The P-CEP Varsity Dance Team secured the first-ever national championship in the category of small varsity jazz with a team competing with 11 or fewer members, while the P-CEP Junior Varsity team took fifth place in junior varsity jazz performances.
Kendal Best, Salem senior varsity team member, credits its win to the team’s creativity. “Our outside-the-box thinking when it comes to transitions or approaching different types of movement and the quality. But definitely our skills and transitions.”
The prize-winning jazz choreography performed by the dance team was created by Texas-based Mary Levoir. Salem senior and P-CEP Varsity Dance Team captain Presley Albrecht choreographed the hip-hop routine—just one of the extensive responsibilities of team captain.
“I have to make sure everybody knows what they’re wearing and where they have to be,” Albrecht added. “I put everyone in the right mindset before we start dancing just so that we have good practice.”
Albrecht said she’ll always remember the experience, but one moment stands out the most: “Right before we went onstage for finals, we sat down in a circle and listened to our music. Then, we stood up and prayed together. Everyone was very calm and ready to go. We went on stage and did it as we would in practice.”
In addition to practice, the team plans fundraisers ranging from car washes and golf outings to kids’ clinics to cover field expenses, costumes, materials, and dance equipment. The funds allowed the team to fund the trip to Orlando, Florida, where the DTU Nationals took place.
The P-CEP Dance Team represents all three schools across all four grades, with the season spanning from before the school year begins until the middle of February. Most of the year, Friday afternoons and weekends are booked for practice all in preparation for competitions and nationals. Many team members practice at different dance studios, but all come together for the school team.
“Their love for each other and dance compelled them to push so hard,” wrote coaches Maria Lloyd-Cytacki and Elisa Sutherland in an email. “All the way to the finish line, [they] became a team in every way.
