The gym echoes with screaming fans as the buzzer beeps for halftime. Freshman Lucy Liston and the rest of the dance team spirit onto the court. Hands on their hips and heads down as the music booms from the speakers. 

The 2021-22 season was Liston’s first season on the Miege dance team. Even though this was her first time on the field it was nowhere close to her first time performing. 

“I have done ballet and tap off and on for four years,” Liston said. “I’ve also tried hip-hop and belly dancing.”

According to Liston, dance is Liston’s favorite sport and her passion was originally rooted from her friends’ love for dance and the liveliness they feel while on the dance floor.

“My friends influenced me to join because they would constantly tell me about how fun it is and they motivated me to join over and over until I did,” Liston said. 

Being a part of the team has given Liston the opportunity to be a part of a “family” in the Miege community, outside of academics, and brings fun into the practices Liston said. 

“Having my friends in dance makes it more lively and it’s people I can talk to and have fun with while still practicing,” Liston said.

On top of the other dancers being supportive of each other, Liston said she believes that the students, facility and parents of Miege help to boost her performance and mindset. The crowd can change how the team dances and how they feel about the team.

“I’ve noticed that when the audience is more energetic and bursting at the seams, we become more energetic and more confident,” Liston said. “It makes it seem more important, not just like a practice time.” 

Due to the energy that Liston loves, her favorite dances to perform are “upbeat hip-hop-ish” dances, like “Just Got Paid,” which the team performed during boy’s basketball and during football halftimes. 

“‘Just Got Paid’ is my favorite dance,” Liston said. “I know it the best and every time we perform it we always have fun and it’s so lively for everyone.” 

According to Liston, the element of liveliness while performing is what keeps the team going, but even off the floor the girls work as a team. Liston and the other girls on the team rely on each other and stay connected throughout the season. 

“Being on the team is like being one big family,” Liston said.  “Everyone is there for each other, even during the hard times, and they always pull through for one another.”