CENTERVILLE—Dancing on the shores of the Great Salt Lake took some courage for Centerville Elementary fifth grader Kalaya Queen Blackwell. It was stinky, muddy and filled with bugs but that’s what made it all the more beautiful. Blackwell was dancing for the reflections contest with the theme “Accepting Imperfection.” Her entry went all the way to the national contest where she received the Award of Excellence.

“We were talking about the reflections contest,” said her parent Tiffani Airmet. “I told her she could share her talent in dance to portray the theme.”

 Kalaya asked what that meant. “I told her things aren’t always perfect. We thought we’d go out to the Great Salt Lake to make her video. I explained it wasn’t perfect. As we were walking out she was complaining about how dirty it was and the bugs and mud and how gross it all was.”

Airmet said she told Kalaya they could only have one take because it was getting dark. “She picked out the song because she thought she could dance really pretty to it.”

Kalaya has been dancing since she was three.

 Kalaya made up the moves and put it all together, she said. “I didn’t think she’d get through a three minute song. She was a little wobbly and her turns weren’t as great in slippery mud.”

In two minutes the sun went down, said Airmet. “It was so muddy we had to carry her out. We just happened to catch a beautiful sunset. It was one of those bonus moments.”

“They have to submit an original piece and do it all by themselves,” said her art teacher Mary Booth who is also over the reflections contest at the school. “She won among the local schools then went on to the district and state level and then national. I’ve never seen a student make it to nationals – it’s a big deal and to receive the highest honor is even more incredible.”

Kalaya submitted her artist’s statement as part of the competition: “When I dance I feel free. For my dance, I danced by smelly water, surrounded by bugs, and my feet in mud. It was not a perfect place to dance. I had to accept all the problems and dance through them.

I tried to feel the music and dance my best. I wanted to dance as pretty as the sunset.

I have danced since I was three years old. I used my own Ballet and Modern skills to feel the music and let my body move the way it wanted to. I went to the Great Salt Lake to record it.”

The kids put a lot of time and effort into it, she said. “It’s very personal and gives them a chance to express their art form in a unique way. In one part of the video she’s covering her nose but you can’t tell it looks like it’s part of the choreography.”

Kalaya is a good example to the school, said Booth. “It shows the other kids that you can go out on a limb and share your talents and see how far you can go.”

“We’re still in shock that she won at the national level,” said Airmet. “The principal invited her to come to the dance assembly and told her she was going to have her come up on stage but didn’t tell her what was going to happen.”

Airmet said she was watching Kalaya and saw tears running down her face. “I asked her what was wrong and she said ‘am I in trouble or something?’ I told her ‘no you’re going to be really happy.’”

This is her first year at Centerville, she said. “It’s been a hard transition but to do this in front of the whole school really boosted her confidence. You have to take the wins where you can get them.”