In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Desty Darlings director Micque Voges thought competition for this season would be out of the question – so many of the dance team’s performers had lost their homes, so much was up in the air.
Voges outlook soon changed – her team was quite determined to return, as it turned out.
“They kept on asking,” Voges said. “I didn’t think it was possible, but they truly wanted it.”
Months later, there are certainly no regrets. For the first time in school history, Destrehan earned UDA National Championship honors, capturing the top position in the Small Varsity Game Day competition. The Destys also earned 4th in the nation in hip hop and 16th in jazz. The championship tournament took place at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Hundreds of teams compete there each year from all around the country.
“It’s really surreal,” Voges said. “I’ve been bringing the girls for 11 years. I remember in the beginning, never getting out of prelims. Then we started getting further, getting into the finals and the top 10. It’s amazing how far the kids have come, and it’s exciting to see.”
When the team returned to Destrehan’s campus Monday, parents and school representatives were outside to provide a warm welcome, as well as the school band, playing the DHS fight song the dancers walked onto campus.
Voges said this is a group that deserves all of the accolades.
“This team has a special resilience,” Voges said. “A lot of these kids lost their homes … they kept asking to keep going, and I was determined to find a way to make it happen. We didn’t have a facility in the beginning, we used the football field to sharpen our skills. We weren’t able to bring in our choreographer for jazz until late October, and they learned that routine very late.”
Timing and rhythm make all the difference in dance, and Destrehan had less time – and thus a tougher curve to overcome – to reach their peak.
“These girls practice 5 to 6 days a week for 4 or 5 hours a day and never complain. They always come in with a positive attitude, knew what they wanted and knew what it would take to get there,” Voges said. “I’m so proud they were able to experience this … I really think they all took what they were carrying inside of them, after everything they’ve gone through, and really put it into their routines. They wanted to show the nation they won’t let challenges overtake them.”
The Game Day competition sees teams show their school spirit, as they would during a football game or pep rally. Then each team delivers a performance routine in their own distinct style – where teams show off what they’re especially good at, Voges said. The Destys’ routine was a hip hop portion of performance.
And as many teams as there were, from countless cities across the nation, the final two teams in the competition were from Louisiana: Destrehan and St. Thomas Aquinas.
In the end, Destrehan stood tall.
Prior to the national tournament, Destrehan captured first place in the UDA regional competition, and won the sweepstakes in the American All-Star state competition.
In the jazz competition in nationals, the team set their performance to the song Louisiana, something Voges said the team felt would be fitting.
“The song was chosen for the devastation of the hurricane … they wanted to tell their story to the nation,” Voges said. “They brought a little piece of St. Charles Parish with them.”
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