea she did.
At the West Coast Nationals, which took place on July 18-22 in Anaheim, Stevens, performing alone, showcased her two dance solos, and won two Platinum awards – the highest possible ranking – for both of her solos.
She finished first place in the Junior (9- and 12-years-old) Solo Character Routine with 85.1 points. Additionally, in her Junior Solo Jazz Routine, Stevens took fifth place, earning her another Platinum award.
As icing on the cake, though, Stevens, up against all other dance styles and all dancers 9- through 12 -years-old, finished third in the overall final standings, which included more than 200 contestants.
It was her Character Routine that placed her third, and her 85.1 points in that category were less than two points shy of the top overall spot. She took home the honor, as well as scholarship and cash awards.
Stevens, who usually finds herself in the top 10, was not expecting the high overall placing.
“I thought I did well, personally,” she said. “But I watched the other dancers, and I have to say, I was intimidated.
“So, no, I wasn’t expecting third, but I was excited. I was thrilled.”
The strong solo finale for Stevens, however, was a far cry from where she was at the beginning of the competitive season in January.
The dancer, practicing back flips one day in January, shattered her elbow mere weeks before the season began.
“It was like, ‘Happy New Year! Crash,'” Stevens said.
After a three-hour surgery to reconstruct her elbow at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, Stevens was back competing one day later. As a result of her injury, though, Stevens couldn’t compete in solos until her third competition, and was instead performing in group numbers, donning a cast.
“It was probably the hardest thing to do in my dance career,” said Stevens, who added that she was unbalanced with a cast on her arm. “It was a very hard experience.
“But in the end, it was all worth it.”
