RCPA wins big at major dance event

Jul. 14—GREENUP — River Cities Performance Academy, based in Greenup, brought home top overall awards from the Showstopper National Finals recently.

Showstopper features the largest field of competition in the country, according to RCPA, and is one of the most prestigious events in the nation.

Competing against dozens of esteemed dance studios, RCPA groups fared well. Soloists went up against hundreds of dancers.

Group Awards

Senior and teen small advanced level:

—"Say My Name" — Double Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 1st overall

—"Not About Angels" — Double Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 1st overall

—"Heartburn" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 6th overall

—"Broken Spirit" — Platinum 1st place — 3rd in Category — 7th overall

—"End of Time" Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 7th overall

Senior members are Molly Blankenship, Morgan Clifton, Marlee Coburn, Ava Gabbard, Lily McHenry, Sofia Ortiz and Alyssa Steward.

Teen members are Reagan Burgess, Kennedy Foley, Jade LeMaster, Mya Sarver, Audrey Virgin and Aubree Webb.

Teen small performance level:

—"Boogie Wonderland" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 5th overall

—"Someone You Loved" — Gold 1st place — 1st in Category — 9th overall

Members are Katie Floyd, Lily Jones, Shayleigh Kitchen, Isabelle Llewellyn, Maya McCoy and Aby Vorndran.

Senior large advanced level:

—"Breath Again" — Double Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 1st overall

—"Power" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 3rd overall

—"Saturday Night" — Double Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 1st overall

Junior small:

—"Grillz" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 2nd overall

—"Viva La Vida" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 3rd overall

—"Teach Me How to Shimmy" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 5th overall

—"Jet Set" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 10th overall

Junior large:

—"Material Girl" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 5th overall

—"Days Like This" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 6th overall

Junior small and large group members are Ola Marie Armstrong, Remington Burgess, Addison Daniels, Dylan Ferguson, Madilyn Floyd, Reese Horner, Adaylyn Hunt, Isabelle Llewellyn, Malia Philabaun, Carson Robinson, Lexi Shepherd, Kyleigh Trissler, Abbey Webb, Nyla Wheeler and Tylann Wolfenbarker.

Mini small performance level:

—"Basketball" — Gold 1st place — 1st in Category

—"You'll Be in My Heart" — Gold 1st place — 1st in Category

—"Lion Guard" — Gold 1st place — 1st in Category

Mini members are Avery Blankenship, Ivy Bolin, Caroline Fox, Ryleigh Green, Millie Jones, Pixie Rozell and Aubrey Wheeler.

Solo, duet awards

Senior advanced solos:

—Kennedy Foley "Fallen" — Double platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 3rd overall

—Kennedy Foley "Wicked Games" — Double platinum 1st place — 2nd in Category

—Alyssa Steward "I'll Never Love Again" — Double platinum 1st place — 4th in Category — 8th overall

—Alyssa Steward "Mad At You" — Double platinum 1st place — 7th in Category

—Morgan Clifton "Skinny Love" — Platinum 1st place — 10th in Category

—Morgan Clifton "You Will Be Found" — Platinum 1st place — 8th in Category

Senior performance solos:

—Sofia Ortiz "Like a Tattoo" — Platinum 1st place — 2nd in Category

—Maya McCoy "Here Comes the River" — Platinum 1st place — 2nd in Category

Teen advanced solo:

—Reagan Burgess "Nicest Thing" — Double platinum 1st place — 1st in Category — 1st overall

—Reagan Burgess "Don't Tell Mama" — Double platinum 1st place — 1st in Category

—Jade LeMaster "Perfectly Loved" — Double platinum 1st place — 3rd in Category — 8th overall

Junior solos:

—Carson Robinson "Blue" — Platinum 1st place — 2nd in Category

—Reese Horner "Fall on Me" — Platinum 1st place — 3rd in Category

—Reese Horner "Smooth Criminal" — Platinum 1st place — 3rd in Category

—Addison Daniels "I See Fire" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category

—Addison Daniels "Loyal Brave and True" — Platinum 1st place — 5th in Category

—Dylan Ferguson "A Cover is Not a Book" — Platinum 1st place — 2rd in Category

—Kyleigh Trissler "Hey Mickey" — Gold 1st place — 1st in Category

Mini solos — 8 and under:

—Remi Burgess "Have a Little Faith" — Platinum 1st place — 1st overall

—Remi Burgess "Party Dress" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category

—Nyla Wheeler "Run Away" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category

—Nyla Wheeler "Work It" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category

—Ryleigh Green "Rock and Roll" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category

—Ryleigh Green "Diamonds" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category

—Aubrey Wheeler "It's All About Me" — Platinum 1st place — 6th in Category

—Ivy Bolin "Somewhere Out There" — Platinum 1st place — 1st in Category

—Caroline Fox "Colors of the Wind" — Gold 1st place — 1st in Category

Mini duets — 8 and under:

—Ivy Bolin/Ryleigh Green "Little Sally Walker" — Gold 1st place — 1st in Category

—Ivy Bolin/Ryleigh Green "Beautiful People" — Gold 1st place — 1st in Category

—Aubrey Wheeler/Caroline Fox "Shake Your Tail Feather" — Gold 1st place — 2nd in Category

RCPA, located in Greenup, trains students from the tri-state area in dance and tumbling. It is home for the non-profit River Cities Dance Company. RCDC presents the Nutcracker Ballet the first weekend in December at the Ironton High School Auditorium. RCPA is also the home training studio for the nationally ranked Russell Middle and High School Dance Teams. Staff members are Jillian Queen-Smith, Kerri Stambaugh, Rachel Ferguson, Kristen Ratliff Hall, Ashton Young, Ralphie Ratliff, Austen Martin and Sherrie Queen.

Follow the RCPA Facebook page for updates and more details about the academy.