North Minneapolis dance studio wins national championship
Minneapolis dance crew wins nat'l championship
At the Cowles Center in downtown Minneapolis, members of the Dance City dance studio are practicing their moves. But a recent national competition proved these girls have real starpower. "We are elated, so excited. The girls have worked so hard. Having the community behind us really pushed us forward and we came back champion so I couldn't ask for more," said Dance City creative director Cierra Burnaugh.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - At the Cowles Center in downtown Minneapolis, members of the Dance City dance studio are practicing their moves. But a recent national competition proved these girls have real starpower.
"We are elated, so excited. The girls have worked so hard. Having the community behind us really pushed us forward and we came back champion so I couldn't ask for more," said Dance City creative director Cierra Burnaugh.
The girls just got back from taking part in the Starpower National Talent and Dance Competition in Las Vegas last week.
Not only did they take first place in the hip-hop category, the girls beat out 100 other groups to win 1st place overall, making them national champions.
"We were excited to compete against dancers that are on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon and doing amazing things. For us to go there, compete against those dancers, and come home champions shows how hard these little girls work," said Burnaugh.
Back in March, FOX 9 told you how Burnaugh started Dance City a few years ago to give young girls on the Northside a safe space to express themselves in the midst of the crime and gun violence that often plague their community.
Competitive dance studio in North Minneapolis needs help to get to nationals
Three nights a week, Journey Clopton dances her troubles away in a studio in North Minneapolis "My favorite type of dance is, I have to say, probably hip hop. One thing I like about dancing is definitely a way to cope with my stress and my anger. And these are also, my dear sisters, is my sisterhood," said Clopton.
She started a GoFundMe campaign to raise the $25,000 dollars needed to take the girls and their moms to the competition.
But she says the community support was overwhelming and she is glad the girls were able to come out on top.
"We are incredibly thankful to everyone that contributed and helped our dancers and their mothers get to Las Vegas. Giving them a break was such a blessing and such an incredible thing that the community rallied behind and helped us push to go to Las Vegas," said Burnaugh.
Burnaugh hopes winning the competition will allow her dancers to spread their wings and represent North Minneapolis on the national stage for years to come.
"This means the sky's the limit for us. This means that we will be traveling more. This means that opportunities and doors are going to fly open for these girls. This means that there is no fear and there is nothing holding us back," said Burnaugh.