The bright beam of the spotlights was unforgiving in the arena of the Anaheim Convention Center, marking the dancers’ shadows into the slick wood of the stage—a stage bigger than any they’d ever performed on together before. On that stage, for those moments in the finals bracket of the USA Dance Nationals in the Extra Small Dance division, five bodies worked as one, and the audience saw the unguarded hearts of the performers before them.

Dance Troupe competed in the annual USA Dance Nationals, March 17-19, in Anaheim and participated in the various size divisions: Large Dance Pom, Medium Dance, Medium Lyrical, Small Lyrical, and Extra Small Dance, along with three soloist performances. 

Member of the Extra Small Dance and one of the soloists, Sophia Sands (9), made it to the finals brackets, each performance placing fourth and fifth, respectively. Dance Troupe’s senior captains Lauryn Rowe (12) and Jordan Le (12) said the entire team entered the competition not knowing what to expect.

“Nationals was a new experience for everyone,” Le said. “We’ve been before, but [not] in that specific arena [because of COVID-19]. It was a lot bigger and a lot more stressful, but more exciting.” 

Attracting around 2,000 competitors and nearly 4,000 spectators, the USA Dance Nationals was no small gathering. Rowe said that having to give an impactful performance for such a large number of people was made less daunting with the support of her team.

“[It was] a really cool shared experience that definitely pushed us,” Rowe said. “When we were watching the videos back, it made us realize that we worked twice as hard to make our dance really show out on that stage.”

The special bond the team shared with each other was at the heart of their unforgettable nationals this year. Rowe said the pre-show moments were always the most memorable.

“Before every dance, we’d get in a circle together and the officers would give us a spiel about how proud they are of everyone and about what we want to put out on the stage—setting the tone and getting everyone focused before we went on,” Rowe said. “We have little traditions where we do a cheer or chant or squeeze each other really tight before we go on, so those moments are really special.”

Le said that out of all the performances, the Large Dance division involving pom-poms and a fast-paced, high-energy song brought the team to more uncharted territories.

“During the pom [performance], there’s a lot of different things that could go wrong just because everyone is in that dance, and it was our first time performing the pom dance,” Le said. “We all thought it was super fun to do and it took a lot of hard work.”

In their finalist performance, Dance Troupe performed the Extra Small Dance choreography in dark pink costumes to an emotional ballad called “Darling” by Rothwell. Rowe said that the meaning behind the performance connected deeply with the seniors.  

“There’s a part in Extra Small where we’re in a line and connect, holding each other,” Rowe said. “One girl breaks off and the others lose her hand so it kind of follows that storyline—letting go and moving on.” 

In that moment on stage, Le said she felt especially in-sync with her teammates.

“We were all really emotional about our last time dancing together in that specific group,” she said. “It was also the only dance that made it to finals, so we were feeling a little bit of pressure, but we were also excited at the same time. We were just really connected to each other in that moment when we were all feeling the same things.” 

Rowe said she and the Extra Small Dance group felt extremely encouraged while on stage.

“Knowing the amount of support we had during competition season was really important,” she said.“You can really feel that energy while we were on stage with all of our teammates cheering us on and just giving us all love.”

According to the captains, the bond shared by the group was something that followed each member. Sophia Sands (9), the solo dance finalist of Dance Troupe, said her first nationals’ soloist performance owed its success to her team.

“It was a bit nerve-wracking because it was my first time at nationals with the team, but they were very supportive and they really helped me dance to my fullest ability,” Sands said.

Dancing since she was just 2 years old, Sands said she approached her solo performance with her love for dance.

“I connected my solo to my whole journey as a dancer, and I just wanted to show how much I love dancing through my performance,” Sands said. “I wanted them to see how much I’m truly enjoying what I’m doing.”

Throughout the year, Le and Rowe said the team always found ways to make even tedious practice days fun with the comfortability they have with each other.

“During long days, just singing random songs together or making jokes with each other is something we do to keep our energy up,” Le said. “We’ll even take naps together; that’s just what our team does.”

When this trust and friendship is translated onto the stage, Rowe said that she believes that is when the team is performing with most harmony.

“We not only connect immensely with our counts and music, but also the emotions with our bodies,” Rowe said. “We’re able to feel each others’ energy in the room. [That] is something special that I think dance has.”

The USA Dance Nationals ended competition season for the Dance Troupe on a proud note. The emotion exuded through their performances is what Rowe believes is key to the livelihood of a dancer.

“Each performance is definitely different [when] we’re trying to portray different emotions,” Rowe said. “They can interpret [our performances] however they want, but even if it’s watching a fun pom piece to be excited about or wanting to make them cry, making the audience feel something is a huge accomplishment [for] a dancer.”