Gracyn Ross, a senior at Northwest High School,  juggles classes, dancing with a studio and her high school team - the Honey Bears - while also working two jobs - and she’s on the honor roll. 

She also won a tap dancing scholarship from 24seven last year at a convention and was named an NDA (National Dance Alliance) All-American for three years, an honor based on performance, leadership, skill and attitude. 

Her dancing journey hasn’t always been easy though. Four years ago, she underwent hip surgery. “We thought that it was the answer to relieving the pain,” her mother Tracy says. “It worked for about six months, then the pain started again. Thankfully we found Courtney, who has helped her tremendously. Now she dances without hip pain, which is a relief to both of us.”

Gracyn has been taking dance classes and expressing her unique personality from a young age. “She took a dance class with her sister when she was only three years old,” Tracy says. “At the performance for parents, she did everything except what she was supposed to do. She was hanging upside down from a chair, she was sitting on the floor instead of dancing across the floor, etc. I was so embarrassed! The dance teacher told me to come and get her off of the stage.”

Though she was hesitant, Tracy decided to enroll Gracyn in dance classes at the age of 6 and since then, she has flourished. 

Gracyn loves to dance, but her favorite way to stay fit is to do hot yoga. While she doesn’t love running, her next fitness goal is to run a 5k under 30 minutes. She loves exercising because it helps her keep her stress levels low and knows it is part of a healthy lifestyle. 

 Gracyn says, “The work is worth it,” and we couldn’t agree more.