Each year, Showstopper hosts The Finals, multi-day dance competition events that culminate a year’s hard work for dancers, parents, teachers, and studio owners. At The Finals, dancers of various ages and skill levels take the stage to demonstrate every hour of studio time they’ve put in to stand in the spotlight and perform.
The Finals come to a head on the last day of each event when the Top 10 competitive level Mini, Junior, Teen, and Senior small and large groups and the Top 5 competitive level Mini, Junior, Teen, and Senior super groups compete in the America Loves to Dance Awards. But the show can’t start without the best dancers across the United States making a grand entrance and kicking off the show.
Throughout The Finals week, the Showstopper All-Stars rehearse to perform in the Opening Number that kicks off the America Loves to Dance Awards. The All-Stars earn their spot in the Opening Number by placing as the Top Scoring Junior, Teen, and Senior Competitive level soloists at Regional events during the season, but their work isn’t done. They still have to learn the moves and put on an incredible show. To do this, Showstopper All-Stars not only need to be great dancers, but they need to be great teammates and quick learners.
We spoke with Showstopper All-Star and Opening Number veteran Kayla Seitel about her Opening Number experience. Now a member of the Los Angeles Clippers dance team, Kayla is a shining example of the skill and dedication that an All-Star has and the hard work and passion for dance that makes the Opening Number such a rich experience. She knows that learning the moves quickly makes practicing and perfecting them easier!
Showstopper Magazine Online: Hi Kayla! Can you tell us a bit about you and your dance background?
Kayla Seitel: I began dancing when I was 2 and competing with Murrieta Dance Project when I was 4 years old. I literally grew up on the Showstopper stage.
SMO: How many Showstopper Opening Numbers did you perform in? What Finals did you perform?
Kayla: I did the West Coast Finals [Opening Number], and I am pretty sure I did five.
SMO: What are your favorite Opening Number memories?
Kayla: I would say my favorite Opening Number memories are the years I was able to do it with my older sister before she graduated. Year after year, seeing friends I had made from other studios, getting to know the choreographers and especially Taylor Quinn. And of course, there is nothing like the feeling of Julian [Thorn] introducing us, the lights, seeing my studio in the audience, the music, and finishing it off with a bang!
SMO: Getting into the Opening Number requires you to be a Top Scoring Senior Soloist at a Regional competition. What was your journey to each Opening Number like?
Kayla: I remember being a young dancer and watching in awe all of the amazing dancers in the Opening Number each year. The first year I received the Opening Number opportunity I was in the Junior category and I was most excited to get to experience it with my sister Talia who had been doing it for several years. Once I had my first taste, it was something I worked for and wanted year after year because it was such an amazing and rewarding experience. Now that I have graduated after 14 years of Showstopper, being a part of the Opening Number is one of the things I will miss the most.
SMO: The Opening Number kicks off the final competition day at Showstopper Finals, and depending on the event, is put together in only 2-4 rehearsal days. What are the best parts of those rehearsals?
Kayla: The best parts are spending time with friends from not only my studio but competitive studios that I had met over the years. Also, as I got older, it was exciting to watch the younger dancers new to the Opening Number process and their excitement as it unfolded. And of course, I always love the dancing!
SMO: What are the most challenging parts?
Kayla: The most challenging parts I would say is that you are learning a whole piece with several parts that come together in a short time. Sometimes, you will be waiting while they work with other sections. And we really don’t finish and get to run the entirety of the piece until the night before the actual show. You just have to trust the process and know that every year it works out and turns out amazing.
SMO: What were your strategies for locking in that choreography?
Kayla: When your section is not going and you are waiting your turn, I would get with friends in the section I am in and run what we learned.
SMO: What is the biggest strength a dancer can have when it comes to learning choreography?
Kayla: I think it is important to really listen when the choreographer is teaching and to run it again and again until you have it. Also, be confident, believe in yourself, you would not have been asked to be in the Opening Number if you did not deserve it.
SMO: Do you have memorization techniques that you use?
Kayla: I really just run the dances over and over in my head.
SMO: How do you connect with your choreographer when you start rehearsals for a project?
Kayla: When you find out who the choreographer is for any new project, you definitely want to spend some time looking up their style and things they have done in the past so you know what to expect. Show them respect and always thank them at the end of every rehearsal. Over the years at Showstopper, I have grown to have a real appreciation and admiration for Taylor Quinn as she is a huge part of my Showstopper journey.
SMO: Now that you have graduated, you are an NBA dancer for the LA Clippers dance team. Can you tell us about your role on that team?
Kayla: I am a part of a group of 20 amazing women. We perform at home basketball games for the Clippers and do community events and outreach. We represent the Clippers organization and the city of Los Angeles. I am honored and thankful every day I get to do this job.
SMO: What is the process for rehearsing and learning new choreography in that space?
Kayla: We rehearse two to four times a week depending on the game schedule. We learn at least 20 routines a year that we rotate, and sometimes we even learn a halftime performance a couple days before a game. We have the amazing opportunity to learn from many different industry choreographers. We always have to be prepared to step in any new spot at any given time as girls on the game and formations are always changing. It is one of the most challenging and rewarding dance experiences!
SMO: How is learning choreography for a dance team similar or different from performing competitively or in a performance like the Opening Number?
Anytime I am learning choreography, I think it is important to give 100%. Go full out, perform, even if you are just at practice and not on stage at the live event. Be confident… Whether a professional job, Opening Number, whatever it is, you have trained your life for this. Take in the crowd, the music, the lights, and just love that you get the opportunity to dance!
