The Brentwood High School Bruinettes dance team travelled to Orlando, FL last weekend to compete at the NDA National Championship Competition held at Universal’s Hard Rock Live.
The Bruinettes placed second in the nation in the extremely competitive Large Varsity Jazz division as well as receiving the Excellence in Technique Award.
Everyone saw the beautiful performance on stage, but what wasn’t seen were the four major dancer injuries going into the event, a fifth serious injury incurred after the first day of competition requiring alterations to the dance, as well as a reworking of the entire routine one hour prior to finals resulting from a senior dancer being sent by ambulance to the hospital due to a severe allergic reaction.
“Resilience is for sure the word of the weekend,” commented Coach Kirstin Hawk. “These girls took the punches thrown their way like a true team. With every single obstacle, we worked together, loved one another, smiled, carried each other (literally), made great memories, and danced amazingly.”
“I am so proud of how many challenges this team overcame this season,” said senior co-captain Molly Robinson. “We battled through illnesses, injuries and last minute ER visits and laid everything we had on the dance floor. We knew going into finals that we were going to have to pour our hearts and souls into the dance. We fought as a team and for that reason, 2nd truly feels like first.”
The team is coached by Lynzey Howell, Kirstin Hawk and Andrea Goble.
