This was an eventful year for Ashley Shaw.
While graduating from high school and being named Miss Dance of Michigan are big enough accomplishments, Shaw was just getting started. Shaw, 18, was recently named Miss Dance of America at the end of a national competition hosted by Dance Masters of America in Las Vegas.
A graduate of Clarkston High School, Shaw obtained several high achievements over the years including: Petite Miss Dance in 1999, Junior Miss Dance in 2001, Teen Miss Dance in 2003 and Miss Dance of Michigan in January. With these titles already won, Shaw traveled with fellow dancers from Terri Newman’s Dance Shoppe to Las Vegas to take part in the Dance Masters of America National Competition.
Shaw competed against 30 other dancers from across the country, who were judged on performances in tap, ballet, jazz , acrobatics, interviewed with judges and a solo performance of their choice. Even though the event was a competition, Shaw said all the dancers got along very well.
‘There are four age categories, and by the time you reach ‘Miss? (the highest age level), most people have grown up enough to realize it’s just another day,? Shaw said.
As Miss Dance of America, Shaw will visit other chapters of Dance Masters schools to perform or judge competitions or participate in benefit fund-raisers.
Shaw’s victory and crowning as Miss Dance of America did not come as a surprise to Terri Newman, who has been instructing her since she was four. Newman said she saw this event as inevitability.
Shaw said her introduction to dance at such a young age was a fluke, but she considers herself lucky to have done so.
‘My parents told me I could pick anything I wanted to do and I picked dance and every year they kept asking me what I wanted to do and said ‘more dance,?? Shaw laughed. ‘Lucky guess the first time I guess.?
Her title marks a symbolic end to a phase in Shaw’s life as she looks towards the future.
‘Competition phase is an era of dance. When you’re younger, you don’t necessarily compete, you take classes to get your technique going, and once you’re old enough to compete generally you stop competing by the time you graduate from high school,? Shaw said. ‘This was my last big thing to do… kind of a great way to go out.?
Dancing will still play a major role in Shaw’s future. She will depart shortly for Chapman University in California where she will major in dance. From there, Shaw hopes to dance professionally and would like to see herself dancing on Broadway.
That means leaving behind her teammates from Terri Newman’s Dance Shoppe, who she has grown very close to over the years.
‘They’re like my second family,? Shaw said.
Shaw is the daughter of Lee Ann and Dan Shaw of Clarkston. She has one younger brother, Jordan.