At 6 p.m. on a January weekday, it’s dark and cold outside, and most students have gone home, but the lights in the dance studio in Kovler Gymnasium remain lit. The rhythmic sound of stomping feet can be heard echoing from inside as members of U-High’s dance team practice for their upcoming regional competition.
Morale is high as senior Sonali Shaw and junior Cecilia “Ceci” Siegel lead the practice. At the end of the session the team forms a circle. The members put their left hands in the center and shout, “Three, two, one, go team!” before heading out into the night.
As dance team co-captains, Sonali and Ceci guide the group through strenuous practices, performances at U-High basketball games and competitions. Their precise movements and stylish flow, though, is derived from years of dance experience.
Sonali began in ballet at age 5 and has trained in numerous styles, including Bollywood, hip-hop, jazz and a classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam. Despite growing up with dance, she had to take a break from it during her sophomore year to focus on her studies.
“I missed dance. Joining the dance team was a really accessible and effective way for me to have dance in my life again,” Sonali said. “I was reminded why I did this for so many years. I actually do really like dancing.”
Similarly, Ceci began dancing at a young age and had been on a break before joining the dance team. She took ballet from age 3 to 12, and tango with her brother until she was 7. When she joined the team in ninth grade after a two-year break, she found that ballet taught her fundamental skills, but she began jazz and hip-hop classes to improve for competitions.
The dance team is split into a basketball performance team of around 25 students who dance and cheer during varsity boys and girls basketball games, and the competition team of around 10 students who compete in regional tournaments in hip-hop and pom, a dance style that incorporates elements from jazz and hip-hop.
“If somebody puts on music, there’s always gonna be somebody in the room that’s dancing, and that’s what makes dance so special to me,” Ceci said.
Sonali and Ceci lead both teams’ practices under the supervision of coach Nichole Magliocco. In January, the competition team meets Monday through Friday for two to three hours after school to prepare for competitions, using choreography they purchased from the Universal Dance Association, which they are able to alter.
“Ceci and I will be expected to really know the dance, so that if anyone has any questions or needs help they can come to either of us,” Sonali said, adding that the two sometimes customize the choreography based on team ability and competition feedback.
Ms. Magliocco has coached the basketball performance team for 10 seasons and launched the competition dance team in 2021. She supervises every practice, helps with training and chooses the co-captains.
“Sonali has shown a lot of growth. Last year, especially as a junior, I saw her working really hard to not only catch on to routines and perfect them herself, but she also worked with others to help them,” Ms. Magliocco said. “Ceci has a really great dynamic with the team. She can be silly, but she can also be like, ‘OK, we need to get this done.’”
According to Ms. Magliocco, Sonali and Ceci are especially good at communicating with each other. The two met on the dance team last year and have grown close ever since.
“I think we have a really good relationship as captains because we’re friends and also because we just agree on a lot of things,” Sonali said. “We have similar ideas for choreography, like how things should look or what we should change or how we should structure a practice, so that’s made things really easy.”
The competition team placed first in both pom and hip-hop at the season’s first regional meet. The team is now preparing for future competitions, in hopes of making it to state.
Although their practice sessions may be long and tiring, being together as a team and dancing to energizing music keeps their spirits high. According to Ceci, dance is so much more than their performances during games and competitions.
