From dancing in her living room as a toddler to winning state Sterling Scholar for dance, Gemma Leonard has been dancing on top of the world her entire life.
The title of Dance Sterling Scholar is not only a big accomplishment for Leonard, it is a reflection of the countless hours she has poured into dance.
Leonard has been dancing at The Dance Company, a local dance studio, for the past 16 years. She started dancing at two and she’s been competing since she was eight.
“The people who have been the most influential in my dance journey are my mother, who has supported me through everything, and all of my studio owners Heather, Hilary, and Dixie,” Leonard said.
Leonard’s love of dance is strong. Over the years, she has trained in nearly every style, including ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, tap, pointe, musical theater, and ballroom. Although she was already training between 12-20 hours a week, when it came time for her to enter high school, Leonard decided to join Highland’s dance program.
Leonard started off on Highland’s Junior Dance Company (now known as Elevate) her freshman year and later progressed to Dance Company (HDC). She is now the president of HDC and plans on dancing after high school, but she hasn’t decided what exactly that will look like yet.
“I love dance because it gives me the chance to express myself in ways I wouldn’t be able to otherwise,” Leonard said.
Heather Smith Hatch, co-owner of The Dance Company, has been teaching Leonard for the past eight years. Watching her grow as a dancer and a person has been an absolute joy for Hatch.
“Even as a young child, she stood out as one of the most compassionate, intelligent, and hardworking students in the studio,” Hatch said. “From the very beginning, her dedication to dance and her unwavering work ethic made her a dream student to have in the classroom.”
Skilled dancers have more than just strong technique, a skilled dancer must have a certain performance quality, a quality Leonard has.
“She doesn’t just execute choreography – she breathes life into it, making every step meaningful and every performance unforgettable,” Hatch said. “She has a natural gift for drawing in an audience, evoking emotions, and making people feel something through her dancing.”
Hatch will miss Leonard dearly but has no doubt that she will achieve greatness both in dance and beyond.
Leonard’s mother, Lisa Leonard, has nurtured Leonard’s passion and creativity her whole life. She’s taken her to countless classes, competitions, and conventions, always prioritizing Leonard’s happiness above all else.
“When Gemma dances, I feel incredibly proud,” Lisa said. “She has put in a lot of hard work on her dancing since she was very young. It is nice to see her hard work turn into something tangible on the stage.”
Lisa loves seeing Leonard shine on stage. Like Hatch, she believes the combination of Leonard’s emotive movement, powerful stage presence, and strong technique make Leonard such a graceful dancer.
“My favorite quality that Gemma brings to the stage is her commitment to the dance,” Lisa said. “She has had more than one judge at competitions comment that she becomes the music when she dances, which is a hard feat.”
These qualities have earned Leonard overall placement awards at many competitions ranging from smaller, local comps to well-known, highly competitive conventions. Leonard’s talent is undeniable.
Aside from being a talented dancer, Leonard spends much of her time prioritizing her studies and doing community service. Leonard is a 4.0 student, National Honor Society President, and a member of the National Charity League (NCL).
She has done many projects over the years but her main project for the past four years has been a passion project, one that involves the world of dance.
Thinking about how much money is spent on dance costumes just for them to be worn a couple of times, Leonard decided to start a dancewear project. She began by presenting a proposal to the Salt Lake City chapter and after it was approved, she started reaching out to local dance studios and non-profits. She worked with Neighborhood House for the first year, but after their collaboration with Ballet West ended, she partnered with Rise Up School of Dance (RUSD), another local non-profit. She has since built a strong relationship between RUSD and NCL, establishing RUSD as an official philanthropy supported by NCL.
This project has taken a lot of time, effort, energy, and creativity but Leonard has already seen results. Starting with the jump in donations from her freshman year to this last summer, Leonard went from receiving around 88 costumes to 300 costumes. She hopes to continue working on this project and hopes to make a difference in the dance world with it.
“As proud as I am of Gemma’s dance, I am equally as proud of the dancewear project,” Lisa said.
