By Meghan Cusack
The members of the BHS Dance Team came back victorious from the UDA National Dance Team Championship at Disney World in Florida.
The dance team competed in the Small Varsity Jazz and the Small Varsity Hip-Hop categories and advanced to the finals with their Hip-Hop routine. Competing against 60 other teams, the team finished tenth nationally- the best they have ever done.
To view video of their performances, click here.
On their success at Nationals, Junior Hailey LaBonte said, “Making it to the top ten out of sixty other amazing teams was unforgettable. This team has been faced with so much and to exceed against all the odds was an amazing feeling.” LaBonte also commented, “Being a competitive dancer my whole life, nothing was like this. The sense of positivity and hard work is unbelievable.”
Senior Jessie Pantani, echoed these thoughts. “The weeks leading up to Florida were extremely hard on everyone, mentally and physically, but I can speak for the captains and coaches in saying we were so proud of all [of] the new girls’ determination,” she said. “After making it to semi-finals, we knew there was nothing stopping us. The feeling of hearing our names get called for finals I’ll never forget, as it was really one of my last major Nationals memories.”
In respect to her last time competing with the dance team for Nationals, Pantani said, “It was a rush of emotions. Everyone was crying and hugging and we weren’t sure if it was sad or happy. It was happy to have gotten this far and to be so proud of the girls surrounding you, but for me, Michaela (Gavigan) and Tess (Paluzzi), it was devastating to know it was our last Nationals experience.”
The Branford Dance Team suffered multiple injuries and other setbacks leading up to this significant competition and managed to perform better than ever before and come out on top. Congratulations to the Branford High School Dance Team on this accomplishment.
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