A dance enthusiast since the sixth grade, Shea Watkins has spent many years doing what she loves, and now she and her sister Nicole are helping other young girls with their love for creative dance.
The Indianola native and soon-to-be Mississippi Valley State graduate and Nicole - a sophomore at Valley - are now heading up the NV’s Dancing Dolls dance team, which was organized in 2011 by their mother Victoria along with her twin sister Nicole.
With more than 40 grand championship trophies to call their own, the Dancing Dolls have plenty of reasons to kick up their heels and smile. The Indianola-based dance troupe has performed at venues all across the south and has even had multiple appearances on the Lifetime Television Network’s hit reality show, Bring It.
The field of creative dance can be arduous and is not all adoring fans, spotlights and sparkly costumes. In order to reach the heights of success, it takes hard work and dedication.
The girls, who range in age from 5-years-old to 18, practice at least four times a week and are tasked with a strenuous physical workout routine developed in part by Shea and Nicole’s uncle, Mario Watkins, owner of Snap Fitness.
In addition to the physical training and practice, the young dancers engage in a homework session before each practice. Shea said they meet with the girls’ teachers to see what they are working on and then tutor them in those subject areas.
“So we kind of reinforce it at practice because sometimes they take it better from us than actually in a classroom setting,” she said.
The group meets in the gymnasium at the Merritt Jr. High School and keeps a well-balanced regimen. “We have to, the principal is always there, so we do educational first, then conditioning and then practice,” said Shea. They also take the girls on trips to various historical sites to expose them to cultural and educational elements.
Although the dance team has been around for seven years, Shea said it wasn’t until 2014/2015 that the group received its big break.
“Somehow the TV show heard about us and called us,” she said.
Since that time, the dancers have appeared at least three times on national television and have been contacted about a fourth appearance that should take place soon.
Even though the TV show is “scripted” and all of the dancers are allowed to perform, their other match-ups are not. Shea said they have “cuts” when it comes to actual contests. “It’s a competition, you have to play to win,” she said.
However, the TV show does provide the young dancers with a great deal of exposure. And that time in the spotlight opens up many opportunities for authentic competition.
During those boogie/ballet battles, the coaches mingle and network with each other and exchange invitations in order to provide the young hoofers with more opportunities to compete and perform.
None of it is without a cost for things such as costumes, trophies and more plus there is even a nominal fee associated with the use of the Merritt gym for their practice sessions, which is why the leaders have launched a sponsorship campaign to assist with travel and expenses, because right now the total weight of that burden falls on the parents.
The developed sponsorship proposal packages allow participation at different levels. Shea said they are in need of sponsors so they wont lose any of the children.
“Because some of the parents are not as fortunate,” she said.
The girls do pay dues that assist with the gym rental fee, but more is needed.
The group’s dancers now total 27, however Shea said they have had as many as 40 girls at one time. In addition, periodic tryouts can bring as many as 50 girls vying for a position on the squad.
And many of the young ladies who have since moved on from the Dancing Dolls have gone on to dance with colleges and university dance troupes.
With Nicole serving as coach/choreographer and Shea as director, but currently sharing the leadership helm with Victoria (her mother) who hasn’t quite let go of the reins yet, the two are unmistakably following in their mother’s footsteps.
Shea said the fact that the elder Watkins danced throughout high school and college is what influenced them.
The younger siblings, like their mother and aunt, are avid dancers and both are alumna of their high school dance groups. In addition, Shea danced for two years at Valley, is now a senior and expects to graduate in the spring with a double major in math and biology. Nicole is currently a dancer at the school and is a sophomore.
