Butler Township boy wins nationwide dance master competition
Gavin Parker’s life might look a lot different from that of an average 9-year-old, but after winning a national title for his dancing, he said he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Gavin is a resident of Butler Township and a student at Butler Area School District. He is also the “Master Dance of America 2026,” a title awarded to the best male dancer between 7 and 9 years old.
To practice for the competition, Gavin usually heads to the dance studio and begins practice right after school. He stays there until around 8 p.m.
Gabrielle Parker, Gavin’s mom, said that despite the long hours in the studio, her son is doing what he loves.
“Sometimes, I think he would like a night off, and then he gets really bored when he has to stay home,” Parker said.
Gavin started dancing at 2 years old as a way to give him something to do while his sister, who had already been dancing, had practice.
“I figured while she was in class, I would just give him something to do. So he started dance as just a way to fill up an hour of time that he would’ve otherwise spent sitting in the car,” Parker said.
He instantly fell in love with dance and never looked back. Parker said that by 7 years old, Gavin was already competing regularly and began to set his sights on a larger competition.
“That’s kind of when we made sure that he had a solo that he was competing. He was already dancing competitively, so he was already taking classes like tap and jazz,” Parker said.
Gavin took up additional classes, both on his own and as part of the Dance Masters program, to further prepare for the competition. He also increased the number of competitions he was participating in.
Nowadays, he spends 20 hours a week practicing dance, with almost half of those hours dedicated specifically to ballet.
“He was taking (the Dance Masters classes) just so he understood the format of how they expect you to show up and compete because it’s not just go and perform a solo,” Parker said. “You have to take classes and be proficient in the styles that they want to see.”
Gavin competed for and won the title of Master Dance of Pennsylvania in November 2024, which qualified him for the national competition. He then traveled to Orlando, Fla., in July where he was awarded the title of Master Dance of America.
Gavin said his favorite aspect of dance is that it involves all aspects of his body, not just his legs or his arms exclusively like many other sports.
“It isn’t just like your legs can only do something. Your whole entire body does something,” Gavin said.
Parker said Gavin’s favorite part of the experience is actually getting to compete.
“He likes to be on stage. He probably likes to be performing more than he likes to take class,” she said.
Looking ahead, Gavin said he hopes to compete for Junior Mr. Dance of America, the next age division up. He said he liked the fact that the Dance Masters competition was more in-depth than normal competitions.
“I like going to nationals because it was a harder competition than just like going in there, running your solo and getting your score,” he said.
Gavin said the most important advice he can pass on to anyone looking to succeed is that they should be themselves fully.
“Don’t let anybody push you down, always stand up,” Gavin said. “Nobody’s as good as you because you’re your own self, and that’s all that matters.”
