Kelly Monahon, an instructor and director at Alpine Dance Academy in Frisco, is one of 14 finalists for the sixth annual Greatmats National Dance Instructor of the Year award.

Monahon was nominated by a community member and selected as a finalist by Greatmats, a flooring company in Wisconsin that works with dance studios. None of the finalists are required to be customers said Brett Hart, Greatmats’ social media and marketing manager.

“She is constantly looking for new ways to inspire them and is budget conscious for us parents,” the nomination said. “She held free dancing in the park for her students during COVID and held Instagram Live classes while the studio was closed.”

Voting to determine this year’s finalists will continue until Nov. 16. After voting ends, the top two vote-getters will be named grand prize finalists, and the grand prize winner will be selected by Greatmats. The grand prize winner will receive a certificate and $250 in Greatmats products.

Finalists are listed at Greatmats.com/2020-greatmats-national-dance-instructor-of-the-year.php, where anyone can vote for their preferred instructor.