Senior Drill Team Captain Lexi Longoria, attended the TDEA, Texas Dance Educators Association, on Jan. 8-11 in Houston, Texas. As a senior, Longoria’s coaches selected her to be the captain of the team and to attend this dance opportunity.
“It never gave me the option to not put my all into it,” Longoria said. “I felt like I got to show my passion through my movement.”
Going through many years of dance throughout Legacy and outside dance clubs, Longoria worked and trained to gain the influence and impact to receive these significant opportunities.
“It was a really fun opportunity to be with people who understand exactly what position you’re in,” Longoria said. “We got to compare, talk and overall learn from each other.”
Head Varsity Drill Team Coach Alexandria Thomas only chose one dancer to attend the TDEA, giving them the best opportunity to grow and become the most successful dancer of themselves. According to the coaches, she took the lead role and ran with it to guide a group of dancers to competition season.
“She is one of those people who are exceptional leaders all around,” Coach Thomas said. “I knew the opportunity for her to learn and be around like-minded leaders would be really important.”
The only way someone can attend the TDEA was to be a team captain of your dance or drill team. Because of this, very few dancers get the chance to perform in Houston. This convention was a prominent moment for Longoria to establish her future in her dance career, along with bringing higher recognition.
“It really pushed me to get outside my comfort zone,” Longoria said. “I got to dance in a way that I never have before.”
According to the dancers, having the drill season primarily focused during the fall and football occasions can make closing out the year with the same tenacity and motivation difficult. The TDEA allows Longoria to keep the same work ethic and put full effort into finishing the year strong.
“Since it’s my senior year, it definitely helped me get over my senioritis,” Longoria said. “My mindset switched, and I had to finish out the year strong.”
Coach Thomas put Longoria into the position to set and raise the bar further daily. Allowing her to mold the younger dancers and the overall future of the program to be the best version of themselves.
“She is modeling what she would want her underclassmen to be when they get the opportunity to lead like she does,” Coach Thomas said. “She has established that just because many underclassmen don’t have a title on the team, it doesn’t mean that you can’t stand out as a leader.”
The leadership and passion Longoria puts on the drill team implement a new standard and bar for the younger athletes to meet. These paths and actions that were applied from fall and football season all the way through competition season significantly improve the future of the drill team.
“I hope I’ve impacted them [younger athletes] and let them learn from me,” Longoria said. “I want them to make their own leadership and be themselves, I don’t want them to be exactly who I am.”
