The SDHS Dance Team attended West Coast Elite Nationals at the Long Beach Convention Center the weekend of March 5th through the 7th. After attending WCE regionals two weeks prior, the Dance Team then continued onto Nationals! Varsity brought their medium jazz, medium contemp, large pom, and their most highest scor
ing routine; their production number “Georgia”. JV brought their jazz; choreographed by junior JV Captain Jocelyn Ruelas, and as well as their production “Newsies”. This plus 9 brave soloists helped represent SDHS in the best, most admirable way.
The day started off bright and early at on Thursday, March 5th at 6 am here at SDHS. The dancers all came, luggages in hand as they made their way to the buses and said goodbye to the parents for the weekend. The bus ride there was nice and peaceful, as the dancers listened to music, chatted; all while watching the sun rise.
They finally got to the Long Beach Convention Center, where WCE was hosted, and slowly made their way inside. Lucky for the dancers, Thursday was just solos no groups, so the dancers got to relax and get situated; while focusing on the 9 brave soloists that were competing that day. The team found their secluded, private spot in the dressing rooms, and got lucky with getting a room with a bathroom all to themselves! They spent the next few hours sleeping, playing games, and exchanging gifts with their saint sisters; the vibes were at a high. Later, the first soloist to go up was Emily G competing in the Freshman Silver category. Immediately after was freshman Vivi R also competing in that same category. They both performed so beautifully and their team couldn’t have been more proud of them!
Later on the two sophomore soloists went on, Shanon T and Anissa Ghomeshi, who both competed in the Sophomore Silver category. Lastly before checking into their hotel rooms, the three seniors Mia Guerrero, Captain Farrah Carrey, and Victoria Contreras performed for their last time there at WCE nationals, and truly made their team the proudest of them.
After watching solos, the dance team headed to their hotel to check into their rooms. Girls grouping in threes and fours all got to room with their teammates and create memories and bonds that are irreplaceable. After hanging out in the rooms for a bit, the some dancers along with Coach Brooke walked down to Starbucks to get a little energy snack before going back down to the arena to watch their junior soloists for the night. Senior Jon Kian Razon said, “I loved watching solos and having a chill day of no dancing.” Camila Martinez and Captain Jocelyn Ruelas both competed in the Junior silver category, and truly showcased all the hardwork they put into their dance this season; and the girls plus coaches couldn’t have been more proud. As they wrapped up the solos for the day, they all walked back to their hotel to settle in for the night. The girls all went to bed excited for the big upcoming day tomorrow, and was ready to show WCE what they’ve been working on.
The girls and guys all woke up bright and early to start their day off at 7:30 sharp. The girls all walked down to the convention center to get ready to watch Varsity trio and Varsity Jazz go on today. At 8 am, Varsity Trio, consisting of seniors Victoria Contreras, Farrah Carrey, and Mia Guerrero, all performed in ballroom C, and truly showed their high skill level. Senior, Jessica Liu said, “I’m so proud of the seniors, they all performed so well.” After going back to their dressing rooms, Varsity Jazz soon went on. These girls competed in the arena, and showed why each of them were hand chosen to represent their SD team. Friday was the chillest day of them all, because after these two numbers competed, the girls were once again done for the day!
Then was the first awards for solos and these two team numbers. Victoria Contreras placed 18 out of 99 soloists for her solo category, and the team couldn’t have been more proud of their girl! As the day came to an end, the team spent it at the hotel pool, in their rooms, and later at the team dinner! After a long day of comp and supporting their team, the girls all agree this was the best way to end their dance nationals season, some for the first and some for the last time. Until next year WCE!
