SCHS Dance Team Breaks School Record for Most Dances in the National Finals
For the San Clemente Times
The San Clemente High School (SCHS) Dance Team ended its 2018 competition year with a record-breaking five dances in the United Spirit Association (USA) National Championship finals in Anaheim on March 31.
The team won a national championship title in the novelty category, receiving the highest score in school history. The team also added four third-place trophies in extra-small dance, small dance, intermediate dance and medium jazz categories to the team’s wins.
Three of SCHS’s soloists also made it into the finals on Saturday. San Clemente soloist Lauren Adolph, senior, qualified in the top 10 dancers, while senior Lily Hurtubise and sophomore Macie Brown placed in the top 15.
“I’m so proud of the entire team. This was a tough season,” said head coach Danielle Braithwaite.
In February, this year’s flu season hit the team hard when more than half the team tested positive for influenza, causing the coach to drop two important competitions from the schedule, which resulted in limited opportunities to qualify for nationals, according to a press release from the dance team.
Several dancers were injured during the competition season, requiring alternate dancers to step in during crucial qualifying competitions.
“The dancers really rallied as a team this year,” Braithwaite said. “Injuries and illness caused me to re-stage dances and replace dancers with alternates, sometimes only hours before the team took the stage. Our alternates really stepped up and did what was necessary to get the team qualified so we could get in the door at Nationals. This year was a testament to the depth of talent and work ethic we have on this team.”
The SCHS Dance Team also brought home four state championship titles when they competed March 24 and 25 at the California Association of Dance Drill Team Directors (CADTD) State Championships at Edison High School in Huntington Beach. The state championship-winning dances included extra-small dance, small dance, intermediate and novelty. In addition, senior soloist Lily Hurtubise received a $1,000 college scholarship from CADTD.
The team will host its annual spring concert titled “Unbound” on Friday, April 27, and Saturday, April 28. This will be the community’s only opportunity to see the national championship dances outside of competition. The team does not allow video to be posted on the internet or social media for competitive reasons. The tickets are currently on sale and available at www.schsdanceteam.com under the Concert 2018 tab.
For more information about the SCHS Dance Team visit our website at www.schsdanceteam.com and find us on social media www.facebook.com/schsdanceteam and @schsdance on Instagram.
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