Ava Wagner has secured a spot on Derek Hough's Symphony of Dance: Encore tour, capping a first professional year in Los Angeles that already includes a Gap ad campaign and a return to the University of Minnesota as a co-choreographer.

Dance, Wagner says, was practically her birthright. "My grandma was stretching my feet the minute I was born," she told Dance Magazine. Her great-grandmother, Shirley Larkin, founded Larkin Dance Studio in Minnesota, where Wagner trained until she was 18. Her grandmother, Michele Larkin-Wagner, currently co-owns the studio.

Wagner's competitive résumé came first. She won the 2018 Orlando Junior Best Dancer title at The Dance Awards and excelled at Hall of Fame competitions. With her sister Ellie, she finished third on Season 3 of "World of Dance."

Then came the fork in the road. Should she move to Los Angeles as a high school senior and launch her professional career? The leap felt too daunting. Instead, she followed Ellie to collegiate dance. As a member of the University of Minnesota's dance team, Wagner won two national championships in Division 1A Pom and two silver medals in Division 1A Jazz.

By the end of the 2025 school year, she was ready. Her magnetic intensity, soaring jumps, and lush movement quality did not go unnoticed in Los Angeles. Beyond the Gap booking and the Hough tour, she has taught at Press Play conventions across the country with her sister and returned to her alma mater to co-choreograph the dance team's jazz routine. That routine placed third at the 2026 UDA Nationals.

The homecoming came at the direct invitation of the program's staff. "When [UMDT assistant coach Lauren Busyn] asked if I'd co-choreograph the 2026 jazz routine, I said yes in a heartbeat because that team has done so much for me," Wagner said. "They were so open for me to create whatever I wanted on them, and it was a really cool experience."

Now working the other side of the competition-and-convention circuit, Wagner has revised her view of what young dancers should take from it. "I think it's important for dancers to focus on learning and improving, instead of who wins," she said. "That's a difficult mindset to have at a young age, but the scores and winners don't really matter. The best thing about conventions is meeting people, because those are the people you'll be surrounded by as a professional."

She and Ellie bring that philosophy to Press Play, where they teach the next generation of comp dancers. "When Ellie and I are teaching at Press Play, we dive deep on encouraging and inspiring dancers," Wagner said. "Conventions really helped me in my career. I know it's scary being face to face with someone who is really big in the community, so Ellie and I really focus on making it warm and welcoming."

Even with quick professional success, Wagner says she stays grounded. "Being grateful, in the moment, and present is the most important thing to me," she said. With the Symphony of Dance: Encore tour ahead and a growing teaching footprint alongside her sister, that presence will be tested on the biggest stages of her career so far.