The Star Valley Brave Cadettes have won their state championship competition each of the last 5 years. Before that, they claimed the first 10 titles of the competition that began in 1998.
Winning 15 state championships takes lots of hard work and effort. These girls put in anywhere from 8-12 hours of practice each weekend for three months in preparation for the state competitions.
This kind of effort does not come without pain. Injures to ankles, lower backs and knees are the most common dance injures. Senior Avery Kabonic said, “I stretch everyday, so I don’t lose my flexibly, and so I don’t get injured.”
Every dancer on the team has a favorite routine. The cadettes learn around 9-10 dances a year, but out of all them, junior Kumari McCormick said, “My favorite dance was the Halloween dance last year when we faked the whole crowd out and then started playing the monster mash. We were in the gym almost everyday putting the hard work in and learning a new part everyday.”
The members all had dancers they looked up too growing up and strove to emulate. Junior Leah Penny said, “I looked up to Nyia Steed. She was an amazing dancer with so much talent. She was hard working and so dedicated to become better and helping others. She was a great leader and the perfect example to me as a freshie.”
The current team consists of 25 dancers—twelve to 14 for Jazz and 18-20 for hiphop. Several of the girls will dedicate themselves to both styles.
