On Dec. 15, the McLean Dance Team traveled to Oakton High School for the Universal Dance Association Regional DC Dance Challenge. They performed both a hip hop and a pom routine, placing 4th and 2nd respectively.

“It was our first competition of the season,” junior dancer Sara Ridjanovic said. “We were all excited to perform our routines and see other schools perform as well.”

Both dances were upbeat and confident, symbolic of the hard work that went into choreographing and perfecting the performances. The girls dance in sync with each other and the music, creating a unified image.

“During the practices leading up to the competition, we are focused on cleaning the routines and practicing them a lot in order to be well-prepared,” Ridjanovic said.

Each genre of dance featured a different costume. During hip hop, the dancers wore red cargo pants, white tank tops and a sheer black shrug, resulting in an edgier look. During pom, they wore black and red dresses with McLean printed on them. Being able to dress up and perform with the team was a highlight of the day.

“The experience was really fun,” Ridjanovic said. “It’s nice to spend time with the team outside of school and hype each other up before each performance.”

Being the first competition of the year, tensions were high. Overall, however, the competition proved to be a rewarding event.

“It was very different because I’ve never done a high school competition before,” freshman dancer Emma Eklund said. “But it was really cool to see all the other high schools.”