At the tender age of 15, Cana’s Hannah Thomas has already accomplished more in the field of dance than many professionals.

Aside from winning multiple national championships, the Carroll County Intermediate School freshman has been inducted into the Dance Master’s of America as a junior member, taken classes from many of the judges from the hit television show “So You Think You Can Dance,” and she recently won the grand prize of attending a class with the famous New York City Radio City Music Hall Rockettes for her own self-choreographed solo.

Thomas has come so far since taking up dance 11 years ago that she even teaches her own class at Dance Upstairs Academy of Performing Arts in Elkin, North Carolina. But none of those things surprise Will Shover, who has served as Thomas’ instructor at the Elkin studio since day one back in 1999.

“I would call Hannah one of those diamond in the rough kids a lot of teachers say they only get once or twice in their career,” said Shover, who teaches students from as far north as Wytheville and as far south as Statesville, N.C. “At the age of five, I knew she was going to be awesome.”

And Thomas has backed up Shover’s words time and time again over the past five years. In 2006, she was named America’s Petite Miss Dance. Two years later, she earned the title of America’s Junior Miss Dance. From 2005 to 2007, she won three consecutive Ultimate Stars Dance Production (USDP) 12 & Under Competitive Solo National Championships. Over the past two years she has added two USDP 13 & Up Competitive Solo National Championships. She also claimed USDP Solo Grand National titles in 2007 and 2009 to go along with a Dance Machine Junior National Solo Championship in 2007 and a Dance Spirit Future Star Award in 2005.

Obviously, one does not accomplish so much in one field without an abundance of talent. But Shover credits Thomas’ work ethic and love for dance for taking her to such an incredibly high level.

“I would say her biggest thing is her drive and her passion. Dance is what she lives for,” Shover said. “A lot of kids will come to class and do what they are supposed to, but Hannah makes sure she is practicing every day. She is here two or three days a week, but everyday she is practicing and every chance she has to get better, she takes it.”

And it’s not like Thomas shines in just one area. While it would be easy to focus on one genre of dancing to excel, the local teen’s diverse range of dancing talents include ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, pointe, lyrical and modern.

“Anytime she can study something different like African or something we wouldn’t typically teach, she will take that class just to learn something else,” Shover said. “If an opportunity presents itself, she takes it.”

With her recent induction into Dance Master’s of America as a Junior Member, Thomas is now eligible for Teacher’s Training School this summer to become certified in ballet, jazz and tap. Despite her young age, Thomas already teaches students between the ages of 6-12 at the same Elkin dance studio where she trains.

“She is actually the youngest person I have ever let teach, but she was ready and the parents absolutely love her. She teaches a jazz hip-hop class with first and second graders,” Shover said. “She has that raw talent, but she also understands how everything works. She is great at breaking it down for kids so they can learn it the right way. Her basic skills are so good that she can give the kids a strong foundation to run with.”

For the past two years, Thomas has been accepted to “The Pulse” conventions in New Jersey and Broadway Dance Center in New York, and has taken classes from Mia Michaels, Shane Sparks, Wade Robson, Chris Judd, Tice Diorio and others from the hit show “So You Think You Can Dance.” Choosing the song “Permanent” by David Cook, Thomas’ self-choreographed solos took the Grand Prize in a contest to attend a class with the Rockettes at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Greensboro, N.C., also earning her the right to attend the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular on Dec. 5.

As Shover explains, being a skilled dancer and being a skilled choreographer are two entirely different animals. Many people that own their own studios don’t have a gift for choreography, Shover said, but he thinks Thomas is so skilled in the art that she could possibly pursue a career choreographing shows similar to the Rockettes. For her part, Thomas said she enjoys choreography because it allows her to pump her own personality into her routines.

“When I am handed choreography or the routine, it is like, ‘Okay, lets do this.’ But when I have to do it myself, you have to take a step back and look at yourself and what message you want to send to audience,” Thomas said. “What you show to the audience is what you feel and what you get out of the music. If you don’t feel it, you can’t expect anyone else to.”

As talented and diverse as Thomas is, Shover said his star pupil already has the ability to dance on Broadway or audition to perform on cruise ships if she so chooses. But for now, the Cana resident remains just as focused on her school work as the dance floor. A member of the National Honor Society, Thomas currently sports a 4.0 GPA and has her eye on minoring in Dance or a double major at the University of North Carolina because of its renowned dance program.

“College is really important to me,” Thomas said. “I want my education before I think about doing anything in dance because I need a backup plan.”

Armed with a better backup than most people’s primary plan, Thomas will continue doing what makes her happy — dancing and teaching. Thomas said dancing is like anything else, to be truly successful you have to be committed and work at it every single day. It is because of her love for dancing that she continues to pour everything she has into the art.

“It’s something I love doing and anything I love I put 100 percent into it. It’s really amazing the feeling you get when you are on-stage, practicing, when you get a new step just right. It is a great feeling,” Thomas said. “(Teaching is the same way). I love it. When you have those kids that pour their little hearts into it, it is amazing to watch them grow. Knowing I had a part in it, that is amazing.”