The High Hats took the floor in front of a full house Aug. 27 in the Old Sandra Meadows Arena showcasing their dances learned over the summer.  Senior captain Dawn Burch said the performance went well and that the team was well prepared for the show thanks to their leader Kristi Beaty.

“Every practice gave us more and more energy to prepare for the final show,” Burch said. “What the practices did not  prepare me for that audience because I was not ready for that.”

With struggles the team  has faced in the past, senior captain Samantha Beaty is ecstatic about growing relationships within this year’s team.

“Our team has a really good bond and connection and I hope that that remains throughout the year,” Beaty said. “This is my last one so I just wanted to enjoy it while I still have time left.”

Junior captain, Daijah Dupree said her favorite dance was the Humble and Kind because of the message presented in the music. 

“During the lyrical I could just feel the emotion of the dance and the breaths we had to take while we danced,” Dupree said. “I felt everyone breathing next to me and I could just feel all the happiness that we have inside of us.”

High Hat director Kristi Beaty believes the girls will benefit from the performance in multiple ways.

“I  think they will get a lot more confidence in performing because it’s one of our first big performances,” Mrs. Beaty said. “We had a big crowd here and they did really really good.”

With the team facing exhaustion, physically and mentally, they stuck together and were stronger than ever for Saturday’s performance.

“Teamwork makes the dream work,” Mrs. Beaty said. “You can’t be separate you have to be one. If you have that you’re going to have a great performance.”

Having worked hard to prepare for the night the High Hats will continue to working on improving on every performance.

“We never stop learning, we never stop growing,” Beaty said.

With a dance routine to “Humble and Kind” the girls and crowd finished the night as a whole team.

“I think it’ll go better than last year. The girls this year are more energetic and they’re ready for the state year,” Burch said.

Mrs. Beaty admits she is looking forward to yet another year as the High Hats now prepare for their routine with the Band at State later.

“I’ve been doing this for 27 years and people don’t keep doing the same thing for 27 years if they don’t love what they do,” Mrs. Beaty said.  “I love what I do.”