![Hosting the SCLA Casptone Mentor Dinner outside allowed for more attendees on September 27, 2021 at Silver Creek. This event would’ve usually been held inside. According to Lauren Kohn, a SCLA 12 teacher, “If we have a higher number of people, as long as we can host the event outside, then that seems to be keeping every[one] safe”.](https://schsnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/sxMAIGbSYGodZkqmrvTi5YWcJ1ssWA08ApkeMLpp-900x675.jpeg)
Dedication, time, and commitment: all qualities necessary for competing at the national level. Though many teams work towards these goals, few rise to the occasion, and the Silver Creek Dance Team has proven to live up to the expectations.
The Silver Creek Dance Team is making history and will be attending Nationals this February. The girls will perform in Orlando, Florida at the National Dance Alliance National Championship. The team has been hard at work preparing for this moment.
“I am so pumped,” senior and dance captain, Taylor Brown said. “We’ve been working so hard all year long. At the beginning of the year, we set this goal for ourselves, and I’m so excited to achieve it.”
Competing at a National competition is a huge milestone and also a marker of growth for the team.
“The team has grown technically and emotionally and mentally,” senior and dance captain Jordan Randal said. “This is something that I would have never imagined, and now it’s possible, and it seems very possible that we would also do well.”
Preparation for this competition has been a huge undertaking and has required a group of dancers who are up for the challenge. These girls understand the importance of feeling prepared and how practice makes for the best routine. They have also done the mental work in order to handle nerves.
“The competition season has definitely helped me get over my nerves,” Brown said. “We’ve competed at state and we know what it takes to win and like how it’s gonna feel when we’re out there, so I feel very prepared.”
However, no matter how prepared you might feel, performance nerves can still sneak up on you. Learning how to handle these nerves and use them to your advantage is an important step in having a solid performance.
“[When I’m nervous] I like to think about things that I’m grateful for because you can’t be nervous and grateful at the same time,” Randal said. “I also think talking to my team helps.”
Brown said, “It’s really important to remember that we’re doing this as a team and we can make each other feel calm and grounded.”
Staying grounded is crucial, especially in a high-energy and competitive environment for multiple days on end.
“Nationals is a three-day competition in Orlando starting with prelims in jazz, hip hop, and pom,” Silver Creek Dance Team coach, Lexi Condray said. “Then, it progresses into finals for those same three divisions.”
“It’s a lot of waking up, nourishing, hitting the practice mat, and performing,” Randal added.
Though competing at Nationals is an achievement in itself, the team has set a goal to make it to finals. This would mean the girls scored high enough to qualify for the last round and would compete against the best of the best.
“This first year our goal is to get out there and have a successful performance for both routines,” Condray said. “We would like to make finals in both dances, too!”
Not only will nationals be a great achievement for this year’s team, but attending nationals is a great opportunity for others to see a successful team, thus growing the program of Silver Creek dancers.
“I think that Nationals and how we do there will have the potential to draw people in,” Randal said. “If you see a team that does well, you say I want to be able to do that too. I think that that’s such a big influence.”
“I just hope that the program keeps growing, and people keep finding dance as something that they love,” Brown said. “This is such a nice group of girls, there’s no judgment and there’s no hate or drama, and that’s really hard to find in sports because of the competitiveness.”
These girls know that competing at the national level will leave a great legacy behind for the dancers to come.
Those wanting to get involved can follow @silvercreekdanceteam on Instagram for Nationals highlights, as well as other dance team information. Tryouts for next year’s team will be held this April. Go Raptors!
Update: The team made Silver Creek history by making finals and placing seventh in the intermediate Pom division. The girls are proud of their hard work, dedication, and of course, their seventh place trophy!
