Sam McNamara Wins Prestigious Dance Award

Samantha McNamara has a tough time telling her trophies apart.

Flanked by a sea of gold, silver and bronze in the back of her family's dance studio—, named for her mother—it's clear she's been doing this for a while. More than 12 years, in fact.

"I started back when I was three and did my first competition solo when I was four," McNamara said. "I've loved dance ever since."

Now a 15-year-old sophomore, McNamara was recently named the inaugural ICON Dancer of the Year by the Federation of Dance Competitions, a union of 14 major dance competitions from across the country. Unknowingly nominated for the honor by the BravO! National Dance & Talent Competition, McNamara admits she campaigned hard to win the public vote. 

She secured the title with 1,117 votes in total, 109 ahead of the second place finisher. 

"I don't think I even know 1,100 people," McNamara joked. "It was fun to be nominated, but winning made it all the better."

While it's not yet clear what duties she will have as the ICON Dancer of the Year, McNamara expects to be the face of the Federation of Dance Competitions—appearing on advertising materials and magazine covers—throughout 2012.

Brendan Buchanan, executive director of BravO!, said he "couldn't think of a better representative."

"Sam is a fantastic young lady who has been competing with us since the beginning," Buchanan said. "She still has a year or two left, so I'm looking forward to seeing her compete for a few more years."

Dance has always been a big part of McNamara's life. Spending a substantial amount of her youth in the family studio, she and sister Lex—a freshman at the University of North Dakota—both followed in their mother's footsteps and took to the sport.

"She's the reason I started," McNamara said, nodding toward her mom.

While the love of dance was mutual, Victoria McNamara bemoans the fact her daughters didn't inherit her passion for tap.

"Neither of my children would tap and it kills me," the elder McNamara said, laughing. "I have no flexibility whatsoever and (Sam) can wrap her leg around her head three times."

Considering she's been exposed to dance since her birth, one might expect Sam to have been a natural at the sport. Not so, she says. In fact, it wasn't until she was 10 that she actually learned how to count beats in a song.

"I'm musically challenged," she said. "I guess that explains why I'm not a tapper—you kind of have to have rhythm."

McNamara specializes primarily in lyrical and jazz styles, but admits she has done a little bit of everything over the years. You can see the excitement in her eyes as she talks about her favorite routine—set to Pink's "Dear Mr. President"—and how it "just fit me so well."

"It was choreographed the way I dance," McNamara said. "Even after practice, I'd run it and have my friends stay and watch because I so loved doing that dance."

"You don't get routines very often that fit you as well as that one did her," Victoria McNamara added.

When she's not busy training at Victoria Dance Productions, the teenager carves out time in her schedule to dance with Edina High School's varsity dance team. She's also a member of the Edina Hornettes. McNamara estimates she's dancing more than 22 hours in the average week.

"Dance is pretty much my life," she quipped. "Pigs will fly the day I'm not a dancer."