Fairfield High School senior Addie Qualters has signed to join the dance team at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, adding her name to a growing list of FHS dancers earning collegiate opportunities.
Qualters joins teammate Teagan Gilchrist, who signed to Iowa Central, and Sophie Skalicky, who signed with William Penn University. She will also have a familiar face waiting for her at Mount Mercy — Lexi Megrath, a former FHS dancer who signed with the Mustangs a year ago.
Qualters said the atmosphere at Mount Mercy made the decision clear. “Mt. Mercy’s environment was just very welcoming and felt like home for me. The dance team is amazing and talented and the coach, Lainee, is so welcoming.”
She has been dancing since she was just three years old, starting out at a small studio in Iowa before finding a long-term home at High Temperature Dance Academy in Fairfield, where she has trained for the past nine years. Her strongest styles are hip hop, pom and jazz, though she said she works across all styles of dance.
The idea of dancing collegiately didn’t fully take hold until she visited campus. “I knew I wanted to dance collegiately when I visited Mt. Mercy and fell in love with the environment.”
When asked about her proudest moment in dance at FHS, Qualters pointed not to a trophy but to the team itself. “My proudest moment has been my team bonding together, and no matter if we won or lost we were always a family.”
The biggest influence on her dance journey, she said, has been her coach at HTDA. “The biggest influence in my dance career has been my coach Tympest. She is the most bubbly and supportive person I have ever met.”
As for the next chapter, Qualters said she’s most excited to compete alongside her new teammates and most nervous about leaving home. Her goal heading into college dance is simple: “To take in every moment and make lots of memories with my team.”
Off the dance floor, Qualters plans to study nursing at Mount Mercy, with long-term aspirations of transferring to the University of Iowa to pursue a degree as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
HTDA Owner and Director Tympest Hora, who has coached Qualters since the studio opened in 2017, reflected on the milestone. “Addie has been a student of mine since I opened the studio in 2017, making this an incredible nine-year journey together. It’s so special to watch her take this next step into a new chapter of her life, and while I’m excited to see where her future takes her, she will always have a home here at HTDA.”
HTDA Assistant Director Shelby Moquin added: “I’ve had the privilege of teaching Addie for the past couple of years, and I’ve loved watching her grow as both a dancer and a performer. She brings such an electric energy to the stage, and I can’t wait to see her share that talent and passion with the Mount Mercy University dance team.”
