St George’s athletic programs are certainly commendable and offer sports to suit the interests of most of its students. However, some of these scholars have elected to participate in more niche activities, like dance.
Sophomores Kendall LoCascio and Hayes Franklin and junior Kayli Webb have chosen to express themselves through dance, with all three agreeing that it is a significant time commitment.
“I will leave right after school and not get home until 9:30 pm,” LoCascio said.
This seems to be characteristic of many competitive dancers at St. George’s. Webb practices two to four hours on weekdays and three hours on Sunday evenings.
“I have to really manage my time and make sure I get all my work done in study halls and tutorials,” Franklin said.
Franklin has been dancing for four years, LoCascio for three years and Webb began when she was two years old.
“I can honestly say that I don’t know what my life is without dance,” Webb said. As her older sister was a competitive dancer, dance was a part of her life even before she started dancing herself.
“I will go practice for myself and then teach the younger kids choreography,” LoCascio said.
Since dance is not well-represented through St. George’s athletics, the girls opted to share some of their knowledge. Franklin defined a Développé, a move where the dominant leg is lifted up to the knee of the other leg and then extended outwards. This is intended to be held with perfect control. LoCascio, meanwhile, discussed the Plié move, in which the feet are placed together and the legs are bent outwards into a diamond shape.
“My greatest achievement in dance was winning a scholarship at a convention,” Franklin said. LoCascio said she was most proud of “performing a piece and winning a prize.”
“I also had the chance to meet a bunch of famous dance professionals,” LoCascio said.
“I was the talent winner for my title as Miss Shelby County’s Outstanding Teen, and I’ve placed in top five for many of my recent dance competitions,” said Webb. Webb was a finalist for the Mid-South Talent competition for several years, and she was also presented the Steven Boyd memorial scholarship at the Masquerade National Dance Competition.