Matawan Dance Team Looks Forward to Next Year After Earning State Title

The twelve dancers of the Dance Team stood in the gym at Monroe High School on Feb. 25 with several other teams, waiting for the announcer at the NJ Cheer and Dance Coaches Association to declare the state champions in varsity jazz.

They knew they danced well, but having only ever placed fourth at this competition, they weren't confident that they would score first.

The announcer called Lakeland for fourth place, then Old Bridge for third place and then, as the dancers on the Matawan team all held their breath, they called Hillsborough for second place.

"When they called second --," said sophomore dancer Meredith Varsanyi.

"-- and it wasn't us," interjected Stephanie Topal, also a sophomore.

"We knew. We couldn't even speak," finished Varsanyi.

The Matawan Aberdeen Board of Education recently recognized the dance team for their accomplishment and commending them for their teamwork and dedication inside and outside of the dance studio.

The win was unexpected for the team, who had almost pulled out of the competition altogether, explained Coach Julie Takacs, who also teaches dance at the high school.

"This was a really big win. We had overcome a lot of adversity this year," Takacs said.

Seven dancers left the team over the course of the year for various reasons, including one shortly before the NJCDCA competion, Takacs said.

"We pulled our hip hop dance out of it because we had lost another girl and we just felt like we couldn't handle it," Takacs said. "But I didn't want them to feel like I was giving up on them either. So we went through with [jazz], and it was really awesome."

Many of those who had left did so because of scheduling conflicts with their private dance schools, Takacs said.

"Most dance many hours a week with me and then also dance at night and compete on private teams. It can be a scheduling nightmare to get them all together and to the same events," Takacs said. "There were some difficult decisions that needed to made but those who stuck by and were committed and saw it through, they were rewarded with this win. I wouldn't of had it any other way. It made it worth it."

This year's competition team was more experienced and older, Takacs explained. There were no new dancers competing on the team, versus last season when about seven new dancers made the cut.

"Experience and time lended itself to better chemistry on the team; they're all another year older and another year stronger physically. Their technical elements were much better this year and they were more mature and that all shows out on the floor," Takacs said.

The routine and music were also more appropriate for the team than the one the dancers attempted last year, explained senior Julie Ripple, who will continue dancing at PACE University.

"Normally we do more contemporary with beautiful song lyrics and that's what fits us," Ripple said, explaining that last year they did a more dark piece that involved sharp movements.

"It's better when we can put our emotions in it, more than trying to be dark and scary," added Varsanyi.

But the dancers ultimately credit their success to pulling together as a team, which became obvious during the final performance of the season.

"We've taken ourselves more seriously and I think that has affected the way they dance and their commitment level. I think we've become more of a family," Takacs said.

"When I was a freshman on the team it was kind of separated between the freshmen and the upperclassmen," said Ripple. "But now we're friends outside of school and on the team too."

The team was proud to show the high school and the Matawan-Aberdeen community their achievement at the NJ Cheer and Dance Coaches Association State Championships.

"We definitely wanted to show them how good we are. I guess the school kind of doesn't take us seriously as athletes," said Topal.

"Most of the community doesn't see that side of what we do. They see us dance at the football games and the basketball games and most people have no idea that we're competitive just as much as any other sport here," added Takacs.

The team will lose four seniors after graduation in June, but is looking forward to next season when they will welcome two freshmen and two sophomores to the competition team, Takacs said.