CAMDEN — Harper Gordon, a senior at Camden Hills Regional High School, competed at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel Sept. 24 to 26, with hundreds of ballroom dancers in a national competition. She competed in three levels of American Smooth ballroom dance.

In the Pro/Am Silver 2, she danced the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz, winning third place in each. In the Open Silver, she danced the same four dances again winning second place in each. In the WDSS Closed Sliver American Smooth Scholarship, she won the bronze. At age 17, Harper was the youngest dancer in her level aged 16-35.

Harper has always been a dancer. She began dancing when she was three years old and since then has studied ballet, modern, hip hop, and belly dance. It was only two years ago that she joined Swing & Sway and began dancing with Christian Clayton. She says that ballroom the hardest dance she has ever studied.

This was Harper’s second and last national dance competition she will participate in, as she is getting ready to leave for college next September. Once in college Harper would like to join the college dance team as it is a combination of everything she loves: dance, sports, and community service.