Peyton Crumly earns NRG Dance Project scholarship
by Margaret Hurlbert
March 07, 2020

MUSCATINE, Iowa—For almost her entire life, Peyton Crumly has loved dancing. Peyton started taking lessons at age three and never looked back. She has continued to dance ever since. Now, at 14, Peyton has grown into a versatile dancer and especially enjoys hip hop and lyrical. Even so, she will never pass up the challenge to try a new style. “If you throw it out, I’ll try to do it well,” she asserted. Recently, Peyton put her skills to the test at the NRG Dance Convention in Chicago Feb. 21-23. Her dedication and openness to new experiences served her well, earning her one of NRG Dance Project’s Single City Scholarships.

Peyton shared that she attended the NRG Dance Project convention for two days. For the first day and part of the second, she took classes and learned various dances. On the second day, she used the dances she learned to audition for a variety of NRG Dance Project scholarships. Her efforts brought her a Single City Scholarship. She elaborated, “I won the Single City Scholarship, so I can go to any city they go to and dance.”

Any time before the end of the year, Peyton can select a city that NRG Dance Project visits and attend their event tuition free. Peyton has yet to decide where she will go, but looks forward to choosing a location, “I’m not sure yet, but I know I want to go to LA some time to dance, so if they have somewhere on the west coast I’ll probably go there,” she shared.

While Peyton works out exactly where she will use her scholarship, she will continue to work on her dance technique and baton twirling here in Muscatine at Momentum Dance Force. A committed dancer, Peyton loves developing, “just the artistic style that you put behind it; you can put your own spin on it and put your emotions behind it.” She also added that she enjoys using her dancing to tell stories without words.

Though only a freshman at Muscatine High School, Peyton has already given some thought to becoming a professional dancer. “I’ve considered dancing, honestly,” she said. “It’s my passion—I know it’s hard to make a living, but I want to give it a try.”

Peyton’s passion and hard work shine through in all of her other endeavors, particularly at school. Peyton participates in many advanced placement classes and especially likes social studies. “I’m taking human geography, and my teacher, Ms. Hansen, is great at what she does,” said Peyton.

Peyton’s scholarship-worthy performance at the NRG Dance Convention highlights her perseverance and willingness to go after her dreams. From furthering her dance career to pursing her other interests, Peyton will continue to shine on and off the stage.

Recent Stories

Recent Shows

Get Discover Muscatine in Your Inbox

Select list(s):
en_USEnglish