ORLANDO – The Dexter Varsity Dance Team attended the Universal Dance Association (UDA) National High School Team championships on Feb. 3-5. The team qualified for Nationals in July. Led by coaches Morgan Dubey and Julia Acton and captains Lainey Sawin and Clara Thomas, the team competed in three categories; Medium Varsity Game Day, Medium Varsity Jazz, and Medium Varsity Pom.
Competing against 50 plus teams from around the country, the team successfully moved from the Friday preliminary rounds to the semifinals on Saturday, where the field was cut in half. On Saturday morning, the team fell short of advancing in Pom but successfully advanced to the finals for their Game Day routine. Late Saturday afternoon, the team made history by moving on to the finals in the jazz category for the first time!
“All categories are competitive, but the medium varsity jazz category is extremely stacked. There is so much talent from so many teams that all come with something new each year,” said head coach Morgan Dubey. “All of the dancers learn jazz from an early age, and every team brings their best of the best to the jazz competition. These girls have worked hard all season to perfect this dance, and they left their hearts on the floor. I could not be more proud!”
The finals took place on Sunday, Feb. 5. The Dreads took the floor for Game Day mid-morning and won 10th place in the nation! Late Sunday evening, the team performed their final jazz routine, leaving it all on the floor, and took 13th place among the competitive field of teams! The Dexter dance team represented the community well on the national stage and should be very proud of their accomplishments.
The dance team’s season concludes at the end of February, with tryouts for the 2023-24 team taking place in April.
