St. Amant Middle Dance Team places at competitions

     The St. Amant Middle School dance team attended the UDA Louisiana Dance Championship held at Southeastern Louisiana University on Jan. 10. The team competed against other middle schools from Louisiana in hip hop, jazz, pom and solos. Out of 12 soloists, Reagan Calvert won first, Aries Fournet placed third, Madelyn Thomassee took fourth and Gabbi Wolfe placed fifth. The team took home second in hip hop and jazz and fourth in pom against 12 other middle schools. 

     The following weekend, the team traveled to Lafayette for the American All Star Louisiana State Competition. Saturday consisted of solos, duets, ensembles and officers. Out of 26 soloists from all around Louisiana, Reagan Calvert placed second with her lyrical and third with her jazz. Aries Fournet placed fourth with her jazz, and all soloists scored higher than the previous weekend. The SAMS officers, consisting of Gabbi Wolfe, Haylee Hue, Aries Fournet, Madelyn Thomassee, Emma Hammond and Madison Smith, placed second. The ensemble, consisting of Gabbi Wolfe, Haylee Hue, Aries Fournet, Madelyn Thomassee, Emma Hammond, Madison Smith, Kaitlyn Smith, Kyleigh Hunter, Katie Collins and Ashlyn Vaughn, placed second. St. Amant Middle was represented by five duets. Aries Fournet and Madelyn Thomassee placed first in the duet division, Ashlyn Vaughn and Madison Smith placed second with their jazz duet and Rose Attuso and Emma Brown placed fifth with their routine. 

     There were 19 middle schools from all over Louisiana on Sunday. The day started with jazz, which placed second in Division III middle school, and also received a technique award. The team pom placed first and hip-hop placed second in Division III middle school. Both received a technique and choreography award. The St. Amant Middle School dance team won the coveted Sweepstakes Award, which was a result of having the highest average score of all 19 middle schools.  

     The team rounded out the season with a performance at a St. Amant High basketball game and one final performance at the Pelicans game on Feb. 1.

     Mrs. Bruno, along with the 18 SAMS dancers and their parents, would like to say thanks to Phyllis Part, for her costume help, Lacie Templet for her award winning choreography, all of the local dance studio teachers for solo and duet choreography, and the Ascension Parish community for all the fundraiser support.

     Tryouts for the 2015-2016 SAMS dance team will be held on March 15-16, 2016 for any fifth graders from Sorrento or St. Amant Primary and any sixth or sevent grader at St. Amant Middle.