The Purrfections dance team recently took third at its annual UDA Regional Dance Championship in the category of medium jazz. The event was held at the Walt Disney World Resort in Kissimmee.

“To prepare for regionals we had to practice a lot,” junior Jessie Shaw said. “We went through the dance in sections and cleaned up every part and every move so that we would look the same,because one of the main arts on the score sheet is cleanliness which just so happens to be one of our strengths.”

Senior and team captain Hope Dougherty said she was pleased with the way her team’s preparations turned out during competition.

“We’re a very technical team this year, meaning we’re good at techniques like jumping and turning,” Dougherty said. “There’s always room to improve certain skills such as our energy and facials, but that kind of came together once we got onstage and gave it 100 percent at competition. You could tell everyone had been working really hard and taking corrections.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing though as injuries prompted minor setbacks for the team.

“Before regionals I got really injured and I was worried it would affect my performance,” Shaw said. “Surprisingly it didn’t and besides my injury, everyone as of right now is in good condition for our next competition.”