Page 49 - Spring 2022

the Georgia High School Association’s State Dance Championship.
It is a labor that began long before the beginning of the school year. Three-hour conditioning and choreography rehearsals begin in the summer so that the team is approaching performance caliber before the first school bell of the fall.
“It puts us ahead of the game in October if we already know the choreography from the summer,” said Darnell. “They know the music, they know the moves and they have months to combine the two. It pays dividends down the stretch.”
The summer rehearsals are just the first of many sacrifices made by the dancers as they chase their potential. Once the season begins, the Titan Thrill competes in weekend tournaments all around the Atlanta area. These tournaments supply opportunities to gain confidence, adapt to the competitive atmosphere and grow to trust each other as teammates and friends.
“Competing is so fun for me, and I genuinely enjoy dancing with my best friends,” said Becca Clower, a senior from Bishop who served as one of the team’s co-captains this season. “Before I run out to the gym floor to compete, I have a rush of adrenaline. I don’t get nervous anymore. I get excited.”
Her sentiments are echoed by Mary Laura Hodges, a sophomore and second-year member of the team whose talent and work ethic have already made a tremendous impact.
“When I run out onto the gym floor, all the nerves fade away,” said Hodges. “I know that I am not alone because my team is right beside me.”
The dancers will not be running out onto a gym floor today. The state competition unfolds on a stage-lit dance surface in an elegant ballroom encircled by audience seating and a judge’s podium. The theatrical setting is a bit more in keeping with the “athlete and artist” philosophical positioning that Darnell pushes for her team.
“I remind them that, yes, we are athletes, and we want to compete,” said Darnell, whose own artistic background is deeply rooted in the traditional expressions of ballet and modern dance. “But we are storytellers first. It’s our job to tell stories.”
As the time draws close for the Titan Thrill to perform the first of its two competition numbers, a modern jazz piece set to a string quintet version of The Weeknd’s hit song “Blinding Lights,” the story of the 2022 competition pushes toward its climax. The dancers huddle in a bare hallway leading to the performance space and await their turn.
For anyone who has ever taken the stage or the field of play, this hushed moment would ring familiar. It is the time of deep breaths and clasped hands, when silent smiles and quick hugs are the currency of mutual respect between teammates and friends who have become family. It is in this moment, so close to the destination, that the journey truly comes into focus for senior and team co-captain Hannah Carter.
“I think about how proud I am of this team,” Carter reflected. “It’s rewarding to arrive at a collective goal. We’ve practiced for this moment for months in advance, and now it’s time to show off our hard work.”
The Titan Thrill take the stage to a rush of cheers and
Members of the Titan Thrill conduct their final run-through in the parking lot of the team hotel in Columbus
SPRING 2022 | OCONEE THE MAGAZINE | PAGE 47
Josh Darnell