It’s been four years since the BSM Dance team won at state championships – which may not seem that long to most, but for the BSM Dance team it’s no short amount of time. 

To put it into context, the last time BSM Dance Team captain Emily Zagaros experienced a win was in eighth grade, and only one other person on the team remembers winning. “Me and LoLo were the only people on the team that was [sic] on the team this year last time we won. So that was in — when we were in 8th grade. So it doesn’t seem like a long time, but like, this is the first time I was in high school and I won. So I thought it was cool that LoLo and I were the only two people that had actually even really experienced winning,” Zagaros said.

Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, crowd sizes were severely limited and the team performed at Edina High School as opposed to Target Center, the normal venue. “I’m so grateful that we got to be back. Obviously Edina was fun, but we were very limited with spectators so it was literally each person had just their parents. None of our friends could come, my grandparents couldn’t be there, and you’re kind of just dancing for your family which is fun because obviously they all want you to succeed but other people seeing your dances is also really fun, so I’m really happy we’re back at the target center,” Zagaros said.

For Zagaros, practice wasn’t any more difficult than usual and the lifting of some COVID-19 restrictions was welcome. “I wouldn’t say more difficult, I think we were all just really happy to not have to wear masks. Last year we didn’t really know how hard it was until we got to finally take our masks off this year. Because a lot of dancing is being able to smile,” Zagaros said.

The fact that the BSM dance team managed to place in kick this year came as a welcome surprise to the team. “Seventh grade we got sixth, then we got fifth, then we got fourth, then we got fifth again, and then we got fifth again last year. We just kept saying this is our year, this is our year, and then this year they told us … we knew we were going into state in a pretty good place, like score-wise, I didn’t know it was that good, as in like we were in first after semi-finals and then we got second. I didn’t even really think we were going to get second,” Zagaros said.

For BSM Dance Team member Lauren Adams, it was her first year on the team and for her, all the hard work was worth it. “It was definitely a lot of time and hard work to put in, but it all paid off in the end. It was a lot of time in the gym spent practicing but it was super fun being surrounded by our teammates,” Adams said.

Adams was surprised this season by how the community of the dance team came together. “I was kind of, just, pleasantly surprised by how close everyone came and how many friendships were made on the team,” Adams said.

Going forward, there is a feeling that Kick is another viable category to place in. “The fact that we got second, I thought it was so cool. We’ve never done that, we’ve never really even known that we could do that. So I think that just sets a really good precedent for the years to come, like we can place in kick, not just jazz,” Zagaros said.