The Bryant High School varsity dance team completed another successful season under the tutelage of Laura Wooten, reaching the finals in Pom and Hip-Hop at the 2010 National competition in Orlando, Fla. That came after they captured the program’s seventh State Dance championship.
Members of the team include seniors Mackenzie Cole, Cara Prichard and Katy Mozisek; juniors Betsy Browning, Jennifer Bull, Paige Farnam, Katherine Kordsmeier, Mariah McElroy, Erin Moser, Lauren Penfield, Erica Reeves, Samantha Sanders, and Amy Whitt; and sophomores Callie Akers, Shelby Ellison, Morganne Gillespie, Brooke Kenney, Olivia Lovell and Aaryn Murdock.[more]
Prichard, Mozisek, Whitt, McElroy and Akers all earned UDA all-America awards. Farnam was named all-State. In addition, Cole and Prichard will be representing Bryant High School at the annual Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star games this summer as members of the East All-Star dance team.
“In March 2009, these 19 young women made the Bryant varsity dance team,” Wooten recalled. “They realized that they had been given an opportunity and they believed in themselves and each other and they began their quest to carry on the winning tradition of Bryant Dance. In June, they won first place at their summer camp against teams from Arkansas and Tennessee. In October, they competed at the Bryant and Benton Invitationals and won first place in all of the categories they entered, beating teams from all over the state.”
That was followed in November by the State title.
At Nationals in February, the team competed in the Large Varsity Pom division against 50 other teams from across the country. They advanced through the preliminary round then through the semifinals. In the finals, they placed 13th in the nation.In Hip-Hop, they competed against 34 other teams and reached the finals once more, taking 12th in the country.
“Not only are these young ladies amazing dancers but they have dedicated a lot of their time to community service,” Wooten noted. “As a team, they know that they are very blessed. They are the 2009 recipient of the American School Spirit Award and were finalist again this year for that same award. I congratulate them for an extremely successful year.”
ted
When did we change our schools colors to Black & White?
Laura Chandler
We are still officially blue and white but this is a competition costume and the black really made it POP! You won’t see the girls in black in a cheering capacity….costume only.
ted
Ohh, I thought they were representing Bryant High School? Who paid for the uniforms?
Laura Chandler
Ted,
They are costumes worn for a dance competition not uniforms worn to ballgames. Have you seen them dance at a ballgame? They wear various costumes in that capacity also.
The school did not pay for them, so your tax dollars are safe. The girls fund raised for every dime. You should see their collection of community service and their GPA’s! Or come to a football game, you would be impressed with their hard work and athletic talent!