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08/19/2021 12:00 AMWhen Mara Kelley started dancing as a child, she had no idea how big of an impact the sport would have on her life. Now at age 19, dance has become much more than just winning competitions for Mara—it’s a way that she can express who she truly is.
Mara is an Old Saybrook resident who recently completed her career with the Senior Competition Team at Westbrook Dance Academy (WDA). A few weeks ago, Mara and her teammates turned in some show-stopping performances at the Starpower Talent Nationals at Mohegan Sun.
“There is something so special and unique about the way you can sit in an audience and feel the emotions of a person on stage whom you have never met before,” Mara says. “For a moment, it’s their story, and being privy to witnessing that and sharing my own stories has been the most beautiful thing for me over the past 17 years.”
Beyond expressing herself on stage, Mara has created friendships with her fellow dancers that will last a lifetime. Mara says that her time competing for WDA will always hold a special place in her heart.
“We’ve had a few big wins that I’ll never forget. But honestly, the little moments mean just as much, if not more in some cases, at the end of the day,” says Mara, who graduated from Old Saybrook last year and is now a sophomore at Smith College in Massachusetts. “Two that stick out for me are when, in 2015, my competition team and I were the grand dance-off champions [at the Imagine Dance Challenge meet], and when one of my best friends [Kaylene Koelle] and I came in first and second at Nationals in 2019.”
Earlier this summer, WDA competed at the Starpower Talent Nationals, and several of its teams came away from the meet as champions. Mara’s Senior Competition Team earned 5 stars for all three of its performances at Nationals. Mara also finished second in the 15-19 Solo Title Division and fourth in the 15-19 Solo Division, scoring 5 stars for her tap solo, “The Goodbye Song.”
“I think this season went well for us. It was certainly quite different than we are used to, but I was dancing with an amazing group of people who I love so much and, overall, I am really proud of us,” Mara says. “Next year, I won’t be dancing with Westbrook Dance Academy as a student anymore, but I look forward to continuing my dance education at Smith College. I have already learned so much from my professors there, and I am excited to explore more dance opportunities now that it is safer to do so.”
WDA owner and instructor Julie Reed-Russo describes Mara as the ultimate team player. Reed-Russo says that Mara always puts other people before herself.
“Mara leads by example through her hard work and dedication. She is always there for the team and everyone else. The younger dancers in the studio truly look up to her,” says Reed-Russo. “So many of the accomplishments of Westbrook Dance Academy have Mara’s name on them. Mara was the first student that started and finished with me all the way through her graduating. It is bittersweet that she has graduated, but it was an amazing honor to see her grow up into a beautiful dancer and an amazing person.”
Mara has grown close with Reed-Russo while competing for WDA throughout the past several years. Mara feels grateful for everything that she’s learned from Reed-Russo both on and off the dance floor.
“My relationship with my dance teacher is something I have been trying to put into words for as long as I have known her, but I have not yet found the word that sums it up completely,” says Mara. “It is massive and complex. I have no idea who I would be without her. At differing times in my life, she has been my best friend, my mentor, and my most trusted confidant. She has influenced the person I have become in many ways.”
After sitting out the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mara had some reservations about returning to the dance floor this year. Through the proper safety protocols, Mara slowly eased her way back into competing and felt happy to be back out there with her teammates.
“At times, I was absolutely terrified to be dancing this year. I was able to actually be on campus [at Smith] for the spring semester, and I didn’t want to mess that up,” Mara says. “Fortunately, I was very, very careful. We got tested three times a week on campus, and I was very avid about wearing my mask and social distancing. I know my team was also very careful, which made me feel better.”