By: Saya Alvares

People Editor

The Los Gatos Varsity Dance Team seniors including Captain Saya Alvares, Co-Captain Mikalena Thimot, Co-Captain Alyssa Webb, as well as Kennedy Bahr, Pierce Drotar, and Taylor Ford danced for their final time at Helm Field on Nov. 3. The seniors experienced an emotional Senior Night curated by the rest of the Dance Team and headed by junior Solei Ruggiero. 

After walking into a decorated dance studio filled with balloons, streamers, and heartfelt music (Time of Our Lives by Pitbull), the underclassman draped the beloved seniors in sashes and tiaras. Furthermore, the seniors received baskets filled with goodies such as chocolate, sugar scrubs, mascara, face masks, candy, and pictures. The mirrored walls of the dance studio featured hand-made posters for the girls, and every senior received a handwritten letter from each member of the team. Junior Halle Benjamin, who helped create the special night, explained, “Senior Night was super important to all of the underclassmen, and our coach Annika Jackson really did an amazing job at making the night special for all of our seniors. We all had designated jobs that came together nicely on Friday.”

Most of the seniors have danced on this team for the past four years, but their memories together go even further back than that. This group grew incredibly close, and all six danced together in Fisher Middle School’s advanced dance program and competitive team. The seniors cherish the unique bond of growing up together through dance. Webb elaborated on this camaraderie, saying, “While we definitely became the closest over the past four years on this team, we’ve been dancing together since we were incredibly young, making it such a hard goodbye.”

Although they prepared for Nov. 3 to be their last game, the Los Gatos Varsity Football Team made it to CCS, so the dancers performed a Beyonce routine on Nov. 10 at Helm Field. For the Whiteout Game, Ford explained, “The environment is a lot more intense as there’s so much more on the line; sophomores get bumped up to play for the team, the crowd stays for the duration of the game, and we all are on the edge of our seats.” The Whiteout game proved successful, and congratulations to the football team for defeating Archbishop Riordan High School 28-14. Keep an eye out for Nov. 17, where the team will play St. Ignatius College Preparatory.  

The peak of dancing for football season is slowly coming to an end — something both the seniors and the rest of the team will miss. However, with winter comes LGHS basketball season, which is another exciting performance opportunity for the team. Also, make sure to look out for LGHS Dance at the annual Los Gatos Christmas Parade.