Four local dancers took home national first-place titles for their solo and trio dance numbers, but while the young dancers were shocked with their wins, they are also looking forward to another year of more trophies.

Harper Yeres, an 11-year-old dancer from Great Neck, won the national first-place title for her lyrical solo performance “Hero.” Her blue ribbon win was against all dance genres for dancers ages 10-12.

Bianca Manzi, an 8-year-old from Manhasset; Olivia Li, a 7-year-old from Great Neck; and Seili McHugh, an 8-year-old from Oceanside, won a national first-place title for their trio performance “Cafe Parfait.”

The four dancers captured their national titles in the July National Dance Competition held in the Poconos. They performed for their Annmarie’s Studio of Performing Arts, based in Great Neck.

Soloist Harper has been dancing since she was 3 years old and has found her love for dance through lyrical dancing. She said her favorite aspect of performing her winning lyrical dance was how powerful it made her feel on stage.

At one point in the dance performance, the song lyrics say, “And you will be strong,” which Harper said is one of her favorite parts of the dance. She also enjoyed performing her turns into her middle splits.

Harper, who didn’t think she’d win the top title, said winning first place shocked her but made her overwhelmingly excited and happy.

“I felt lots of emotions at the same time,” Harper said.

Harper’s mom, Liza Yeres, said she was also surprised but elated with her daughter’s win. She said it was a great experience for Harper and saw it as a moment of growth for her as a dancer.

The three dancers in the award-winning trio performance not only received national acclaim but also did it in their first year of competitive dancing, going undefeated throughout their dance season.

All three have danced together for five years, and dancer Bianca said they are all friends who often play together outside of dance practice—yet most of their time is spent at the dance studio together.

The dance “Cafe Parfait” is a jazz number that pays homage to homage to the popular children’s book “Fancy Nancy.” The dancers portray waitresses in a cafe serving up baked goods like muffins.

Bianca sang some of her favorite lyrics from the performance’s song: “Roll up your sleeves, it’s time to bake.”

While she enjoyed the songs, Bianca’s favorite part was doing her backbend during the performance. She said the costumes they wore were also her favorite costume yet.

Upon winning first place for their trio performance, Bianca said she was about to cry from happiness. She said she had used her birthday wish to wish for them to win the day before the competition, but it turned out they didn’t actually need it.

Bianca said she and her two friends put in a lot of work to win.

Looking ahead, Bianca said she hopes to win more competitions and expand her dance horizons by learning and performing a solo dance.

Bianca’s mom, Antonietta Manzi, said she was so proud of Bianca, Olivia, and Seili for their success in their first competition season and looks forward to their continued success.

Dance classes took a hiatus over the summer but resume in September. Harper and Bianca said they are looking forward to another year of dance and working to secure more wins in the future.