As rare as it is for a high school athlete to be able to compete at the college level, it is exceedingly rare for a dancer to progress. Blackwell may even be the first from Wood County to have achieved this.
To say that Blackwell is a life-long dancer is practically true. She has been in dance classes since the age of two. Like most kids, she was exposed to a variety of youth activities, but the one constant was dance.
“I knew that dance was for me by the time I was in middle school,” Blackwell explained, “and by the time I was a freshman, I was thinking about national titles.” Some folks may find that a freshman thinking about national titles may be presumptuous; however, it is actually foresightedness.
No one achieves the highest pinnacles of success without thinking of the highest pinnacles of success.
It was two things which drew Blackwell back to the dance studio year after year: camaraderie and air conditioning. She admitted with a smile, “I am not a big fan of getting hot and sweaty outside in the dirt.” The weather certainly plays in all considerations of East Texas.
As Blackwell described the mechanics of a dance team, the camaraderie of fellow dancers became apparent. Trust, communications, friendship and teamwork highlighted her comments about the dance community.
Two of her cohorts who continue to hold a special place for Blackwell are Emilee and Bailee DeWolf. “The two sisters are a couple of years ahead of me, so I was always trying to match them. They choreograph my solo routines and we are great friends.” The
DeWolf sisters are former TJC Apache Belles.
What many may not realize about the young dancer and Tarleton State University is that Blackwell was recruited. She participated in a dance clinic run by Tarleton last fall. Blackwell’s performance at that clinic earned her an invitation to a second clinic in January.
Only then was it disclosed that the Tarleton State Dance Team – the Texan Stars – would be doing recruitment at that clinic. At the final round-up before everyone departed Stephenville, with 30 or so dancers sitting on the gymnasium floor, three names were announced.
Jacey Hill of Lubbock, Aubree Stanley of Trinity, and Addyson Blackwell of Mineola were announced. “I was in complete shock,” she admitted. Evidently, the Texan Stars had their eyes on Blackwell for some time.
The offer from the Tarleton was for more than dance. It also came with what is approximately a 50% scholarship. “The scholarship is a second-semester scholarship, with the university picking up costs for each spring semester,” Blackwell explained.
In addition to dance club competitions, Blackwell had also attended dance clinics at a number of universities including Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SFA, SMU, TJC and Tulsa. She maintained contact with dancers and coaches. She marketed her skills, and her persistence paid off.
To put it simply, she is over the moon at the offer from Tarleton. “The university is relatively small, but yet is a Division One school. It has a small-town atmosphere and a serious dance program,” she said.
The three selectees from January’s clinic will be rooming together in Stephenville. This will undoubtably help them all make the strenuous schedule of practices, weight training and routine rehearsals yet to come.
Blackwell will study kinesiology with the goal of becoming a sports therapist. For the young artist-athlete, dancing is more than an art or a sport. It is a unique combination of both.
Whether expressing individual emotion with a solo jazz routine, projecting energy at a sporting event, or competing as a dance troupe, the soon-to-be Mineola graduate will be continuing to live her dream.
For any youngsters getting involved in dance, Blackwell offered, “If dancing is what you love to do, there is a place for everyone.”