WORCESTER—From attending camps to qualify, to fundraising with events such as a local celebrity fashion show, the Burncoat Dance Team has been busting some major moves to work its way to the National High School Dance Team Championship since returning from last year’s competition.
This year also marks a historic first for the team, which is bringing the Burncoat Pep Band along for the ride to compete in the newly created Game Day Live category. The category allows High School Spirit Programs to bring what they do on the sidelines to the competition floor, according to the Universal Dance Association website. Burncoat is the only team from the Northeast competing, according to Head Coach Kellie Shea.
The dance team will also be competing in the varsity jazz, varsity hip hop, and junior varsity pom.
The program is heading to Florida for the competition on Thursday and is still about $30,000 short of its $100,000 fundraising goal, according to Shea.
While the lack of funds won’t impact their ability to go, Shea said they will still owe that amount if they can’t pull it together before then.
In addition to a fashion show that featured city councilors, the mayor, and members of the school committee, the team has raised money with 50/50 raffles, concessions at games, sponsorships from parents and local businesses, and a GoFundMe page.
“You name it, we’ve done it,” Shea said.
The students are also responsible for contributing a certain amount, according to Shea.
The group going to Florida consists of 22 dance team members and 36 band members, some of whom have never been on an airplane, or even outside of Massachusetts, before this trip, said Shea.
Due to that, during the competition last year they tried to allow the students to experience as much as they could, which led to them going to all four Disney parks in one day, added Shea.
Shea has worked with the dance team for 20 years and took over the head coaching position ten years ago. The team had been competing locally in state and regional competitions, but about five years ago Shea said she decided it was time to get more exposure for the team, expand its reach, and pursue more opportunities.
The team has won seven state titles and a New England championship.
The dance team practices for two hours six days a week, three of those days with the band, and performs at every football and basketball game, Shea said.
The team has qualified for the national competition for the past four years, participating in every competition aside from during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the team made it to the semi-finals.
Making the semi-finals was incredible, Shea said. When the kids found out, they jumped up and down with excitement.
Shea explained that training for and participating in competitions helps the students learn how to stay positive when things get hard and pick themselves up when they face adversity.
They’re also able to form really close relationships after spending so much time practicing and performing together, Shea said.
The dance team has been working with the band for the past two years and when she saw the Game Day Live division compete last year, Shea realized it was the perfect opportunity to get the band students involved and grow the relationship between the two groups.
Adding the band was also a way to get more students involved.
“I think the whole experience itself is life-changing for the kids,” Shea said. “They get to see schools all over the country who have been doing this for years. I cannot wait to see the band and the dance team on stage for the first time together, it’s going to be pretty awesome.”
Kiernan Dunlop is an award-winning journalist who has spent the past five years reporting in Worcester, New Bedford, and Antigua and Barbuda. Her work has been published in Bloomberg, USA Today, Canary Media, MassLive, and the New Bedford Standard Times, among other outlets. She can be contacted at kdunlop@theworcesterguardian.org
