Twelve feet stomp in unison, digging into the inkblack turf, casting silhouettes against the spilling of light across the steel sky.
Defiant performances such as these are featured at the sporting events at our high school, however, their reach extends far beyond the perimeter of the sidelines. The Liberty Belles are not merely a support: they are the main event.
The Belles dance team is known for their wide versatility is stylistic fusion, accompanied by moves executed with finesse and charisma. As Liberty itself has matured and developed in its organization, as have the Belles. The team has taken to the State Championship of Missouri four times, and is no stranger to gold.
This success is not without sacrifice.
“Our practices typically look like us cleaning our competition dances to make sure the team looks synchronized and we are all dancing together. We practice from 2:30 to either 5 or 5:30,” Liberty Belle Myleigh Turnipseed (12) said. “We start practice with conditioning, usually running then some type of strength workout, then we go into working on our skills for the dance and cleaning different sections of the routine.”
This regiment, while grueling, is crucial in ingraining the persistence these athletes must strive for. Grit is not inherent without demonstration; one must endure.
This sacrifice is not without passion.
”Dance is so much more to me than a sport. It is my passion, my motivation, my dreams, and my entire life. Dance is my way to release my emotions and tell a story when words can’t,” Turnipseed said.
The delicacy of a tendu. The ferocity of a spin, articulated with a spotting that morphs into a smile. Dance is a channel of physicality, a conduit of spirit that is universal, and needs not language.
This passion is not without payout.
Whether it be from the admiration of students at their home games, to the placings at competitions, the reward for the dancers can often be tangible.
“[The Belles] are incredible. You can tell they perform with passion, and work really hard. I think they are underappreciated as great athletes they are,” Rathi Thiagarajan (12) said.
Beyond the accolades, and there are many, the Belles resonate in a love for the art, and determination beyond dance.
