Butterflies tumble and flutter in her stomach as she leaps into the spotlight. Her hands are steady, each count echoing in her mind. Her face doesn’t show any of this, plastered with a smile. She’s run this hundreds of times, each pirouette exuding the patience that is pitched into the work. She finishes her solo, the thrill of the performance still imprinted in her soul. 

For the Silver Stars, each performance lingers with the same energy of their first. Last week the Silver Stars and Star Dancers took to the stage to compete at Johnson High School. The dancers competed in various categories such as Hip-Hop, Contemporary and Kick. 

“Going into contest, we were feeling a bit nervous about a few parts of our dances,” senior and Star Dancer Emily Williams said. “but overall really excited and confident that we could do really well.”

Nerves were a common feeling for both Junior Varsity and Silver Stars. The two groups were there from the early hours of the morning to late into the evening.

“I did a solo,” junior and Silver Star Caitlin Sauceda said. “It was pretty fun, though a little scary.” 

This was not only a big day for the dancers present, it was also historic for Bowie Star Dancers. This was the first time that Junior Varsity has ever won the overall grand champ JV team.

“When they announced that we had won overall grand champion JV team, it was so unreal,” Williams said. “Hearing that and watching one of our seniors receive the award was super special.” 

At Johnson High, both teams were successful in their competitions, with some of the most notable awards for the Silver Stars being XL Team Champion in Team Kick and the Officers taking home Champion in Contemporary, Jazz and Modern. The JV team walked away with the JV Champion in Jazz, Pom and Novelty. 

 “We had some pretty good runs,” Sauceda said. “I don’t think anyone really messed up like too big during the dances. I think they were pretty solid runs.”

Assenison Hill Country Challenge Results:

Silver Star Team Awards:

Judges Award

Challenge Elite

XL Team Champion in Team Kick

XL Team 1st Runner up in Team Jazz

XL Team 1st Runner up in Team Lyrical

Overall winner in Team Kick

1st Runner Up XL Team

Runner Up Overall Grand Champion Team

Officers Awards:

Judges Award

Challenge Elite

Officer Contemporary Champion

Officer Jazz Champion

Officer Modern Champion

High Point Award in Officer Contemporary

High Point Award in Officer Jazz

High Point Award in Officer Modern

“Judges Choice” Award in Officer Contemporary

Apex High Point in Officer Contemporary

1st Runner up in Grand Champion Officers

Runner Up Overall Grand Champion Officers

JV Star Dancers Awards:

Judges Award

Challenge Elite

Award of Academic Excellence

JV Large Team Champion in Team Jazz

JV Large Team Champion in Team Novelty

JV Large Team Champion in Team Pom

JV 2nd Place Overall in Team Jazz

JV Overall Winner in Team Pom

“Judges Choice” Award in Team Pom

Grand Champion JV Large Team

Apex High Point in Team Pom

Overall Grand Champion JV Team

Ensemble Awards:

Olivia Cassidy and Sydney Cabello- Duet Winner

Shay Gist, Olivia Cassidy and McKenna Mulig- Trio Winner

Spirit Leaders- Small Ensemble Winner

Jazz Company- Medium Ensemble 2nd place

Hip Hop Company- Large Ensemble 3rd place

Kayla Buentello and Natalie Frey- 3rd place duet

Brady Benaway and Selena Magallanez- 5th place duet

Seniors- Large Ensemble 5th place

Kyndall Taylor and Laura Vandervennet- 6th place duet

Amorie Erichsen and McKenna Mulig- 6th place duet

Genevieve Downing and Jordyn Bujanos- 8th place duet

Solo Awards:

Maya Salinas- 9th Grade Solo Winner

Hailey Menell- 9th Grade Second Place

Genevieve Downing- 9th Grade Third Place

Kayla Buentello- 9th Grade Fifth Place

Emily Saucedo- 9th Grade Sixth Place

Chloe Chahda- 9th Grade Sixth Place

Neha Raghunathan- 9th Grade Seventh Pace

Nya Loo- 10th Grade 7th Place

McKenna Mulig- 10th Grade 9th Place

Sydney Cabello- 11th Grade 2nd Place

Olivia Cassidy- 11th Grade 4th Place

Abby Paz- 11th Grade 7th Place