Freshman Lydia Morey has been on her feet her whole life.

At the age of two, her parents put her into dance classes, leading to the beginning of her future and manifesting a love for the art ever since.

“I’ve had to sacrifice a lot of experiences with friends for dance,” Lydia said, “but I think it’s all worth it because [I] grew up in a very competitive environment, so that helps me in other areas of my life.”

Although her love for dance caused a slight change in her childhood and overall growing up, sticking with it has led to many positive outcomes such as the FHC Varsity Dance Team.

When Lydia started at such a young age, she would attend a studio to further enhance her skills, but now, alongside her studio, she has found a home in the dance team.

“[Going from studio to dance team] is not that big of a change,” Lydia said. “It’s [only] different [because] when you’re dancing [on dance team], you actually say words, and you talk while you dance, and it’s all about being synchronized, while with a studio, it’s not all about that.”

This shift in perspective may have caused some shock at first, but Lydia found a balance between the two versions of her sport.

Similar to her studio experiences, she has met a multitude of friends from the FHC Dance Team and cherishes the moments they spend together and the bonds they form.

“[My favorite part of dance] is probably my friends,” Lydia said. “I have a lot of friends that go to different schools that I dance with, but I think dance team is fun because we do dance team sleepovers and everything. I just think the community with the dance team is fun, and all the people are great to be with.”

Along with the companions her sport has given her over the years, Lydia has also found other aspects of dance that fill her heart with joy; no matter the genre or type of dance, Lydia uses dance as an outlet.

“[Dance] is more [of] a stress reliever for me,” Lydia said. “It’s something that I’m good at, [and] I don’t really worry about anything. It’s just fun because all of my really close friends are from dance.”

Her years of dance have led to a lot of hopes and dreams of pursuing it in the future, but she is still not entirely sure if that is what she wants to do right after high school. 

As she is only a freshman, Lydia has quite some time to think about her future and debate if she will continue her passions outside of a high school and studio setting.

“I hope [to pursue dance],” Lydia said. “It would be fun to be on a college dance team, but [it] depends; it would be fun to hang around a studio or do choreography when I’m older.”

As Lydia grows in her passion daily, she constantly is learning more and bettering her technique whether it’s in-studio dance or on the dance team.

When doing dance for almost 13 years, you would think one has all the knowledge one could, but Lydia takes advice and constructive criticism from her teammates to solidify her craft.

“[I think the team] has a big bond,” Lydia said, “[and] I’m honestly closer with some of the upperclassmen on my team; everyone is really close. I think it’s a close-knit environment because dance team is a sport where you are with everybody all the time; it’s not an individual sport. So, you’re close with everybody, and the upperclassmen are good at being good mentors, and you try to make sure the whole team is cohesive as well.”

Lydia’s positive mentality and connection with her team are what make her love for dance grow stronger every day. The healthy relationship between encouraging her teammates and also holding them accountable is what makes the dance team such a unique experience for Lydia.

“[My favorite part about dance team is] probably getting ready with the team,” Lydia said, “because we’re all in the locker room, and we have fun and play music really loud; it’s fun hyping each other up and having a good time with the team.”

The bond between Lydia and her teammates is like no other, and they support each other consistently to do what is best for the team.

Through her many years of dance, Lydia treasures the people she has met and the skills she has learned and will continue to do so in the coming years.

“[A] big [part] of dance team itself,” Lydia said, “[is that it’s] a different realm than a studio it’s similar, but it’s also very different; it’s making sure that you can give critiques to other people and making sure that the whole team is successful. You’re not an individual—you’re a part of] a whole team, and you have to make sure that everyone is doing well.”