Each year, the Blue Belles perform a phenomenal sequence of dances that show off the team’s hard work throughout the year. This year, the show’s theme, “Belles Just Wanna Have Fun,” brought female empowerment and highlighted the team’s skill through team dances, squad dances, and solos, as well as guest performances from the parents, cheerleaders, and choir.
The show begins with the Belle’s traditional senior presentation, in which all of the seniors announce their future plans and stand with their families before beginning their last performances. It marks a celebratory goodbye moment for the girls as they enter the beginning of the show that carries with it a large sense of finality.
“If I am honest, senior presentation was terrifying,” senior social officer, Kelly Newman, said, “with the audience staring at me and listening to my recording, I felt like I was giving a speech; however, I had my family beside me, and my team preparing me behind the curtain, making that moment special.”
Moving forward in the show, the very first dance was an exciting team opener which utilized light sticks and highlighted the skills of the kick club.
“My favorite dance was the first dance that I performed, which was the opener dance with the light sticks. It was really fun to perform,” sophomore, Grace Larvin, said, “it’s not scary to perform in front of the audience at all because I know that I have all of my best friends surrounding me. We’re all in this together.”
Following the first team dance, the team hosts a mix of solos and guest appearances along with each of the seven squads performing their own routines, covering different dimensions and angles regarding the show’s theme.
“I was in eight dances this year, and if I had to pick a favorite dance it would probably be my squad dance. It was so much fun to perform and my squad really got into it,” junior lieutenant, Avery Bullock, said.
The show concludes with the last dance, a classic tradition for the belles, and this year’s last dance was the final dance for all fourteen senior belles, as well as a handful of underclassmen.
“It marks the end of the year, and it’s always emotional knowing that you’ll never dance with some of those girls again. We get so close in Belles, and I’m always dancing “Last Dance” with tears on my face. It’s also very rewarding to know that we’ve made it through the year and it all pays off in those final moments,” Bullock said.
The conclusion of Spring Show marks the end of the 36th lines dances, and now the team will begin tryouts for leadership positions for the 37th line. With the year coming to a close, these girls are reminiscing the past year and preparing for the years ahead.
“It’s really exciting to finish my first year as a Belle. I can’t wait for the next two years as a Blue Belle. It’s such a blessing to be a part of the team. The best part of the entire experience was knowing it was the last time that I would perform with the seniors, my squad (whoop squad 5), and all of the 36th line. It just made me want to dance my heart out and enjoy the moment,” Larvin said.
Senior belles have danced their final dances, and, while there will be a part of them that misses belles, all will have exciting journeys in the fall as they transition from line members to forever belles.
“Now that my time on Belles is over, my life will change in many ways,” Newman said, “The main change is finding a new activity to put my time into like a college business club. My career of dancing has come to a close, and I am excited to start my journey into college.”