5, 6, 7, 8…Lakeland Dance is going to state!

Lakeland High School Dancers worked hard throughout their season. The team won many awards at their competitions and performed well at districts. 

As a result, they will be taking three of their routines to the State Competition in Boise, Idaho. The dance team will perform on Feb. 11 in the Military, Dance, and Hip-Hop categories.

The dance team will be leaving from Lakeland at 5am on Thursday so they will have time to practice before their performance on Saturday.

There is a lot of work that leads up to the State Competition. The dance team has practiced together since the beginning of Summer. With all this hard work, the opportunity to qualify for state lies within one moment…districts.

“It was pretty intense and a lot of work but we had fun together and pushed through,” said senior, Isadora Goad.

The hard work and dedication put in by the dancers and the coach paid off.

It is Laura Kelley’s first official year of coaching the dance team and she is looking forward to the State Competition. 

“The State Competition will be a lot of fun; there is a lot of team bonding, awesome memories to be made, and it gives the dancers an opportunity to see what other teams are doing,” she said.

The dancers are also looking forward to the opportunity to participate in the tournament.

“I’m hoping it will be a really fun experience,” Goad said.

Going to state is a huge accomplishment and a lot of responsibility because dancers are expected to put their best foot forward and perform better than they ever have before. Despite this, state can be a lot of fun.

“One of my favorite parts of state is the team bonding,” said junior, Emma Marshall. “Along with performing together, there is a lot of time for us to be friends.”

In part with spending time in Boise and competing for a state title, attending the state competition provides a lot of opportunities to experience different dancing styles of other teams.

“We got some really good ideas last year at the state competition that really helped us this year,” said Laura Kelley. 

Overall, the dance team is excited for state. They have worked all season to reach this point and are happy to have reached their goal.

Team captains Claire Kelley, Emma Marshall, and Mia Marquez are all proud of how far the team has come since the beginning of the season.

Claire Kelley added that everyone worked incredibly hard and pushed through.

“Progress has been our team motto for the last few years, and this year, I have definitely seen a lot of it,” said Marshall.