Photo provided by Melissa Post
A young dancer from Simcoe is celebrating a dream come true after earning one of Canada’s top dance honours.
Nine-year-old Scarlett Post, who trains at the Lisa Naves Dance Company, was recently crowned Mini Miss Dance Canada 2026 after competing against hundreds of talented young dancers during the national competition at the Sanderson Centre in Brantford.
The title capped off a year of hard work after Scarlett finished as first runner-up in the same competition last year.
Scarlett has been dancing since she was just three years old, beginning in the studio’s Leaps and Bounds program. Studio owner **Lisa Abonyi** (Lisa Naves Dance Company) opened the Simcoe studio in 2000 and says it has become a place where dancers of every level can grow.
Scarlett told us about her award-winning contemporary solo.
One of Scarlett’s favourite moments comes at the end of the routine.
Dance Canada is much more than a single performance. Competitors take part in interviews, auditions across multiple dance styles and solo performances before the national title winners are selected.
About 15 dancers from the Lisa Naves Dance Company attended the event, with the studio celebrating another impressive year on the national stage. The competition was especially meaningful because Max Abonyi, the reigning Mr. Dance Canada 2025, and Isla Smith, Junior Miss Dance Canada 2025, returned to hand over their titles to the new champions.
Scarlett also credited her teachers for helping her reach the national stage, especially Abonyi for introducing her to dance and choreographer Avery Howard for creating the winning routine.
Looking ahead, Scarlett hopes to keep dancing for years to come. Her long-term goal isn’t just to perform, it’s to return to the studio one day as a dance teacher and inspire the next generation of young dancers, just as others inspired her.
Written by Jeremy Hall
