Walt Disney World houses many memories for children and adults alike. The magical energy distributed throughout the property brings tourists a sense of positivity and perfection when there. For dancers, it is a haven, providing them a stage to pour their heart and soul on the Marley floor.

“Stepping onto the castle stage is such a nerve-wracking but also a surreal feeling,” varsity dance team member Abby Heck said. “I was taking in every second on that stage, as it was the last time I would ever be performing at nationals. It feels amazing to know as a team we earned our spot to dance there.”

Once every year at the Walt Disney World Resort, thousands of dance teams from around the country compete to win in three categories: jazz, pom and hip-hop, according to varsity.com.

“We have small competitions to prepare for this one, but the ultimate goal is nationals,” Heck said. “We practice almost every day since we get our dances in fall to go to nationals in February. We want to put our best possible routine on the floor.”

Each category has its own style. Hip-Hop, being set for hip-hop style dances, often contain popping, locking and breaking of the body. Pom, being centered around the style of using pom poms while dancing. These routines often have large turn sequences, jumps and school spirit. Jazz, however, is a bit different. In regional competitions through studio dance jazz would be defined as upbeat or containing sass and pizazz. The jazz category at UDA encapsulates contemporary, lyrical and jazz styles. The schools themselves pick which spin they want to take on it, according to varsity.com.

“West is known for being a ‘hip-hop school,’ and we always do well in the category,” Heck said. “It is my favorite style to dance. It’s so fun to compete, and we had a really cool concept this year to show off with the Wild West.”

The varsity dance team made it to the finals in both hip-hop and jazz but did not place. The junior varsity team also hit the finals stage with their jazz and hip hop dances, however they also did not place.