In a group dominated by upperclassmen, Emma Lam (9) shines as the only freshman to join Dance Troupe this year. Compared to the eight seniors, five juniors, and seven sophomores, Lam takes on Troupe solo.

“I think [my experience] differs because there’s a lot of times where classes will do things together,” Lam said. 

During performances where classes are spotlighted and dance together, Lam has to perform by herself.

“At the Homecoming dance, the sophomores and the juniors and the seniors have their own little dance part together,” Lam said. “But, since I’m the only one, there are parts where they [say] ‘this is the junior class’ or ‘this is sophomore class’ and they have each other, but not so much for me.”

Having danced for 11 years since she was 3 years old, Lam found her passion at a young age and her love for the sport has only grown since. She began dancing after watching her older sister, Audrey Lam (12), who is also currently on Dance Troupe. 

“My sister first started dancing, and I used to always watch her when I was younger,” Emma said. “[Dance] always looks so fun and it’s a way for me to show how I feel through movement.”

Although Lam might be the only dancer in her class, her teammates never fail to remind her she isn’t alone in the Troupe.

“[At competition,] I’m the only freshman so [the team] always cheers so loud,” Lam said. “All of the [members] are really supportive and helpful. [They] show me how to do things and [have] really inspired me.”

As the Dance Troupe moves through the competition season, Lam has been working to prove her talent as a dancer. In a recent competition, she placed in the top six out of 19 other dancers to recompete, where she then placed fifth. Her solo is performed at every competition; it’s a lyrical dance that she constantly works on fine-tuning and improving. Lam is always receptive to advice and help from the upperclassmen and coaches.

“I’ve been working on [the solo] with coaches, and they’ve been very helpful with giving notes and feedback on it to help make it better,” Lam said. “[My teammates and I] give each other notes each time we have a practice, and we’ll go around and say what we need to work on, or what we saw that we can make better, and just help each other out to do it all.”

Along with her teammates, having her older sister in Troupe has been a gratifying experience for Lam. Both sisters have been fond of having each other on the team.

“It’s fun because I get to have her around,” Audrey said. “It’s exciting to show her the different things that we do.”

With one sister in her final year of high school and the other just beginning, they’ve been encountering new experiences and dynamics. 

“It’s definitely different from the other years,” Audrey said. “She keeps me motivated and I think we are both really good influences on each other because she has different strengths and I have different strengths. [From] watching each other and looking at each other, [we can] feed off of each other’s energy.”

Emma said she feels similarly about their relationship. Being able to rely on Audrey in both the studio and at home has been an encouraging factor that has helped her grow as a dancer this year.

 “I really enjoy having her there because she’s a senior so she knows how to do stuff. If I’m not sure about something, I can always go to her and ask her,” Emma said. “When we’re at home, she can always help me with something that I’m confused about for dance because she knows what she’s doing [and] she has so much experience.”

Besides having actual family dancing alongside her, Lam values the connections and relationships she’s made through the sport. 

“[Joining Troupe has been] a fun way to make new friends,” Lam said. “It’s like a family.”