The UHS Dance team was judged at the Florida Dance Performance Assessment, where they achieved the prestigious title of overall Superiors. This was an improvement from last year’s score with overall Excellents. They were awarded in several categories including Technical Proficiency, Ensemble Performance, and Movement Acquisition.

 The purpose of the FDP is to assess the team’s ability and highlight potential areas of improvement in their performance. “They want to see growth, they have teachers at the FDP that tell us where we went wrong and share how we can improve our techniques,” said senior Yanique Edwards.

 Training together as a team and physically preparing isn’t the only way the team brings scores and spirits up. “We usually rehearse in the studio, but beforehand we give pep talks, stretch together, warm up together, and just get in that mindset,” said senior Sonia Cotte.

 The events are on different levels from county to state, but dance teams commute from all over Florida to perform at the FDPA to get adjudicated with their techniques. “I’m so incredibly proud, it just goes to show that each year we get feedback from these events. I tell my dancers that the work never stops but continues to grow, it helps us to build and improve,” stated Dance Coach Elise Mele.