Starlettes Ranked 7th Nationally

STA's Starlettes Dance Team recently returned from Orlando, FL where they competed in the Universal Dance Association’s National Dance Team Competition. The Starlettes competed against more than 120 small varsity teams from across the country who qualified to compete at the NDTC. They received an automatic bye to finals in their Hip Hop preliminary group and also advanced to Small Varsity Jazz semi-finals, finishing the weekend with a seventh-place national trophy in the Small Varsity Hip Hop category. 

Starlettes coach Katie Robinson commented, “I am so proud of this team.  These girls overcame an inordinate number of injuries this year and still ranked in the Top Ten in the Nation.  STA competes against schools that are triple our size, and we are right there with them on a national level. That says a lot about the commitment and the perseverance of this team.”  

Senior Dani Schillace added, “I cannot believe my four years are over. The Starlettes have a tradition of excellence on the dance floor. You just can’t imagine the feeling when you are walking down the halls and people from all over the country stop you and say ‘Wow!  STA – you guys are amazing!’”

“The Starlettes dance team is a huge success story: not only at STA, but for the City of Hammond, the Diocese of Baton Rouge, and our entire community,” said Principal Jose Becerra. “They have consistently been finalists in the Small Varsity Hip Hop division for many years and traditionally place in the Top Ten.  We are very proud of these ladies.  It takes tremendous dedication and talent to have a consistently successful program like the Starlettes do.  Their alumnae have gone on to dance in college, for the Saintsations, and across the world professionally because of the foundation of being on a high school dance team of this caliber!”

UDA is the largest dance company in the world, training more than 30,000 dancers each summer in over 600 camp sessions across the country.  UDA hosts more than 30 regional competitions each year for high school, college, and all star teams. The National Dance Team Championship is the only national championship endorsed by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). The event is broadcast on ESPN2 and reaches more than 100 million homes each year. 

PHOTO ID:

The STA Starlettes placed 7th in the nation at the recent National Dance Team Championships in Orlando.  Pictured are (bottom, l-r) seniors Bailey Barringer, Dani Schillace, Lauren Daniel, and Jenna Bergeron; (middle row, l-r) juniors Sydney St. Pierre, Isabella Perrilloux, and Skylar Compton; and (top row, l-r) sophomores Emily Owens, Haileigh Bolton, Chloe Chauvin, and Cailin Sampey.