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Teen of the Week: Madison Lowers takes the stage for PACE, Red Wings

By Jeffrey Saulton 5 min read

PARKERSBURG - Dance and helping others are two things that are important to Madison Lowers.

Madison, a junior at Parkersburg High School, has been involved in dance in one way or another for a big part of her life. She is also a member of the school's Red Wing dance group and she is the junior class president.

"I started dancing when I was 3 years old," said Madison, the daughter of Maria and Ryan Lowers of Parkersburg and sister of Brielle. "I loved it from the get-go, from the very start."

Over the years she has learned many different styles of dance.

"I love all styles of dance, but I have to say classic jazz is my favorite," Madison said. "It incorporates both technique and style; and it is also so much fun to perform."

Madison said being a member of the Parkersburg High School Red Wings is holding up a longtime tradition.

"The Red Wings have been a tradition for many years now at PHS,"she said. "We’re a kick and drill team so during football season we perform with the band, so they play for us and we’ll either do a kick or a pom routine. It’s all year long, we perform at basketball games too."

Her sister, Brielle, who will be freshman next year, plans to be a Red Wing. Madison said if Brielle is successful, they would be the first sister duo in the group.

Madison is a member of the PACE Company in Parkersburg. She has been with them since she was 3, but this year is her 12th year in the competitive company.

"In my classes, that’s where I refine and learn all my techniques," she said. "But in competition we get to go all around everywhere and we get to compete and show off our skills."

Madison is a member of the National Dance Honor Society and the vice president of PACE's chapter.

"We go around the studio and we are like a support group, we answer questions and we try to help," she said. "I am also a PACE student assistant, so every Monday I go in and help teach two classes.

"I help the students with what they need," she said. "Basically I do what the teacher needs, such as demonstrating the correct forms for the kids."

Madison said being the assistant was something she wanted to do for some time.

"When I was a little kid I always looked up to not only the teachers but to the big kids that helped us," she said. "They were almost like my big sisters.

"I’ve always wanted to make a difference in helping my community, and to help with dance has always been a big dream of mine."

Madison said she and the other students are a close-knit group.

"At PACE, we are all just like a big group of sisters," she said. "We all care so much for each other and we have so much support."

She has also danced in the PACE presentation of "The Nutcracker" and this year she is slated to be the Sugar Plum Fairy. In past presentations she has been the Mouse King, lead Chinese dancer, Spanish dancer and a snow dancer.

Outside of dance, Madison is involved in a few organizations at Parkersburg High School.

"I am the junior class president, the National Honor Society historian, and for the National English Honor Society I work with social media," she said. "I’m also a student council member, and I’m a member of the junior cabinet."

She said the junior cabinet helps with school activities like the prom and parades.

Madison said one of the things she worked on as a junior cabinet member was the homecoming parade.

"After I got the news I was the class president, we got to choose the theme," she said. "Our theme this year was Animal Crackers and we got to design this entire float from scratch, and I remember I’d go in every day to work on painting and building.

"So seeing all that come together was so amazing, seeing that float go by and all the kids looking at it and smiling at it was the best feeling in the world."

Madison said she was not able to be on the float but was marching with the Red Wings in the parade.

This past summer she was selected to participate in the Governor’s School for the Arts at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon. She was one of eight dancers.

"That’s a three-week program where I mainly studied dance," she said. "It was really cool because we got to study other arts.

"It’s for students about to be juniors, so it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am so glad I took it."

Every year the Red Wings have a camp to audition to be an All-American for the Universal Dance Association. She has been selected for the honor twice. She said many Red Wings have been in that group.

Although she is a junior this year she has been weighing the options for her post-high school life.

"I am most interested in WVU, and I’d love to be on their dance or hip-hop team," she said. "I’d like to study something in the medical field, maybe physical therapy."

Jeffrey Saulton can be reached at jsaulton@newsandsentinel.com.

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