Gladstone dance school is waltzing towards a National award

A GLADSTONE dance school is on the cusp of the national spotlight after being nominated for a youth award.

Dance Kix, who have studios at Boyne Island and Telina, were nominated in the Best Local School-Aged Kids Activity (5-12 years) category for the 2018 What's On 4 Kids Awards.

They're up against nine other groups for the award and will find out if they're successful at a gala awards night in Brisbane on Saturday.

"Just to be a finalist is fantastic and I'm really excited about that," Dance Kix owner Donna Hann said.

"Because I've never been before I'm not sure what to expect, but it will be nice to be surrounded by other business owners that have common goals toward making children's activities educational and beneficial as possible.

"It will be nice to share ideas and learn from one another... It's an amazing opportunity to band together with other businesses that have a similar audience."

Dance Kix had to navigate through a tricky nomination phase to qualify for the awards.

They also entered in the Best Local Preschooler Activity (3-5 years) category but were unsuccessful.

"We had to complete a questionnaire, it then went to a judging panel where they view our Facebook page, website and really dig deep into what we do and what the other finalists do and from there they make a decision," Ms Hann said.

"It's nice to be recognised for the hard work we do."

Dance Kix has operated since 2016 when it first opened at Boyne Island before expanding to Telina.

"We started at Boyne but had a couple of classes running at Calliope at that stage," Ms Hann said.

"There was a big demand for us to branch into Gladstone, which we did for Term 3, 2016, and from there it's just grown and grown. It's been a big learning curve.

"I think it all comes down to having a great team that can share the vision and put as much passion into it, as much as I do, and that shows through what they teach the kids."