Despite being only 13 years old, Kent dancer Trinity Inay’s passion and dedication for dancing have brought her a respected following in the dance world and a position on a national TV show.
Inay and her mother, Tina, recently returned from competing on the second season of “Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition”, a Lifetime reality show at 9 p.m. Tuesdays headed by Abby Lee Miller. The grand prize? $100,000 cash and a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City.
Lifetime producers contacted Trinity and Tina through Trinity’s dance studio, Allegro. Studio owner Tonya Goodwillie said that the mother and daughter “would be a perfect fit for the show.”
Before auditioning on stage, the two went through a four-step interview process to see if they would be a good fit for the program. While some of the questions related to dancing professionally, Trinity says that they became more pointed to testing the dynamic between her and her mother.
“It’s not just dancing, it’s also about the relationship that the mom and daughter have together,” Tina said. “How do you react in situations such as, and they would give me an example.
“Tensions ran high at the beginning of filming, Trinity said, but over time they warmed up.
“When we first met it was really tense, we didn’t want to talk to anybody, we just kept to ourselves,” she said.
Over time, the group warmed to each other and developed strong bonds, said Tina. The students encourage each other, and the moms bonded as they watched their children compete and grow together, Tina said.
“Slowly the process got easier. We became closer,” Tina said.
Trinity and her mother said that, despite the producer’s attempts to engineer drama, they worked hard to focus on performing and dancing as best they could instead of letting the stress get to them.
Tina felt that Miller had two distinct personalities on the show: the “tough love” Abby Miller when she was in front of a camera and a gentler side when she was out of the limelight.
“Abby didn’t get famous being that nice on TV,” Tina said. “She has a TV personality, which is different from her off the camera type of personality.
”While Trinity’s future on AUDC isn’t certain, she has made many connections and opportunities through the show.
Tessandra Chavez, a choreographer on the show, invited her to tour as an apprentice with Pulse, a traveling dance clinic Chavez works with.
As though that weren’t enough, Trinity and Tina have spent time touring with performers from AUDC in the U.S. As she nurtures a budding career, she has had to take online distance learning classes from home to accommodate her busy schedule.
“If anyone out there is going to audition for the show and they make it, Abby is always trying to help,” Trinity said. “Just block out the negative and focus on the comments.”
While the experience was stressful, she learned a lot. She was happy for the opportunity.
“In order for people to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself, whatever your goal is.”
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