Suspense was bubbling in the air, every audience member sitting on the edge of their seat, ready to be blown away. What were they so ready to be amazed by? one may ask. They were about to see Mepham High School’s fiercest dancers engage in a battle of dances. The eight groups were all prepared to win the famed So They Think They Can Dance.
For the last 11 years, the annual So They Think They Can Dance has been a fundraising event for Mepham’s kickline team. This year’s event was hosted by Mepham alumni and very own teacher, Mr. Augugliaro. The show kicked off with a stellar performance by the kickline team to hype up the crowd. Right after was an introduction of the hosts, which led to many laughs…mostly because John Alberti and Mr. Augugliaro appeared in the matching outfits from Step Brothers! Both John and Mr. Augugliaro brought their best jokes and hosting skills to make the night even more entertaining.
Apart from the competition, a very special group performed at the event. Dancing Dreams is a dance group for children with disabilities that cause them to be unable to take traditional dance classes. Every dancer in Dancing Dreams seemed to have so much fun and everyone was lucky to see them.
Before each performance, a behind the scenes video was shown, where audience members would get to see the team’s preparation for the event and how the groups came together. They were filled to the brim with laughs, and more often than not, elicited many giggles from the crowd too. Each group had one, and some might dare to say that each video was funnier than the last! Although some teams had the most outrageous dance moves (football players forming a kickline?), everyone gave it their all and kept their energy high throughout the night. There were four dance categories; jazz, hip hop, team performance and pom. All categories had two teams in them, which led to a very tough competition.
In the end, the ultimate victory was won by Life’s a Drag! Their group had everything they needed to win; humor, puns, and in-sync choreography. Upon being asked what her favorite part of being in this group was, Gabby Daza said, “[I loved] how hardcore my team was and they were just down for anything, like the boys wore fishnets and wigs and there were no complaints. We all became like a family, so that is my favorite part of this night every year.” Life’s a Drag was a phenomenal group that the crowd absolutely adored. But, we can’t forget all the other teams! The other category winners were…The LAB (team performance), Icey Waters (jazz), Life’s a Drag (hip hop) and Team Shmoney (pom). All of the dancers did amazing and the judges had a very difficult job when choosing the winners.
Altogether, it was an extremely fun night that was filled with incredible dance moves and even more incredible people. Everyone had a blast, from the audience to the performers, and this event continues to be one of Mepham’s best.