Dance team performs despite music setbacks, prepares for first competition

The Falcons made history as they beat the Palo Alto Vikings on Nov. 14, garnering a spot in the CCS playoffs.

The football players, however, were not the only ones who succeeded on this unforgettable night; the dance team was also able to deliver a memorable performance — one without music.

Since it was the girls’ senior night, coach Kaitlyn Landeza surprised the seniors with bouquets of roses, each tied together with glittery ribbons. The glitter from the ribbons somehow got on their music CDs, ultimately scratching them, unbeknownst to the Landeza and girls.

At halftime, the girls were ready to give a solid performance after rehearsing the routine for several weeks. A minute into the dance to the mix of Beyonce’s “Who Run the World,” “Partition” and Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It,” the music started skipping “a whole two eight-counts, which are a lot in dance [routines],” said co-captain senior Madison Seagraves.

Landeza, in panic, immediately rushed to the speakers and stopped the music, hoping that the team would keep on performing even without the music to guide them.

To Landeza’s relief, co-captain Joy Tang already started counting beats for her teammates to make sure that they were all still dancing together, as Seagraves shouted ‘just keep dancing!’ which is “exactly what they are supposed to do,” said Landeza.

“All I felt like I could do at the moment was count as loudly as I could while still dancing, hoping that the rest of the girls were with me at the same time,” Tang said.

During their performance, the dance team was also supported by the crowds on the bleachers. The dancers, garnering respect from their audience, finished their routine successfully.

After halftime, the team received numerous compliments for how they did not just stand in the middle of the field looking confused and instead performed impressively even without the music.

Although this routine may be somewhat of a disappointment to the senior girls due to the audio issues, the dance team’s performance was one to remember.

“I am so proud of the girls for keeping their heads up and carrying on with the performance,” Seagraves said. “When [we] perform, [we] don’t really think about if the music is going to stop, so I was really impressed that the girls kept going and gave it their all.”

Currently, the team is working toward their first competition of the season at Homestead High School on Jan. 31.

According to Landeza, the girls have been working longer, harder and tougher, running their dances multiple times, nitpicking at every little thing. Even though the preparation is hard work, she knows that it will pay off later. She believes that the girls have the potential to do well this season, and she just has to remind them how great they are.

“I’m just making sure that [the girls] have their dances down, so they could be prepared for anything that could happen,” Landeza said. “When competitions roll around in January, the only thing I can do is sit back and press play and watch their choreography come to life.”