The 2018-2019 dance coach, Brooke Crump, is starting her first year at Bryant with the Varsity Dance Team. Crump danced throughout both her middle and high school careers, but this is only her second year coaching dance. She decided to become a dance coach due to the feeling of being a whole team and her involvement in cheer and dance in high school.

“I’m so excited,” Crump said. “It’s amazing.”

Senior dance captain Chloe Whitworth has been on the school dance team since 8th grade. Compared to her previous dance experiences, she feels like this year will be more organized.

“[Coach Crump] is more technology-based, rather than paper,” Whitworth said. “We have a Google Classroom for dance.”

With Crump’s guidance, the dance team plans to bond much more this year. One thing that the team did to bond was a car wash on Sept. 8 in order to raise money to go to nationals. 

“Coach Crump has a lot to do with [us working together as a team],” Whitworth said. “This team has a really close bond.”

Senior dance captain Llyz Cortez also believes that having a close family-like bond will help the team to be more successful

“If you bond more, you can naturally do more and do better,” Cortez said.

Sophomore Trulie Billingsley is new to the Varsity Dance Team. She has been on the school dance team since the eighth grade, but she believes that Varsity is a lot more difficult.

“It is definitely more hardcore,” Billingsley said. “There are practices every morning, we stay after school. It’s definitely different, but I think it is worth it.”  

Crump’s expectations and goals for the team go beyond simply winning.

“They have a fresh new outlook,” Crump said. “With the great captains I have, it is just an awesome group.”

Crump also does a lot behind the scenes, such as financing, ordering and practices that a lot of people do not know about. However, Crump does not take credit for it all.

“It takes a team of us to be successful,” Crump said.