Gloucester County Native Takes the Stage with Beyoncé

Her classmates relaxed and hit the beach on Memorial Day Weekend, but Wenonah transplant and Ocean City High School senior Karli Scott danced with Beyoncé.

The 18-year-old went to an open audition on the Wednesday before Memorial Day, and by that Friday, she was in Ovation Hall at the new Revel casino in Atlantic City, practicing with the other dancers and Beyoncé herself.

For four sold-out shows May 25 to 28, Scott danced during two songs in each performance and got to have the time of her life from backstage.

“I was waiting for the phone call, and when I got it, I was with all my dance girls," Scott said. "They were freaking out, and it was funny because I actually had a ticket to the show on Friday. It was surreal because it was my first big, paid job. I was more focused on the fact that I was getting paid and it was a job and not just a hobby anymore.”

Scott has been dancing since she was 2 years old. Her family originally lived in Wenonah and moved to Ocean City when she was in fifth grade. Scott danced with Dance Dynamics in Seaville. When she was a sophomore in high school, she joined the Children and Teen Program at the Broadway Dance Center in Manhattan.

“If I could have worked with anyone for the first time, it would have been Beyoncé," Scott said. "Her show is impeccable, and the work she puts into it is amazing. I almost fainted when I got there. It was amazing. The music was loud and there was so much energy. It was amazing.”

Scott was one of the youngest dancers in the show, and she said she cannot wait to see what doors this opportunity opens.

A normal weekend for Scott has her waking up at 5 a.m. and getting to Metro Park Station in Edison in northern New Jersey and into New York City for a 10 a.m. rehearsal at the studio. Most nights, Scott will come home or stay at family’s house and then get right back up on Sunday for a 9 a.m. rehearsal. Each session is six to seven hours.

While shows like Dance Moms and Dance Moms Miami rule the air, Scott says that competition dance is only half of what the shows portray.

“Yes, the competition side is the same, but the drama with the moms is not the same," Scott said. "Yes, there is drama, but never that much.”

Scott has been competing since she joined Dance Dynamics. Now she teaches a junior varsity team at the studio. At the studio in Manhattan, Karli is a level four, the highest level.

“I want to soak up and learn whatever I can this year at SUNY Purchase. I hope to improve technique and work in the commercial world.”