Grand Forks native Lily Goehring wins NBC primetime dance show and $25,000 prize

Jun. 22—GRAND FORKS — Each celebrity judge on NBC's primetime show, 'Dancing With Myself,' shared some thoughts on Grand Forks native Lily Goehring.

First it was Shakira, the show's creator.

"You have so much energy when you dance," Shakira said. "I feel like I had five cups of Colombian coffee with sugar on it."

Then, it was Nick Jonas.

"Lily, you were phenomenal," Jonas said. "You've never been on a stage this big, but you find a way to use every corner. You really blew us all away."

The 16-year-old Goehring, who began dancing at Dance Etc., in Grand Forks at age 2, outlasted a field of 12 competitors to win Tuesday night's show and a cash prize of $25,000.

"I was in complete shock," Goehring said. "It was such a surreal moment. I'll never forget it. I had a million thoughts going through my mind. I was just so grateful."

Goehring, who moved to Las Vegas four years ago, competed in six rounds of varying competitions. The field was narrowed after each round by an audience vote. The celebrity judges — Shakira, Jonas and Liza Koshy — had the ability to save two contestants in the first five rounds, too.

Some competitions were individual dances. Others were choreographed group dances.

Goehring particularly stood out in the individual competitions.

With four dancers left, Shakira gave the contestants hula hoops to use as a props for a dance. Goehring blew the judges and audience away with her series of moves.

"Lily, what was that?" Jonas exclaimed. "That was crazy."

"I think Lily is missing some vertebrae," Shakira said.

The final two competitors performed a choreographed dance to the song 'Confident' by Demi Lovato. The audience voted Goehring as the winner.

Goehring said her dance background — both at Dance Etc. and in Las Vegas — was vital to her success.

"I had a lot of practice picking up choreo," she said. "We learned a ton of choreo for recitals for both the summer and winter. I felt that really helped me."

Goehring said she spoke to the judges a little bit off camera, too. Shakira wanted to speak with her after the competition, but because of Georgia's child labor laws, producers were required to bring Goehring off the set to eat.

"That was absolutely amazing getting to talk to them," she said. "They were the sweetest people ever. It was very nice to hear their feedback. They said a lot of nice things."

The show was filmed in Atlanta in mid-March, but Goehring had to keep the results secret until Tuesday night. She watched the show with her parents, Karl and Laura, and six friends in Las Vegas.

Goehring said she hopes winning the show will open the door for more opportunities.

"I'm hoping this is just the beginning," she said.