Participating in the national dance competition, dance team CAE (Central Arkansas Elite) traveled to Disney World in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, Feb. 2nd.
The team is mixed with freshmen and eighth grade students. There is an A team and a B team. The A team consists of 12 members and the B team has 20 members, and varsity dance coach Laura Wooten is the coach of both teams.
“I work with Coach Carmack and Coach Ashley Beard to get the girls ready for the competition then Coach Carmack actually is with the girls the weekend of the competition since I am with my Varsity team. I don’t even get to see the girls compete that day,” Wooten said.
In Orlando, the A team won third place in pom and fifth place in hip-hop. The members said it was their first time to get the top three in pom. The B team won sixth place in pom.
“I love going to Orlando with my best friends, rooming with them, and going to Disney World. There’s really not a better opportunity than that,” freshman Alexis Landers said.
To be on the team, the girls have to on a certain skill level but there aren’t any specific rules.
They practice once every week. Before going to Orlando, the team had a 15 hour practice.
“In the week of nationals we are like dead bodies because of all the practice time,” Landers said.
As a member of the team, the girls have to pay $100 a month plus the cost to fly to Orlando. The girls said it may cost a lot but it’s worth it.
“I could use the extra money on other stuff but it’s affected me so much because I have become a better dancer,” freshman Hadley Balisterri said.
Coach Wooten said CAE is a way for her to work with the younger girls that are on the middle school and freshman teams and give them the experience of dancing and competing at Nationals.
“A huge part of the Nationals experience is a mental preparation and having girls that have been there for several years competing makes a huge difference in our Varsity program,” Wooten said. “My hope is that through this I can inspire and keep girls excited about our dance program here at Bryant and create an interest in being a Bryant Hornet dancer. They are a great group of kids and they all improved so much this year.”
