Girls’ Softball wins Best Dance Crew
On Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. in the NPHS stadium, lights illuminated the field and bleachers, setting the stage for a night of dancing in NPHS’s annual Best Dance Crew competition. The show groups together dance and activity groups within both our community and student body to bring everyone together in harmless competition. Each group choreographed a dance in an attempt to impress the guest judges, Carlina Cruz, Brooke Berry and Kenny Loo, and take the title of NPHS’s Best Dance Crew.
Choreographing a dance that aims to impress judges is no easy task. Destiny Nash, sophomore on the NPHS dance team and student choreographer for baseball, tackled her most recent obstacle. “The biggest challenge when making the dance was trying to come up with choreography that would be fun and enticing to watch while still keeping it easy enough for non-dancers to learn,” Nash said.
The learning of a dance can be just as challenging as its creation. Sarah Foster, senior and player on the NPHS varsity softball team, performed in the winning team’s dance. “[Our choreographers] totally understood that it was going to be difficult for the softball girls to pick up on what they have been doing for years,” Foster said.
Besides the pressure of creating an impressive performance, Nash worries about how it would be received. “The most nerve racking part of performing was probably just waiting to hear what the judges would have to say and how the crowd would react,” Nash said, “All the crews put so much work into Best Dance Crew so we just really hope our work pays off in the end and people enjoy it.”
Instead of worrying about judges, Foster worried about her performance going wrong. “I was incredibly nervous, I actually felt sick from all the nerves,” Foster said. “However, performing in front of everyone with the music super loud was also very exciting. I think having the music super loud helped me feel good because I got really into the performance.”
Along with many of the student dancers, Judge Cruz has been dancing since she was five. “Honestly, [dancing] is when I feel the most confident,” Cruz said. “I have always been very shy, but whenever I dance I feel like I can hide behind my craft and let it shine.”
At the end of the night, the winners were revealed. Girls Varsity Softball took first place, with Boys Varsity LAX and Girls Flag Football taking the titles for 2nd and 3rd. Through many trials and tribulations, dance finds a way to bring people together. “They spend hours outside of their sports practice with each other practicing their dance, messing around, and just having fun,” Nash said.
