The talent located around Cardinal Gibbons is inestimable. From sports to music to academics, all of these areas demonstrate tremendous discipline and willpower to pursue and master techniques. Dance plays a central role in the performing arts section of Cardinal Gibbons High School, promoting an art form of personal expression and dedication.
Recently, our dance team was featured in the Gibbons newsletter. After the conclusion of a great home camp and a successful routine, the team has earned a spot in the NDA (National Dance Alliance) National Championship. They also picked up the Achievement Award and Herkie Teamwork Award along the way. The Crusaders had a number of individual winners, with three Technique Awards, three Spirit Awards, and four Showmanship Awards. In addition, three of the dancers obtained a spot on the All-American Team.
The NDA National Championship will take place on March 8-10 of 2024 in Orlando, Florida. It consists of several different categories, such as game day, hip hop, jazz, kick, pom, and team performance. Furthermore, the categories are broken up by school size, with small, medium, and large.
The Gibbons dance team has attended this national competition several times before, so they are well acquainted with the logistics of the events. In 2022, the team was third in the Medium Varsity Team Performance category on the first day, and they ended in sixth on the second day of competition. They were also 30th in Medium Pom on the first day at nationals. The dance team competed at NDA in 2021 as well, finishing eleventh overall in Medium Pom finals.
This team, full of talent, is led by head coach, Nikki Wadia, and assistant coach, Emma Vadney. There are nine seniors, making up over a third of the 21 members. The dancers from the class of 2024 consist of Cameron Bliss, Gianna Buff, Isabella Caravello, Elizabeth Charland, Ava Deguzman, Ava Grivalski, Giulia Morelli, Emma Ward, and Makenna Wynia. With the majority of the team being upperclassmen, these dancers are experienced and will be a force to be reckoned with when nationals roll around.
However, the talent not only stems from the dance team, but from dance classes too. Gibbons offers a variety of different levels of classes, from beginner to advanced. This fine art elective gives a fast-paced, interactive course, and it intrigues students from all different grades and levels of expertise. Being one of the most popular fine arts choices at the school, the classes work hard to perfect routines. For hours every week, these students put in time and effort to learn difficult skills and perform their very best. Their talents will soon be put on display at their fall show, in which students dedicate the full week before the show to only going to dance practice after school.
The dance classes will put on a Fall Dance Concert on Friday, November 10th at 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are first come, first serve and go on sale on Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. In addition, there will be a “Student Choreography Showcase” on Wednesday, November 15th from 7-8:30 p.m. These showcases normally contain a diverse array of different dances. Come out to show support for these devoted artists and students!
