Nine-year-old Alex Goetz can now say she’s taken her show on the road.

Alex, the daughter of Cory and Angie Goetz of Austin, took a first place finish in the preteen division of the Mower County Fair talent show and turned it into a third-place finish at the Minnesota State Fair.

“I felt kind of amazed,” Alex said, who describes her act as, “fun and really upbeat.”

Alex has been dancing since the age of three with Acclaim Studio of Dance under choreographer Bridget Bellrichard.

According to her mom, once the dancing began it hasn’t stopped.

“She’s always dancing, always moving,” Angie said.

For Alex, the love of dance is a lot of things.

“It’s just really fun,” she said. “I just really love being with my friends and dance instructor.”

This was the first year Alex has competed at the county fair level, which she did in the preteen division.

Despite being on stage, Alex was bolstered, however, with the advantage of using the routine she uses for competition with Acclaim.

Alex was beyond excited to find out she had won, earning her a trip to the state talent competition.

“I thought, ‘Wow, I’m going to the state fair,’” Alex said. “I can’t believe I did this.”

Alex went back to work, practicing before hitting the big stage.

“It was pretty packed,” Angie said. “There was standing room only around the amateur talent show Alex was one of 50 competitors from around the state, representing each county fair. For six nights during the fair, dancers competed until it was down to six finalists for the final night.

Despite not being able to repeat her first-place performance at the county level, Alex found a reason to smile.

“At first I was a little bit sad, but then I thought, ‘Wow, I’m one of the top three in preteen in Minnesota.’ That’s huge,” Alex said.area.”