Seventh grader from Youngstown earns finalist spot at national K12 talent show
This summer, a seventh-grade student from Youngstown is competing as one of 36 finalists in a nationwide talent show.
Claire K. is a student at Ohio Virtual Academy who competed against hundreds of her peers across the country in the K12 Talent Competition.
She’s performing virtually in June through a livestream for the final phase of the talent show.
Claire has been dancing since she was three years old.
“It can be nerve-wracking sometimes when I’m on stage, but when I started dancing, it’s just so exciting, and I just let it happen,” she said.
When she’s not in the studio learning new routines or travelling to competition tournament destinations like Las Vegas, Claire is a teacher at Jamie’s Dance Force.
“I tell them to always work hard, and if they need help, to ask, because they can always ask for help to understand steps. And if they do their best, then that will help them succeed in the future,
Claire said she appreciates the flexibility and support from her virtual school, which allows her to balance her dance training with her academic responsibilities.
“All my teachers are just so supportive of my passion, and I love teaching, because every time the younger dancers learn new steps and see their costume for the first time and get on stage for recital, they’re just so excited,” Claire said.
The national talent show offers virtual students a chance to showcase their talents in Musical Performances (singing, instruments), Creative Performances (dancing, poetry, monologues, comedy), and Variety Acts (magic, gymnastics, juggling).
Judges selected their finalists with a rubric consisting of creativity, skill, entertainment, and stage presence.
“She amazes me every single day. She has far surpassed any expectations I could have ever had for her, and she goes in there and works. She puts in the training without ever being asked, and she asked to go in more than she has to, which is pretty unbelievable,” said Claire’s mom, Christine.
Christine majored in dance in college. She said their family is grateful for the personalized support and career-focused classes offered by Ohio Virtual Academy, which have been instrumental in Claire’s development as a dancer.
“It’s definitely full circle and brings tears to my eyes every time,” Christine said. “Ohio Virtual Academy has these career-focused classes, where students take very specialized personality tests and career enhancement tests to help them make the schedule that would make sense for what they think their future goals are. For example, next year, she is going to be able to take some career-based classes based on dance. That is incredibly helpful to students like Claire that are so focused on making it personalized and customizable for each student there.”
