The judges sat in a line at the Anaheim Convention Center, eyes fixed on the stage as teams from around the country competed at the United Spirit Dance Nationals. Two of the five Westview Dance Troupe group routines advanced to the finals, XS and medium lyrical, where they placed third and second, respectively. 

This year, three solos also advanced and placed in finals: Sophia Sands (12), Rosemary Cabanban (12), and Brooke Salazar (10) placed 3rd, 5th, and 7th, respectively.

Cabanban performed a lyrical solo to “Seduces Me” by Celine Dion. Instead of focusing on a storyline, she concentrated more on conveying big emotions.

“I didn’t really create a story for my solo this year,” Cabanban said. “I’ve done that in the past, and that’s what we do with a lot of group dances to tell a story to the judges and the audience. But this year, I felt like my main focus in my solo was to demonstrate my technique and my movement in my performance so that it didn’t seem monotone. I tried my best to give a performance that felt big and emotional and really dynamic.”

Cabanban said she felt a connection to the singer’s passion and energy. She used that to fuel her own performance, comparing the song’s lyrics to her love for dance.

“The way I interpreted the song was that the vocalist was just so immersed and passionate about something, that it almost feels like she can’t live without it,” Cabanban said. “So, I tried to compare that to my own passion for dance to convey an authentic performance to the audience about something very real in my life.”

For Salazar’s solo, she danced a lyrical contemporary piece to the song “Listen” by Beyoncé.

“In my solo, there’s a lot of turns and technical movements,” Salazar said. “It follows the story of the song, which is basically her trying to find her voice and making sure other people listen to what she has to say. I put myself in Beyoncé’s shoes and tried to understand what she might be feeling. Then I connected to that, even though it was something that I’ve never experienced.”

During the performances, Salazar said her attention to detail helped her succeed.

“I was really focused on my technique during my solo,” Salazar said. “For the group [dance], I was really focused on improving big technical moments like straightening my legs during leaps, and I was focusing on being centered and having a high relevé during my turns. Whenever we were doing floor work, I made sure my feet were pointed.”  

Sands performed a contemporary piece to the song “Berghain” by Rosalia and said she found it challenging to relate to her solo because the song was in Spanish.

“My song was in another language, so it was a little bit harder to connect with,” Sands said. “But, my teacher helped me better connect with the music by giving me an intention and giving me choreography that matched well with the instruments in the song. So, I did my best to convey confidence, strength, and security in my dance by maintaining eye contact with the judges as much as possible.”

Sands went into the competition less nervous than in previous years; she said she was more focused on enjoying her last competition in high school rather than on her score. 

“In previous years, before my performance, I used to be very stressed out and would start to have a lot of self-doubt,” Sands said. “But this time, I tried to go in with the mindset of doing it for myself rather than for the judges or trying to please anyone with my scores because it was my last time performing with this team. There was so much support I was getting from my friends, and focusing on giving them a good performance instead of going in for a placement helped with my anxiety.”

Cabanban said she didn’t expect to advance to finals.

“Truly, I didn’t think that I was going to make it to finals,” Cabanban said. “So when I first performed, I told myself, ‘I’ve got this,’ and I think that really fueled me to do well since it might have been my last solo performance with Westview. I was really excited and grateful to learn that I made it to finals. Going into finals was surreal, andI don’t think I really realized that I was in finals until halfway through my dance. I realized I won’t ever do this on the USA floor again. That was just so crazy to me. So, I really tried not just to dance to my best ability, but also to be present in the moment because I won’t get that moment back again. I’m proud of what I put out there. I think that’s what matters most.”

Cabanban got emotional after her solo, knowing that it was her final solo of her high school career.

“I competed my first solo in second grade,” Cabanban said. “I did a solo for my dance studio, and it was a tap solo to “The Great Balls of Fire,” and ever since then, I’ve always done solos. I think that solos are very special. They don’t feel like a group dance because you get the freedom to express yourself in your own unique way. You can change it each time, and you can kind of develop what you want it to be throughout the season because you’re not worried about staying uniform to other dancers. When I finished my final performance, I cried afterwards because I realized that after four years of competing at the USA nationals, that was my last one. Having these solos always felt so special to me, and  I’m really grateful to have had that experience.”

Salazar said her teammates were supportive throughout the whole competition.

“I think my nerves right before I go on stage are always the hardest part,” Salazar said. “It has always been really hard for me to stay focused and not freak out or overdo my routines. My teammates were cheering me on during my solo, and feeling their support on the floor was so refreshing. They were cheering so loud, and I just felt the love. I ended up feeling really good doing my solo and all of my group dances. They felt really solid, and I really felt connected with the other dancers while dancing.”

For Sands, the true reward was the community she had with her teammates over her whole high school career.

“Through doing solos in group competitions for the past four years, I’ve gotten to know a lot of other girls on other teams as well as create a deeper bond with my teammates,” Sands said. “Having them there loudly expressing their excitement for me was very empowering in a way, because I knew that even if I didn’t place as well as I wanted to, I would still have the support of my friends, and that was all that mattered.” 

Cabanban said she’s proud of her team and how much commitment they’ve shown throughout the season.

“I’m really happy with how Westview did this year,” Cabanban said. “I’m really glad that for my senior year, we had such an eager team. They were really eager to work hard every single week, even at 6am on a Wednesday morning when the sun was still down. Everyone came ready and prepared, and when we went to the competition, I had no doubts that we would put something out there that we’d be proud of.”