Alex Troupe has earned a scholarship to Giordano Dance Chicago and a slot with Hollywood Vibe touring company. CONTRIBUTED

MADISON – With his mastery of dance, 16-year-old Alex Troupe has earned two impressive honors to further his study.

Troupe has won a scholarship to Giordano Dance Chicago’s (GDC) mentoring program. He will Skype quarterly with a mentor, shadow professional dancer Joshua Blake Carter and take company-level classes focusing on modern and jazz.

This summer, he aced GDC auditions during intensive training in Chicago. “The audition consisted of multiple sections. They made cuts in between. Many people auditioning were college students,” Troupe said. Troupe also earned a full scholarship to the GDC Workshop next June in Chicago.

In addition, Troupe earned a slot with Hollywood Vibe, a national-level dance convention targeting students pursuing dance careers. He can select at least three cities for the cross-country tour.

He will participate in Hollywood Vibe’s national competition in Anaheim, Calif. next summer. “I won’t be allowed to perform a solo at Hollywood Vibe, but I’ll still perform in all my studio groups’ dances,” Troupe said.

Hollywood Vibe was a “kick start” for his dance career. “The convention is well connected in the small dance world and will help me further my dance education and get my name more well known,” Troupe said.

A junior at New Century High School, Troupe participates in Poetry Out Loud Club. One of his poems will be published this winter in “Accomplished” magazine. He works with the Dance Magnet Ensemble at Lee High School, run by Nicole Hunkapillar.

Troupe studies at The Dance Company in Madison. Co-owners Beth Cannon and Julie George said Alex is a very hard worker and a joy to teach in the classroom. “We look forward to seeing what the future holds for him. Alex has unlimited potential,” Cannon said.

Starting first for fun, Troupe realized how powerful dance is. “You can express yourself in many ways. To me, dance is the best way,” he said.

“The Dance Company has excellent training that has helped me achieve a level that I would’ve never thought possible. The Dance Company has helped me find my passion and talents and lets me use them in a way to make a career,” Troupe said.

His parents are Petra and Thomas Troupe.

Alex plans to study either business or dance in college and move to Los Angeles to continue an active dance career.