Red Rhythm danced their way to the a state grand championship on Saturday, securing not only the championship itself but over thirteen other awards, both as individual dancers and as a team.
“They did outstanding,” Red Rhythm assistant director Sydney Mooty said. “Our officers and team both ranked first in our division. We had soloists go as well, Mason Classe and Neta Evan also placed. And then our ensemble placed first in jazz. Overall, it was an amazing weekend. They had great teamwork and worked together all weekend, very proud of them.”
Saturday’s contest wasn’t the first time Red Rhythm competed this season; the state grand champions had competed at the Independence Crowd Pleasers Contest on Feb. 22 before competing at the DFW State Finale hosted by Danceline USA on Mar. 1.
“For contest, we learned the dances in the beginning of the year and then we tried out for them after football season,” line member, sophomore Charita Degulapet said. “Once we finished tryouts, we had many morning and afterschool practices to clean [up] our dances and make sure they were contest ready.”
Contest season isn’t the last song that Red Rhythm will be dancing to this semester. Instead, the team is gearing up for their spring showcase where they get to show off their hard work to their fellow Redhawks and families.
“We’re preparing our annual spring show where we showcase all our contest dances and dance class dances,” Degulapet said.
For first lieutenant, senior Sheen Saxena, the best part of the contest was getting to see all the growth in the team and placing really high.
“Overall, it went really well,” Saxena said. “We got overall Grand Champions in our competition, which means we placed the highest in our division and overall with all the teams we were there with. And it was really rewarding to be able to grow from our last competition, as well as have a lot of personal dances place.”
But for Degulapet, the best part of contest wasn’t necessarily the awards; instead, it was the time with her teammates that stood out to her the most.
“My favorite part was hanging out with my friends during breaks and getting ready with them,” Degulapet said.
Honors earned by Red Rhythm on Saturday:
- State Grand Champs Officer & Team
- Highest GPA Award
- First Place Duet: Mason Classe & Callie Kaiser
- 1st Place: Jazz Ensemble
- 3rd Place Soloist: Neta Even
- 2nd Place Soloist: Mason Classe
- Solo Finalist: Sheen Saxena
- Platinum Sweepstakes: Officer & Team
- Anita Jefferson Award: Mason Classe
- Overall Best In Category: Officer Contemporary, Team Hip Hop, Team Military, and 2nd Place Team Pom
- Outstanding Precision Award
- DanceLine Gold: Officer Contemporary & Team Hip Hop
- Ring of Champions: 2nd place Officer & Team
- All Team & Officer dances won Best In Category
![Redhawks in Red Rhythm won Military as their highest scoring dance and Hip Hop as their second at their contest on Saturday. "I thought for a first contest they did amazing; they competed [in] three team routines, three officer routines, two ensembles, and lots of solos," Red Rhythm assistant Director Sydney Mooty said. "They worked hard together, they had a fun day, and I think that will prepare them even more for their upcoming contest this weekend."](https://libertywingspan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Untitled-design-3-1-1200x800.png)
