Wesson Talent Shines: PDCW Dancers Bring Home Top Honors from Hattiesburg

Special to Wesson News

Hadleigh Denton (left), a Wesson Attendance Center, student and Maggie Miller, a Wesson resident who attends Copiah Academy, received a Gold prize at DTU competition for their duet.

           Four dancers from the Precision Dance Company in Wesson PDCW brought home prizes for their solo and duet routines from the Mississippi Dance Teachers United (DTU) competition and convention at Hattiesburg January 23 and 24.

            Harper Moore earned a Gold and placed ninth overall for “Mirrorball” solo routine.  Riley Floyd’s solo “I Lived” also earned a Gold prize.  The duet “Birthday Party” performed by Maggie Miller and Hadleigh Denton placed them seventh overall with a Gold prize.  Denton also placed eighth overall and received a Platinum prize for “The Life of a Showgirl.”

            The DTU event was a warmup for the larger NYLA (New York-Los Angeles) competition on February 14 at Petal, Mississippi, in which PDCW will bring its full 32-member team to perform in 18 group and solo dances.  At Hattiesburg, the PDCW dancers also took full advantages of the convention experience which includes classes in which they learned and were inspired by teachers from throughout Mississippi.

Riley Floyd (left), a Crystal Springs homeschooled student, and Harper Moore from Brookhaven High School, received Gold prizes for solos in DTU competition.

            Kaila Denton brought Precision Dance Company to Wesson from Florida in 2023 to work with the Nena Smith School of Dance, which she took over in 2024 to serve dance students three years old to 18 years old in the Copiah, Lincoln, Lawrence and surrounding county areas.

            The growing studio continues to be housed at 1047 Grove Street across from Wesson Attendance Center where Nena Smith taught dancers for many years.

            “We are passionate about inspiring dancers through quality instruction in a supportive, family-friendly environment, Denton says.  “Our motto is ‘passion, perseverance, positivity, and precision,’ and we reflect that as we encourage our dancers to build confidence, creativity, and discipline.”

PDCW offers recreational classes in combined jazz, tap, lyrical, and ballet, as well competition dance team opportunities – about three group competitions and five solo competitions annually.  The studio also offers private classes and lessons, including offerings in jazz, tap, lyrical, and ballet, as well as ballroom dance, wedding dances, and custom choreography for special events, solos and groups. 

For information, email precisiondancecomp@gmail.com  or call 601-643-2406