Nicholas Kane's hobby is starting to look like a lot more these days.

The 16-year-old Coeur d'Alene Charter student, who started entering dance competitions just last year, took four first-place trophies with his partner Bayley Brooks at an international competition this past weekend.

"It felt really great," said Nicholas, freshly returned from the Grand Ball competition in Vancouver, British Columbia. "A lot of people who we didn't know were cheering for us, and you just get this feeling like you're doing really well, and you have fans out there."

He and 13-year-old Brooks, dance partners of six months, earned first-place awards in two under-21 categories, and two adult categories.

They were competing against dancers in their 20s and 30s, said Nicholas' father, Dennis.

"They were by far the youngest couple," he said. "They were just phenomenal dancers."

The pair practices for hours several times a week, Dennis added. They also travel to Seattle twice a month to be coached by renowned dance instructor Alexandria Hawkins, he said.

"The amount they've progressed, it usually takes couples two to three years, to get where they're at," Dennis said. "But it took them five months."

Nicholas, who previously danced with Adriana Oliveira of Post Falls, said judges look at everything, including footwork and presentation.

"You're trying to concentrate on doing everything right," he said.

The competition was intimidating, Brooks admitted.

"There were a lot of great dancers on the floor, and just having a lot of people dancing with us, we were bumping into them," the Hauser teen said.

One of the judges said they stood out because they moved so naturally, she said, without any arrogance.

"We try to project our emotions, and look like we're having fun," said Brooks, also a Charter student.

That likely comes for Brooks, also a ballet dancer.

"I love to dance because I feel like it's a way of expressing how I feel without words," she said. "Its elegance just helps me be me."

Both teenagers dream of dancing professionally someday soon.

They're making their way there one competition at a time, Nicholas said, adding that they're prepping for a regional competition in January.

"I would love to go as far as I could go," he said.