By Kinsey Center
Staff Writer | The Pacific Times
The NP3 High dancers love their team and dancing with them, however online practice isn’t ideal for the team.
NP3 Dance team has been forced to practice online this school year and have not participated in any competitions due to the pandemic.
Naysa Cinquegrana is a sophomore and it is her second year on the dance team. “It’s like a big family and it’s even better since we all share the same values and passion,” Cinquegrana said.
The dancers wish they would be able to meet the new dancers in person. The dance team has 43 students out of that number 13 of them are new to the team this school year.
“I haven’t been able to get to know or connect with the new members,” Zain Mahmood, a junior, said.
The dancers find it hard to talk to the new dancers over a Zoom call. However some have tried reaching out to the new dancers to get to know them better.
“I do my best to reach out and talk to them, get to know them better when I have the chance. Even if it’s just small talk I do enjoy talking with and becoming closer with the new members,” Katelyn Dumag, a sophomore, said.
The dance team holds their online practices on Zoom. On Mondays they work on hip hop/military and on Tuesdays the focus is jazz/ballet. Overall the dance team has been practicing less than they did when they were in person. Also the dancers don’t have to go to all the practices.
“Only one practice (per week) is mandatory so we are able to pick and choose which one we attend each week. But it is better to go to both if we can,” Cinquegrana said.
The dance team also normally competes, but they might not be doing that for several reasons. The dancers typically start learning their new routines for competitions over summer break and were unable to do so this year. The dancers must learn several dances and then perfect the dances so they don’t have any mistakes.
The process takes a lot of time and is another reason why the NP3 team most likely won’t compete this school year. Competing at different schools would also violate the public health order which prohibit in-person competition of youth sports and gathering in large groups.
“It doesn’t seem likely that we’ll be competing this year because of (COVID-19) and since the competitions are such large events” Cinquegrana said.
The dancers said they prefer having dance practice in person.
“I prefer dance in person. There are a lot more cons than pros when it comes to online practices. Not only that but the feeling, the vibe just isn’t the same,” Dumag said. “In real life we have more interactions and it’s just overall so much fun so I prefer having practices in person.”
All dance team members understand why they can’t have their practices in person. With COVID-19 they know that it is better for them to all stay safe and they can’t wait to see each other once it is safe to practice in person again.
“I’d rather have practice in person, but I also want everyone to be safe. But we are hoping soon we can all get together in a safe manner,” said Amisha Singh, a junior.
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