This year, the Dazzler dance team will go to the National Dance Alliance (NDA) dance competition in Orlando, Fla. from Feb. 26-29. After almost six months of practicing routines, the team is focusing on preparing for nationals this month.

“Since February is considered ‘nationals month,’ we’ve been stepping up our training and our core workouts and our strength, just to prepare for the endurance at the national level,” sophomore Dazzler Camille Sturdivant said.

The Dazzlers have only competed at NDA once before, in 2014. Junior Alli McConnell said despite this, the team has already established itself as a worthy rivals. The last time they competed at NDA, the Dazzlers placed second nationally in both jazz and hip hop categories.

“It’s kind of unknown to come into nationals your first time and get second place in jazz and in hip-hop,” McConnell said. “We’ve definitely stated our name.”

Dazzlers coach Andrea Smith said instead of going to an NDA-sponsored camp to qualify, the team sent in a video and from there, NDA replied to let the team know they qualified.

Although the competition is this month, Dazzlers have been preparing for several months. The Dazzlers will be competing in both the hip-hop and contemporary categories – 12 dancers each, with two alternates in hip hop. Smith said all the preparation is necessary for success at nationals.

“We start so early, and we have to have a plan for where we want to end up in February,” Smith said. “It can get kind of frustrating. We don’t know what the other teams are bringing to the competition, so we just have to bring our personal best.”

With their practices starting every day at 7 a.m. and many of the dancers going to individual studio practices after school, senior Alexa Webber they work up to 40 hours a week.

“I don’t sleep very much,” Webber said. “I know a lot of us are sleep -deprived. I wasn’t able to do other things because of being a Dazzler, but I’ll never regret being a Dazzler.”

While both Webber and McConnell went to nationals two years ago, this is Sturdivant’s and other underclassmen Dazzlers’ first time competing nationally as a Dazzler.

“The upperclassmen have been very excited about nationals and have shared all of their positive experiences,” said Sturdivant. “I’m just looking forward to experiencing what they talked about and also performing at the national level.”

McConnell said motivation is at an all time high now, and the team is ready to do its best.

“We’re just super motivated right now,” McConnell said. “There are a lot of teams that are going to be there from KC that know us, and we’re ready to win.”