Judges

Kiana is a Dance educator, adjudicator and coach Kiana Renae is from a small town in Southern New Hampshire, where she began dancing and making music young. At 18, Kiana joined Saving Grace Dance Ensemble, training in Ballet and Modern, then later joined Boston Community Dance Project for commercial dance. She performed in NYC Carnival: Choreographers Ball, Brickhouse, Times Square, Alvin Ailey Studios and Boston Ballet Studios, NYC Dance Parade, and RAW Artists. After touring and teaching at dance studios and workshops all across the Northeast, Kiana managed events for Step Up 2 Dance competitions also teaching at their conventions as well as teaching at Sheer Elite conventions and currently adjudicates for KAR, Nexstar, and Sheer Elite. She relocated to Nashville in 2022 and joined Fresh Talent Group. She is currently Artistic Director of Elite Dance Nolensville. Kiana is also a certified ICF life coach/youth mentor, performing musician/singer songwriter and board member of non-profit music school, Satellite School of The Arts. Her utmost passion is to educate and inspire through music, dance and storytelling.

Mx. Lingo Kelleher (they/them/theirs) is an autistic and nonbinary dancer, choreographer, and visual artist. They are Acrobatic Arts certified and hold a BFA in Dance with a concentration in Choreography from Dean College.
A self-proclaimed “swarm of excited bees”, Lingo loves to spread their joy for dance, accessibility, and the arts wherever they go! They have been dancing for over fifteen years and have a robust background in acrobatics, ballet, tap, jazz, modern, improvisations, and contemporary dance styles. Lingo has self-produced several dance films and has had their work presented at dance festivals, film festivals, and multiple dance productions/performances. Some of the most notable works Lingo has choreographed include Ruminate, Hypnopompia, and Paranoia.
As their thesis in their final year of their BFA program, Lingo was given the opportunity to create a choreographed work entitled Ever Yours, Vincent. Mentoring under Kristina Berger (Erick Hawkins Dance Company Principal Member) and Stephen Tracy-Ursprung MFA (Dean to the School of the Arts at Dean College; Little Women, 2019, Principal Dancer), they conducted extensive research on the life and art of Vincent van Gogh; their choreography and writings combined primary sources with historical documents into an immersive exploration of how movement in one artistic medium could be transferred into others.
Currently, Lingo is a faculty member and choreographer at multiple dance studios in the greater- Boston area, teaching classes in acrobatics, contemporary, and improvisations.

Sara hails from the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, where she was born and raised. From
the tender age of two, she immersed herself in the world of dance, stepping onto the
competition stage at just four years old. Blessed with the opportunity to train at
esteemed institutions across the industry, Sara honed her skills at renowned centers
such as Broadway Dance Center, EDGE Performing Arts Center, Giordano Dance
Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Dance Company and Dance 101.
Her journey in dance has taken her both nationally and internationally, gracing stages for
prestigious brands and events including Bloomingdales, The Coca-Cola Company, Delta
Airlines, JLL, Music Midtown, National Auto Sales, Peloton, SEC Championship Game,
Siemens, and Walt Disney World.
Beyond the spotlight, Sara has shared her passion for dance as a teacher and
choreographer in numerous studios, while also captivating audiences as a performer
with various entertainment companies. Seasonally, she imparts her knowledge and
expertise as she guides and mentors aspiring contestants for upcoming pageants.
Currently calling Stamford, CT home, Sara proudly celebrates her sixteenth season as an adjudicator.