SYTYCD Runner-Up taught Bluffton girl

Many people in NW Ohio and beyond cheered Kent Boyd on as he ascended to the top echelons of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD), but one young Bluffton girl had more reason than most to root for his success. Leah Schattschneider took lessons from Boyd before his rise to fame on Fox’s hit show. Schattschneider, now thirteen, was a student of Boyd at The Dance Centre in Wapakoneta when she was in sixth grade. “He was a great teacher, full of energy and always positive and funny, just like we saw him on the show this summer. He would often crack jokes, and one time he used a squirt gun to get our attention!” said Schattschneider. Leah Schattschneider has nothing but praise for Boyd, saying that one of the best things he taught them about was facial expressions.

Leah and her sister Haley, nine, made a point of watching every episode of SYTYCD that they could and rooted for Boyd to make it to the next round. “My sister and I watched every week, except this last week. We were at church camp and there were no TVs and we couldn’t use our cell phones to vote on Wednesday night. That was a bummer, but my dad said he would vote extra for us.” Leah Schattschneider said that in total she voted for Boyd “Several hundred times!” The final results of the competition were a bit disappointing for Schattschneider, but she was still excited about how far her former dancing instructor got in the competition. “It would have been even better if Kent ended up in first place, but coming in second, especially with the hundreds of dancers who tried out, is so amazing!” she said.

The whole family is, in fact, a big fan of Boyd: “I’ll never forget the first time I saw Kent perform at the year-end dance recital at the Civic Center in Lima four years ago. Although I know little about dance, it was very clear to me that he had amazing God given talent. The competition this summer was a major achievement for Kent, but I’ll bet he goes on to accomplish far more and that he will continue to make us all proud for years to come.” These words from Leah Schattschneider’s father Adam seem to encompass the feelings of those all around this area. Leah, who fondly remembers watching Kent dance while he was a student and teacher at the Dance Centre said: “The most amazing thing about Kent is that he can dance so many different styles. I wish they would have showed off some of the other styles of Kent’s dancing during the competition this summer.” Her favorite style of dance is Jazz and it is the type of dance that Boyd instructed her on.

When she was younger, Schattschneider started taking dance lessons at Bluffton’s Dancer’s Elite studio. She then moved to The Dance Centre in Wapakoneta where she has continued taking classes. She does not know who her instructor will be this year. Schattschneider’s love of music has lead her to be involved in the band program at her school, where she plays saxophone. She also enjoys soccer and track.

Although Schattschneider loves dancing and enjoyed seeing Boyd on SYTYCD this year, she does not think she could bring herself to compete on the show saying “it would be too scary.” However, she definitely plans on enjoying the show’s next season from the anonymity of her living room. She also intends to continue dancing and taking lessons all through her high school years. While she loves this form of art, she is not yet sure if she will follow in Boyd’s dance steps and make a career out of it. She thinks being a professional dancer would be fun, but she also enjoys a love of music and thinks a job in that field sounds appealing. What Schattschneider knows for sure is that Kent Boyd has been a great role model to her and that his success has made her feel like she can dream big and succeed at anything she does, whether that be dancing or something else. It is a feeling that Boyd has inspired in many.