Throwing on her leotard and dance shoes, junior Sophia Allen gets ready for her daily dance practice at the studio. As a member of the Parkway West Longhorn Line, Allen spends hours working on routines and improving her skills. Even as stress and the pressures of life ease, she doesn’t back down from her practice. Dance is more than just an after-school activity for her; it’s a passion that pushes her to work hard and express herself.

Allen has always had a passion for dancing, even as a little girl. When her mom saw how it made her light up, and Allen, herself, realized how much she enjoyed it, she knew this was what she was made to do. 

“I first started dancing when I was around three years old. My mom [had] put me into dance because I was always dancing around in my living room and listening to music. I obviously [fell in love] with it, so I continued to dance for my entire life,” Allen said.

Allen has a hard time dealing with an injury that affects her performance at times. Whether it’s stress or nerves from an upcoming competition, it triggers her injury, which makes it hard for her to give her best.

“I have very high-located patellas, which often leads me to dislocating my patella or my knee cap, which has affected my dance. When I’m stressed about a nearing competition, I overwork and get hurt days before, but somehow I always push through,” Allen said.

Despite the struggles she faces and her dedication to dance, Allen still has to balance school and her social life. With dancing for Longhorn Line and dancing at Briscuso Dance Studio after school, her friends tend to help her balance her passion and her academics. She tries to use her time wisely and, if needed, asks for help from her teammates. 

“It [can be] hard to balance, but I make sure that dance and [my] dance team are my top priority. I usually dance at my studio for six to eight hours a week, but it’s important to also keep up with my school work. It’s not only important to me, but it’s [also] important to not let your team down and to make sure that your coach knows that you’re working hard,” Allen said.

Not only does Allen have the support from her mom and coach, but also her teammates and older seniors who help her out. When struggling, her teammates are there to help pick her back up and strive to stay on track. 

“[My teammates] will help me learn the lesson by teaching it themselves, [and] most of them have taken the same classes as me, so we help each other out,” Allen said.

Supporting Allen through school and dance, senior Lily Overmann works with Allen to help her reach her goals both in the classroom and in the dance studio.

“We all just work together to make sure that everybody feels connected, because that’s really important to make our team look united. If somebody’s having a hard day, we compliment them [and] try to make them feel welcome,” Overmann said.

With the constant support and leadership Allen receives, she is able to accomplish more despite the amount of responsibilities she has. 

“[Allen] was part of the team that won state last year and then [won] Nationals, then was part of the team that made the semifinals in the [competition] she competed in. The team was really happy and proud of her. She always works really hard to get [what she wants],” Overmann said.

Not only has Allen accomplished a lot individually in dance, but so has her whole team. This has sparked lots of excitement and success from the team. Continuously working hard and striving for the best, they have recently come back from Orlando, Florida, at the NDA nationals. 

“Longhorn Line is the proud champion of D4 Lyrical Jazz and D4 Pom at state last year and also competed at nationals this past week and qualified for semifinals for Jazz. I remember being super excited when we received our awards,” Allen said. 

As a leader and reliable team player, Allen also feels the pressure about how the next school year may go, given that she will be handed most of the responsibility.

“Next year, I’ll be the only senior on my dance team, and that’s going to be a little stressful. [I know it will be okay] and that I’m going to love it, though,” Allen said.

Although she’s working hard now and planning out how her next few years will go, it can still be intimidating not knowing exactly how everything will go. As she thinks about what her next steps may be, Allen keeps dance as her number one priority. 

“I [still] plan on dancing — probably not on a college team, but [I’ll do] adult classes at a studio somewhere near where I go to college, or [I will] take a dance class if it’s offered,” Allen said. “In college, I hope to major in pre-dentistry [and take] additional dance classes.”

From dancing around her living room at three years old to preparing to lead her team as the only senior next year, Allen’s journey shows that dance is more than just a hobby; it’s who she is. With the support of her teammates, coaches and family, she continues to push through long practices, school work and the pressure of leadership and achieving her goals. Even though the future feels a little uncertain, one thing is clear: wherever life takes her, dance will always follow.