It is to note that Jessi Hahn of the EHS Dance Team is the Editor-in-Chief of The Stinger.
For decades, Emmaus High School and Parkland High School (PHS) have been competitors in nearly everything one can imagine. Although their dance teams aren’t exactly rivals, with the National Dance Alliance (NDA) High School Nationals approaching, both teams are sure to bring their A-game.
Dancers from Emmaus High School Dance Team (EHSDT) and Parkland High School Dance Team (PHSDT) often get along fairly well, as many know each other from outside of school and from competitions for their studio dance teams. They also bond at events that both teams attend.
“A lot of us already know each other from studios outside of school, and some are even friends with each other,” freshman Brooke Russiano said. “At camp over the summer, Emmaus and Parkland took a photo together and we gave each other little gifts.”
However, now that nationals are coming up, the competition between EHSDT and the PHSDT is becoming more intense.
“Even though we like each other, we still both want to do well,” Russiano said. “We want to stay as the best dance team in the Lehigh Valley. There’s not really a big rivalry, it’s more that we just both want to do well at nationals.”
Senior Tila Flok, feels ready for the competition and has positive thoughts on the relationship between the dance teams.
“I think that both of us are going to have some good competition at nationals. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily us against each other. If anything, we’re more of a sister team, almost like allies,” Flok said. “We’re from the same area, so we kind of have some relation with that, and we’re just kind of at nationals to hype each other up and want the best for each other.”
NDA High School Nationals happen every year in the middle of February in Orlando, Florida. EHSDT will be attending this year, and have been for many years. Last year, the team placed sixth in the Medium Varsity Hip Hop category.
The EHSDT’s season is going exceptionally well this year as the team received both a Superior Showmanship Award and a Spirit Award, along with their bid to nationals by earning first place at NDA Summer Camp in July. Several dancers were nominated for All-American status including Elena Adrienne, Sophia Baker, Laila Erney, Tila Flok, Jessi Hahn, and Yarah Issa. Baker, Flok, and Hahn were All-American award recipients, with Flok being the Top All-American and Hahn winning the Stand Out Style Award.
This will be the first year that PHSDT competes at nationals. In July 2025, the team not only qualified for nationals, but was also awarded a Bronze level rating. All-American nominees included Emma Baum, Ava Grogan, Henley Quay, Brooke Stewart, Alyssa Valletta, and Hailey Weaknecht. Baum, Quay, and Stewart were All-American medalists. The team was also the recipient of the Overall Team Growth Award.
On Jan. 24, EHSDT coach Jillian Jarsocrak ran a showcase, “Take the Stage,” at which schools performed their dances. EHSDT and PHSDT were both in attendance, and the PHSDT performance was better than previous performances, according to Russiano.
“Now they’re competing and not just doing basketball games,” senior Sophia Baker said. “So I’d say [PHSDT is getting better].”
From Feb. 14-16, EHSDT and PHSDT competed at nationals in the same categories: Game Day and Hip Hop. EHSDT advanced for both Game Day and Hip Hop while PHSDT advanced for Hip Hop. EHSDT also competed in Pom, narrowly missing advancement by 0.2 points.
PHSDT scored 80.2667 points and EHSDT scored 84.6 points during Medium Varsity Hip Hop finals.
