Highsteppers Start to Prep for National Championships
The Huntington High School Highsteppers competitive dance team is gearing up for a run at the national championships at Hard Rock Live at Universal Orlando in Florida.
Coached by Paige Tyree and Jessica Harris, the Highsteppers are currently refining their performance. They are expected to participate in various Long Island competitions in the weeks leading up to the trip to the National Dance Alliance finals.
The Highsteppers are captained by seniors Elizabeth Corrao and Emily Sager and junior Holly LoTurco. Team members include Anna Brosoff, Ariella Danziger, Bethany Danziger, Brianna Ehlers, Carmela Gaetano, Melany Lanham-Ciancia, Magenta Lopez, Olivia Lopez, Meaghan McArthur, Kelsey Miller, Casey Moskowitz, Sofia Ornato, Christi Reinertsen, Jamie Spector and Emily Williams.
“After our annual trip to Adelphi University to participate in an NDA summer camp, we started having practices in August for football games,” Ms. LoTurco said. Since then we have been practicing Monday through Wednesday after school. Now that football season is over, and competition is quickly approaching, we have been increasing practice times and adding practices on Saturday mornings.”
Earlier this fall, the Huntington School Board members approved a request for the Highsteppers to travel to Florida for the national dance championships. The team will depart on Thursday, March 5 and return on Sunday, March 8. They will be accompanied by the two coaches and approximately five adult chaperones.
“I couldn’t be more excited to enter the competition season with our new team,” Ms. LoTurco said. “This year, in addition to the two new coaches we’ve gained, who have been more than considerate and devoted to our team, we’ve also had two sets of tryouts from which we added many more dedicated dancers.”
The Highsteppers performed during the high school pep rally in September, marched in the Homecoming Day parade and entertained crowds at halftime of varsity football games. The dance team is also expected to perform at halftime of some basketball games this winter.
“Our first competition is on January 11, which is one of the three regional competitions where many teams from all over Long Island will compete in various categories,” Ms. LoTurco said. “These will prepare us for NDA nationals. In the past two years, we have made it to the final round in the national competition. I do believe that with the dedication, compatibility, and hard work that our team has been putting in, we will be able to continue the trend.”
The Highsteppers will be wrapping holiday gifts near the center of the Walt Whitman Mall this month to raise money to fund the trip to Florida.