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03/29/2018 12:00 AMMelissa Brennan loves the exhilaration that she gets from performing in front of a crowd as a competitive dancer. The music, the costumes, the roar from the audience—they’re all a part of why Melissa is so passionate about the sport. As the years have gone on, the stages have continuously grown bigger for Melissa, and she’s shined time after time while performing alongside her fellow Branford dancers.
Melissa joined her first dance studio when she was three, started dancing competitively at Walsh Intermediate School, and then helped the Branford High School dance team take its dynasty to the next plateau. The Hornets claimed state championships in both the Hip-Hop and Jazz divisions during all four of Melissa’s seasons, in addition to winning three jazz titles and a pair of hip-hop crowns at the New England Regional Championship.
“I’ve always loved music, moving to the beats, and being in dance class. It was a way for me to have fun when I was a kid, and I just fell in love with it, and decided that I wanted to take it to the next level when I made the middle-school team,” says Melissa, who was a senior captain for the Hornets this year. “Now that I’m older, I love entertaining people when I’m on stage. When I made the competition team at Walsh, I started to understand that I could make other people happy by performing.”
Melissa’s career as a competitive dancer got out to a bit of a rocky start as she didn’t make the cut for the Walsh team in her 5th- and 6th-grade years. Consequently, Melissa started putting in extra time with her studio instructors to improve her jazz technique, took gymnastics classes to develop her skills in hip-hop, and had a lot more confidence when she tried out for 7th grade. Melissa wound up earning her spot on the squad, an achievement that she calls “a dream come true.”
“I developed my technique by leaps and bounds in a short amount of time,” Melissa says. “It was extremely rewarding to know that all that time I put in was working, and that I was getting closer to becoming the dancer I wanted to be.”
Melissa, who had previously performed at recitals with her studios, got her first taste of the electric atmosphere at competitions as a member of the team at Walsh. She was nervous the first few times she stepped on the floor, but it didn’t take long for Melissa to start relishing the rush of the spotlight. Melissa helped Walsh finish second in the Kick Division at the National Championship in 7th grade, after which the team took third place the following year. Melissa says that competing for Walsh gave her the tools she needed to succeed in high school.
“My middle-school coaches taught me what it takes to be a competitive dancer. They prepared me with the physical side with the conditioning and stamina, and also the mental side with learning how to be part of a team that was working toward one goal,” Melissa says. “I’m grateful that my first two years as part of a dance team were so memorable. It taught me so much and gave me a foundation for what I had to do at that new level.”
After graduating from Walsh, Melissa tried out for the team at Branford High School, and there was no getting cut this time around, because she made roster as a freshman. Melissa was joining a program that had already won multiple state titles, but was also coming off a campaign in which it came up short of that goal at the State Championship. However, Branford took first place in both the Hip-Hop and Jazz divisions in Melissa’s freshman year, setting a trend that would see the Hornets repeat that feat in each of her subsequent seasons. Melissa is the only athlete in program history to win two state titles in all four years as a member of the Hornets.
“When we came out with the double titles, I remember how excited the seniors and coaches were, and just the excitement and pride of making your town proud, your coaches proud, and your parents proud,” says Melissa. “That was something I will never forget. Winning a state title, having everyone cheer for you, and seeing everyone happy—it was so exciting.”
Melissa endured some setbacks during the next two seasons. She wasn’t able to compete at states or New Englands as a sophomore due to a herniated disk in her back, and the injury also prevented Melissa from performing in the Hornets’ hip-hop routine in her junior season.
The good news was that, as a result of taking some time off from doing hip-hop, Melissa had built up the necessary strength to compete in both genres for her senior year. The season turned into a spectacular sendoff for Melissa, who helped Branford finish first in hip-hop and jazz for the fourth straight year at states, and then capped her career by guiding the Hornets to the jazz title at the New England Championship in her final performance with the team.
“As I was standing there waiting for the music to start, I couldn’t believe that it was my last time, but I was so excited to give my best. We all put out our best that day, and that’s all I could have asked for in my last competition,” says Melissa, who also helped Branford post its all-time best finish for hip-hop at the National Championship with a sixth-place performance this winter. “It was extremely special to me for us to be recognized with a championship in one dance and a silver medal in the other in my last time out on the floor.”
While she’s been experiencing all of this success, Melissa has done so while dealing with a serious medical issue. In 2013, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder that produces high blood sugar levels and results in the destruction of the cells the produce insulin in the pancreas. Melissa has to take insulin every day, while constantly monitoring her blood sugar levels, and that can be especially tricky during a competition. Still, Melissa refused to let having diabetes prevent her from doing what she loves.
“I think that overcoming diabetes to accomplish everything I have has proved to me that anything is possible, and it’s allowed me to become a stronger person,” she says. “I’ve had this hardship in my life, but I never let it stop me from doing what I wanted to do as part of this team.”
Hornets’ Head Coach Jacqui Montano calls Melissa “one of the most dedicated dancers to come through our program.” Montano praises Melissa for the dedication that she’s displayed to the team, while fighting through a significant personal battle.
“Having diabetes affects everything that Melissa does in her life, and you have to be incredibly strong to not let that get you down. Competitions are long days, and it was inspiring to see how hard Melissa worked to make sure that she could dance on those days,” Montano says. “In her four years, Melissa never had to sit out at the last minute. Melissa always made sure that she took care of herself, because she wanted to be out there with her teammates.”
Fellow coach Megan Palluzzi echoes Montano’s sentiments and says that Melissa’s commitment to Branford’s success made her an ideal captain as the team’s lone senior this season.
“Melissa works just as hard in the offseason as she does during the season and, as a captain, she took it to the next level by doing everything she could to make this our most successful season yet to add to the team’s legacy,” says Palluzzi. “Melissa doesn’t just think about herself. She thinks about her teammates with every decision.”
As she reflects upon her career as a dancer in Branford, Melissa thanks her teammates and coaches for always being by her side throughout a remarkable run. There have been happy moments, some sad moments, and, of course, a hefty helping of championships for Melissa and the Hornets throughout these past few years.
“I put in all this hard work, because I loved what I did, and I loved the people that I did it with,” Melissa says. “We’re more like sisters than friends, and our coaches are part of that sisterhood in this family we have. We’re successful on the floor, because we’re united off the floor.”