All That Jazz Makes Mark In First National Appearance

Sullivan’s All That Jazz Dance Studio showed they were all that at the Applause Talent Nationals competition in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on July 6. It was the studio’s first national appearance in its twenty-nine years of operation.

They brought two dancers, Sara Smith and Baylee Flora, to the LeConte Event Center after they qualified at regionals. They were scored on three levels: Elite status, followed by Double and then Platinum. All That Jazz director Julie Carey, better known by her students as “Miss Julie,” prepared the two for the national stage.

Smith won the 2024 Teen Title Award, clinching the top spot out of all teen soloists. She also earned an Elite Platinum for “Overdose” and a Double Platinum for “Feeling Good.” Smith is a nine-year veteran at the dance studio, starting at the age of six and reaching nationals at fifteen.

Flora also brought home Double Platinums for her pieces “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” and “Paint It Black.” She thanked Carey, Smith, and her parents for their support throughout her career.

Smith and Flora said that the most stressful part of the event was not the dances themselves but the speeches they had to give on stage. To compete for a title, the judges must ask each participant five questions in front of a live audience.

Flora said she was a “little bit stressed” when “talking in front of everybody.” Smith shared the same stage fright as her, saying that giving the speech was “way worse than dancing.”

Despite her nerves, Smith won the Teen Title award, with “Overdose” helping take her to the top of the podium. She choreographed the routine herself in March and has practiced relentlessly at home.

Carey said that what makes the piece so great is that Smith “puts a lot of heart and soul into that dance,” explaining, “I have a feeling that there’s a backstory to the song for her. I don’t know what it is, but when she dances to it, you can just tell she’s dancing from the heart.”

“Overdose” was intended to be only a recital piece. But Sara’s father, Jason, saw the potential in his daughter’s routine and pushed to have her perform in front of all of America. Carey thanked him for his efforts, saying, “Jason really pushed for it, and I’m really, really glad that he did. He even pushed me out of my comfort zone, and the whole time, I told the girls that I wasn’t coming because we had a vacation planned for quite some time. And so then it was a big surprise because I’ve been planning the whole time to come. I was like, I am not missing this. And so I surprised Sara and Baylee both by showing up at the competition before they performed.”

Smith and Flora marked a new milestone for All That Jazz, with more dancers from the studio looking to follow in their footsteps. Carey explained it as, “I actually have already had a couple of girls from the studio reach out to me, saying that they wanted to run for a title for the next regional competition because Sara inspired them so much.”

Smith thanked Carey for building her into the phenomenal performer she is today after nine years, saying, “I definitely would not have gone to Nationals without her, and I’m glad that she showed up.” Smith also thanked her parents and sister for their “huge support,” pushing her to become a national winner.