Enrolled in dancing at the tender age of two, Kaydence Ohlin and Teagan Wiebe saw all of their hard work pay off last weekend in Vancouver.

The two nine-year-old Whitehorse girls attended the Jump Dance Convention, and quickly made an impression with the judges.

On Sunday, the best friends were named recipients of hip-hop scholarships to Dancerpalooza – a multi-day clinic to be held next June in Long Beach, Calif., under the tutelage of Kenny Wormald, a renowned instructor who has worked with plenty of A-list singers including Justin Timberlake and Madonna.

Ohlin also won gold in her first-ever competitive solo, a contemporary piece choreographed by her private coach Angela Quinn to an acoustic version of Katy Perry’s song Dark Horse.

“It meant a lot to me because it was my first solo and my first medal that I’ve ever won in my dance career,” the youngster told the Star yesterday shortly after her flight landed.

“It was Angela’s pick,” Ohlin said of the song. “But I don’t know how she knew that Katy Perry was my favourite singer.”

The convention ended with a limited amount of scholarships being handed out for specific dance genres. The event featured dancers of all ages from western Canada and the U.S.

Ohlin and Wiebe are longtime members of the local studio Leaping Feats Creative Danceworks, where they practise five days a week.

Ohlin, whose dance name is Kaydz, is a Grade 5 student at Elijah Smith Elementary.

Alongside new techniques and the overall fun times dance gives her, she said it has also made her more flexible. Her favourite genres are hip hop and contemporary.

Wiebe, a student at Jack Hulland Elementary, said she was thrilled to land the coveted scholarship.

“Kaydence and I have been dancing since we were two years old,” said Wiebe, known to her peers as Teags.

“We love dancing. It’s pretty much what we have done for our whole entire life. I was really excited to get chosen because that was my first scholarship.”

The appeal of dance is easy to explain for Wiebe.

“You can express yourself. You can just let everything out and do it in a fun way. There’s no wrong way of doing dance,” she said.

Wiebe’s favourite genres are tap and contemporary. She did not compete competitively at the convention.

The two girls began fund-raising for their trip in June, canvassing individuals and businesses in an attempt to attend the convention. Air North chipped in with two return flights to Vancouver for each of them.

“I’m really appreciative, because it’s a great opportunity for us,” said Ohlin. “It was our first convention going down, so it was really special that we got to spend some time together.”

Wiebe said she was simply excited to sit beside her best friend on the plane.

The duo received instruction from plenty of dance’s big names, including Mia Michaels of So You Think You Can Dance.

While the hip-hop award wasn’t Ohlin’s first scholarship, she said it was the most important to date.

“It would have to be the most special because it’s my favourite style,” she said.

“Me and Teagan want to have our own dance studio,” Ohlin said of her future goals. “If that doesn’t happen, maybe we could dance for the famous people.”

The two attended the convention at Canada Place with their moms, Tamara Ohlin and Amie Wiebe.

Each dancer received training in a variety of genres, alongside a group of about 80 other dancers.

Just a handful of dancers received scholarships in each genre, Tamara Ohlin said.