8:47 a.m., Nov. 5, 2010----In a few weeks, a University of Delaware graduate could be dancing on MTV with a $5,000 check in her pocket.

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Pam Leary, a Pennsylvania native and 2010 communication major, recently entered and won the initial round of a promotional dance contest sponsored by MTV to promote the upcoming musical film Burlesque, featuring Cher and Christina Aguilera.

Leary moved to New York in June as an intern at the Broadway Dance Center to pursue a career in dance. She came across an ad for the contest on Craigslist while looking for a job for the holidays.

“The contest was strictly for amateur dancers without agents,” Leary says. “It's kind of interesting, because I really went on a whim. It's weird how my life can just change in that one minute that I danced.”

She competed against 49 other male and female dancers to win the New York contest. MTV held the same contest in 20 cities across the country.

Leary is up against 19 other finalists for a chance to appear on MTV and win a grand prize of $5,000. The winner will be chosen through a public online voting period, which began Wednesday, Nov. 3, and will continue until 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 11.

She says she hopes the visibility she has earned so far from the contest can help push her closer to getting an agent.

“I've learned that in the dance industry, a huge part of it all is just getting to know everyone and making good connections,” Leary says. “The more people see you, the more people will recognize you and want to work with you.”

Leary has been dancing since she was three years old, but she says she began to get serious about professional performing around the age of 14.

“I started competing pretty early,” she says. “My teachers saw a lot of potential in me. They were always asking me to come in and train more.”

At UD, Leary was a member of the dance team and served as captain her junior and senior years as well as co-choreographer, leading the team to two consecutive national collegiate championships in hip-hop. She was also a sister and founding member of Alpha Delta Pi at UD and choreographed the sorority's Air Band routines for two years.

Leary says her activities at UD instilled in her extra motivation, leadership skills and a support system.

“When I told people about the contest, my sorority was already emailing people, and of course, the dance team,” she says. “It just feels like family.”

If she wins the grand prize, Leary says she'd like to put the money toward her career.

“I'd love to get a MacBook so I can cut my own music and create my own dance reels,” she says. “And then I'd have to put the rest away. Life out here as an aspiring dancer can be pretty harsh.”

To view the contest's 20 finalist videos and vote for Leary, visit the MTV website. Fans can submit their votes once a day per computer.

Article by Katie Speace