Makayla Thompson is a 16-year-old dancer from Indiana. She dances at Studio J2 Dance.
“I think, through dance, we can tell many stories of problems going on in our world. Even if its small, we can still make a difference or spread a message that we wanted to get across.”
Tell us about your dance experience!
I have been dancing since I was 3. I started out with recreational dance. Then I started to do competitive dance the next season. I instantly fell in love with dance. Everywhere I went, I was dancing. I have known since then that I wanted to take dance further, than just a childhood hobby. I’ve won many awards and scholarships. My first solo was when I was 7. I had won First Overall. After that, every solo I have performed has placed in Overalls at, at least one competition of the season.
Just three years ago I started getting into street dancing and the culture. I started taking popping, animation, krump, and more. I have been to a few battles and have won one. Winning a battle felt amazing, and I am very thankful for the opportunity. I do conventions and at Streetz. I have been given a scholarship for several years in a row. I got to go to Nationals and perform in the Gala show and try out for their Company Team. I recently got excepted to the ID Dance Trill Company Assistant team.
This past summer I auditioned for my local WNBA hip hop team called Fever Inferno and I made the team! I am very grateful for this opportunity. I got to dance at all home games. It was so much fun. We got to dance at halftime or in between quarters. We interacted with the crowd by throwing teddy bears, shirts, balls and more. I also got to do special community events. For the season of 2021/2022 I got to be on Zoom with the Crew with Mollee Gray. I learned a lot from her program.
This last season I had learned a new solo for Nationals at Showstoppers! I hadn’t had time to clean the dance and to my surprise I won my first Crystal for a solo! I also placed fifth overall at nationals! It was such an amazing memory and I will never forget it! Overall, dance is my life. I have a home studio, but train all over when I get a chance.
How does dance have a positive impact on your life?
Dance has a positive impact on my life in many ways. I get to relieve stress when I dance, especially through improve. Dance also has brought many great friendships, which is something great to have. I feel dance friends have a special bond with each other.
How do you want to use dance to have a positive impact on your community?
I would love dance to have a positive impact on my community. I think through dance we can tell many stories of problems going on in our world. Even if its small, we can still can make a difference or spread a message that we wanted to get across.
