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02/27/2016 11:00 PMYou never know what to expect from a team when half its roster is made up of newcomers. However, one thing you can always expect from the Branford dance team is that the Hornets will peak in the postseason each year and deliver some jaw-dropping performances to carry on their dynasty.
Branford took the floor for the State Championship at Hamden High School in Feb. 27, aiming to defend its crowns in the Small Varsity Division for both hip-hop and jazz. Even though several Branford dancers were new to the state’s biggest stage, they meshed with the veterans to produce a pair of crystal-clean routines that resulted in repeats for each genre. The Hornets scored a 266 in the hip-hop competition and defeated runners-up Stratford and Bacon Academy (who both had a 234.5) to win that championship for the ninth time in 10 seasons. For jazz, they totaled a 264 that bettered second-place Shelton’s 241.5 to capture that title for the fifth time in seven years.
“You can’t really ask for anything more. It’s definitely a proud moment. You work hard all season, but you just don’t know what the competition will bring that day, so every single time you perform, you have to earn it, and they did today with two of the best performances I’ve ever seen. It’s pretty great,” said Head Coach Jacqui Montano. “We’ve been able to maintain a level with our team. You never know how a team will change with seniors leaving and others coming in, but luckily, we’ve grown every year and that’s incredible.”
Branford’s state championship roster is comprised of seniors Tess Palluzzi, Michaela Gavigan, and Jessica Pantani; along with juniors Sophia Smith, Hailey LaBonte, and Lauren Driscoll; sophomores Melissa Brennan and Erica Klarman; plus freshmen Hannah Antonino, Jenna Juliano, Rachel LaBonte, Lily Milici, and Chloe Lourenco-Lang.
Palluzzi, who captains Branford alongside Pantani and Gavigan, says that one of the biggest factors behind the Hornets’ success is that they’ve formed concrete bonds with each other throughout the season.
“I think the thing that makes us so special this year is that we have a bond as a team. They’re all my best friends and that makes everything better. When I know I’m dancing with all my best friends, it makes me want to get through the routine for the person beside me,” Palluzzi says. “We’ve been with each other ever since the summer and we’ve all connected so well. We’re always upbeat and laughing when we’re together and we just absolutely all love each other.”
On Jan. 31, the Hornets competed at nationals in Florida and recorded their best all-time showing in the Hip-Hop Division by finishing in 10th place. Then the week before states, Branford was at a meet in Fairfield and took top honors for hip-hop and jazz. Branford brought that momentum to the state competition and began the day by performing its hip-hop routine that featured a Motown theme. Montano and fellow coach Megan Palluzzi came up that with theme because they felt the mixture of Motown songs and current hip-hop beats would get everyone’s attention. Apparently, the Hornets’ performance caught the attention of both the crowd and the judges.
“The hip-hop routine was the best we’ve ever seen. They executed all their skills and tricks almost flawlessly and the energy from the girls was really great throughout the entire dance,” said Montano, who’s in her fifth year with the program and fourth as head coach. “The crowd seemed to love the routine and we got a lot of compliments for both routines from other coaches and parents who told us they looked amazing and how much fun they were. We captured everyone’s attention and it’s awesome when you have so many people come up to you.”
For its jazz routine, which was also two minutes long, Branford performed to the song “Cryin’” by Aerosmith and Coach Montano praised her athletes for how they “exuded emotion” throughout the power ballad.
“Something we worked on all year in practice was making sure we find a connection to the song, tell a story, and make sure the audience feels a connection with that story to really get them and the judges into the emotion of the jazz routine with that song,” Montano said. “The jazz routine was right up there with the best we’ve seen. They hit all their skills, techniques, and turns, on top of the emotion, to give us another top performance of the season.”
Branford’s season will enter its next phase when the Hornets compete at the New England Championship in Braintree, Massachusetts on Saturday, March 5. Branford won the jazz title at regionals last winter and the claimed the hip-hop crown in each of the two preceding years. Senior captain Gavigan knows that Branford will be in the running for both championships at the New England meet, but she’s also happy about the fact that the Hornets’ success at states means their campaign will live on for another week.
“Last night, coach was saying she wants to make history. We did the best we’ve ever done at nationals, we just won both titles at states, and now our goal is to hopefully win at regionals,” Gavigan said. “But no matter what, we’re just really excited that we get to dance together one last time and have another week of practice. We just want to have a lot of fun next week, no matter what happens.”