July 15, 2024 – On July 3rd, dancing extraordinaire Hayden Olson competed and won first place at the Thunderstruck International Finals in Las Vegas, NV. Olson, as congratulations on placing first in the competition, won a free trip to London to compete internationally.
Olson’s dancing career dates back to when she was seven years old and continues to today as she anticipates her junior year at Clovis High.
Her favorite style of dance is lyrical, which is a mixture of ballet and jazz. She joined the Dolce Dance Studio when she was nine, two years after beginning as a dancer, and quickly became experienced in dance styles and competitions of different kinds.
Olson received a personal invitation to compete by a backstage worker who reached out to the owner at Dolce Dance Studio asking if she would like to participate.
The competition in Las Vegas lasted several days, in which Olson had an intense and rigorous schedule in order to perform well. Their practices started at 6AM, followed by classes that lasted until 11AM. The competition began 12 hours later, at 11PM that evening.
Though the other dancers competing alongside Olson could be seen as rivals, she didn’t share the same perspective. Rather, she saw them as friends, making her feel more welcome as she was the only dancer from her studio who attended.
She stated, “I met a lot of really nice people there and I made a lot of new friends there, so that was good. They were all really nice.”
For the competition, Olson performed lyrical and contemporary solos, adjusting to the differences between competition stages and practice studios, where the ground is more evenly balanced.
Olson explained that an extra layer of difficulty lies in performing on a stage versus a studio because of this difference, with performers not knowing what to expect and being used to a flatter surface to dance on.
Regardless of this difficulty, Olson blossomed on the performing stage, winning the National Champion title as well as the Senior Icon title.
For the former achievement, Olson was invited to perform in London in September, receiving an all-expenses-paid trip to compete as well as two extra days to go sightseeing.
This will be Olson’s first time venturing out of the country, and she looks forward to seeing the Tower Bridge, Stonehenge, and other fascinating sights in England. She plans to visit with her sister and parents, who went to book tickets for themselves as soon as they heard about Olson winning the competition.
Olson’s achievement, however, was not something she feels was done on her own. She expressed lots of gratitude for her parents and teachers supporting her throughout her journey as a dancer, helping her get to where she is now.
Olson stated, “Obviously I wouldn’t be able to do it without them. My teachers, they correct me, they help [coordinate] everything, they help run [the dance] before I go on stage.”
She added a special note of thanks towards her teachers Kendra Primavera and Amanda Greager, who work for the Dolce Dance Studio, as well as Shirley Winters and Terra Williams at the Shirley Winters Ballet in Fresno.
Olson displayed much appreciation for Primavera specifically, stating that having her as a teacher helped Olson grow much more as a dancer. Olson stated, “I think it definitely helped my confidence – going to Dolce – for sure, and a lot of that was Kendra, because she is such an uplifting person.”
Olson excitedly awaits her trip to London as well as her future in dance while she looks towards the future. As do many of the Clovis Unified students, she has a bright future ahead of her.