Secrets, laughing and screaming all around—it’s 1 AM, but no one is sleeping. Everyone is up and awake as ever, bonding with their teammates.

The varsity dance team of 2013, as in past years, has the opportunity to better know each other by bonding through school activities. “After every bonding experience, the girls are noticeably closer. They not only enjoy the time spent together, but also like to look back and reflect on or laugh about their experiences,” said dance coach Ms. Joanie Vasiliadis.

As a way to bond, the team members have gone to Cox Farms, have had a sleepover, held a car wash and participated in a UVA dance camp together. The dance team members soon became friends despite not knowing each other previously. “It was helpful to know the teammates,” said freshman dance member Kendyl Florence. “I definitely benefitted from it.”

The bonding experience has allowed everyone to become familiar with one another, in turn becoming a more unified team. The dance team is now able to communicate easier in practice while still having the connection of friendship. “Dance team usually does a variety of different bonding activities throughout the year since we are an almost year round sport. We plan to do holiday parties and other activities later on too,” said junior team member Allison Maebius. She, along with the other team members, is looking forward to team bonding activities in the future.