Dance team begins competitive season at the Ft. Osage Classic Dance Team Competition | by MOLLIE POINTER

After 7 months of games and pep rallies, the STA dance team kicks off their competitive season with back to back success in their first two competitions. The team placed first in jazz,  second in hip hop at the Ft. Osage Classic Dance Team Competition Nov. 21 and then placed third in jazz, second in hip hop at The Yvonne Cole Lindbergh Invitational in St. Louis Saturday.
After hiring a choreographer, the team prepared their two routines for their upcoming season. senior captain Anna Gigliotti
They still have room to improve as far as needing to be cleaner and sharper with their motions,” Vose said. “They need to stay focused on their goals and continue working hard, together as a team.” ”
Starting with a smaller competition, the Ft. Osage Classic, both Gigliotti and head coach Savannah Vose felt it provided a small taste of what was later to come. The team only competed against six teams while in St. Louis, a more challenging competition, the team dance against a total of eleven teams.
“Small competitions are perfect to start the season off,” Vose said. “We also need to test out our routines and costumes to see what does and doesn’t work.  This competition was just as important as any of the others as it was a building block for our season.”
According to senior Riley Cowing, the practices and hard work are aimed at a goal that will symbolically hang in the Goppert Center for years to come, a State banner. The team has high hopes of their State Competition.
Gigliotti hopes to win a banner but knows there is still a lot of work to do before that dream can become reality.
“We really need to hit our turns,” Gigliotti said. “Majority of the team has them but there are still some that aren’t quite hitting them. I really think it’s holding us back.”
At the competition in St. Louis, Gigliotti felt the turns were part of why they placed lower in their jazz routine.
According to Cowing and Gigliotti, the team has a great chemistry and really works to their advantage. Vose agreed that the girls all work really well together and continuing to do so will further their success.
“I would hate to be on a team with girls I had a conflict with,” Gigliotti said. “We work so hard together and I love every single one of the girls on my team. I don’t tell them enough how much I appreciate them.”