The athletes and coaches on the Branford dance team cried tears of sadness and tears of joy at the New England Championship on March 5. There were tears of sadness because the Hornets knew it was the last time they’d compete this season, but they took a sad song and made it better by capturing the title in the Hip-Hop Division to send out their seniors with a crown.

Branford traveled to Braintree, Massachusetts to dance in the hip-hop and jazz competitions at the regional meet one week after winning both for the Small Varsity Division at the State Championship. Performing their same Motown-themed routine from states, the Hornets posted a score of 269.5 in hip-hop to reign atop an 11-team field that included runner-up Fairfield Warde (257.5), which had won the Large Varsity Division at the state meet.

The victory marked Branford’s second in four years for hip-hop at New Englands and the fourth season in a row the Hornets came away with some type of title. Branford won hip-hop in 2013 and 2014 and then took first in the Jazz Division last year. For jazz this time around, the Hornets again danced to the Aerosmith song “Cryin’” and placed second to the hosts from Braintree.

“It was a very emotional day being the last competition of the season and the last time for our seniors,” Head Coach Jacqui Montano said. “But the spirit and energy were still high and everybody was ready to go out and take the floor for the last time, leave it on the floor, and dance their best for the person next to them, especially the seniors.”

Branford’s three seniors are its captains in Michaela Gavigan, Jessica Pantani, and Tess Palluzzi. They’re joined on the squad by juniors Lauren Driscoll, Sophia Smith, and Hailey LaBonte; sophomores Erica Klarman and Melissa Brennan; along with freshmen Chloe Lourenco-Lang, Rachel LaBonte, Jenna Juliano, Lily Milici, and Hannah Antonino.

Megan Palluzzi, a program alum who now coaches Branford with Montano, said the three seniors motivated their teammates to find the “it factor” that would help the squad become one on the floor. Although the Hornets had to deal with some injuries, their senior trio made sure that no setback could keep the Hornets from continuing their tradition of excellence at the state, regional, and national levels.

“When we were a little down in a midseason slump in November, they brought the team together, tried to figure out what would make it work, and, when they did, the team formed an incredible bond. They kept saying, ‘How bad do you want it?’ and their teammates responded that they didn’t just want it—they needed it,” said Palluzzi. “That became the emotion of the team as they realized how much they mean to each other, the community, and the end of upholding the legacy of the Branford dance team.”

Palluzzi added that Branford’s seniors used a motivational video they found on YouTube to drive their fellow Hornets to success. The video is called, “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.” Branford’s dancers heeded that message and the result was a 10th-place finish in hip-hop at nationals, a pair of state crowns, plus a fourth-consecutive season in which its three seniors contributed to a regional title with this year’s hip-hop victory.

“It’s a really big deal for us. We had so many goals we wanted to reach with this year being the last one for the three of us and it was a lot of fun to reach our final goal,” said Pantani. “[Branford’s hip-hip routine] was the last dance of the entire competition and we really wanted to go off on a good note. We hit everything we could and came out with no regrets. It’s a really cool thing to be part of something that has so much history. We’ve grown a lot as a team the past four years and it’s awesome to be a part of it. We just keep adding years to our banner and it’s really rewarding. It’s also really sad at the same time to have the leave the team this year.”

Coach Montano says it’s bittersweet to see her seniors’ high school careers come to a close, yet she’s pleased that they walked away with a nice parting gift in the form of another New England championship.

“It’s sad that it’s the last time they’ll dance for us, but it’s good to see them leave the floor and perform the want you want them to and put their heart into it,” said Montano. “We pushed this team and these girls worked extremely hard and for them to get rewarded for that during competition season, that’s a great feeling.”