Rosary Academy is officially at its peak season of the year: Red and Gold. Having been selected as a dance captain for two years in a row, my experience has been nothing short of insanity fueled by one too many Yerba Mates to count.

Every since I watched my sister perform in the dances and drills of her own Red and Gold’s, it has always been a dream of mine to be able to do the same. However, what my sister never told me was how much of my life I would have to sacrifice if I wanted to be a captain.

Starting during winter break, dance captains begin the hunt for the perfect song to match the theme we are given by our producers. For me personally, this was the most tedious part of the entire process. Finding a clean song that will be approved by administration is nearly impossible.

Once you have an appropriate song, you must scavenge the internet to find the copywrite licensing so we can actually use the songs. When the songs have been approved and licensed, dance captains cut and edit the two songs to blend perfectly together while also keeping it under three minutes. This step of the process takes lots of trial, error, and unnecessary math calculations.

Now that the music portion is finished, dance captains have around two weeks to choreograph an entire dance that is fun and easy to learn. Making the dance is my favorite step of all the pre-FLEX captain duties because I have the freedom to use almost any moves I like.

Once the Red and Gold flex periods officially start, the most fun, yet stressful parts of the process begin.

Learning people’s names has never been a strong suit of mine, so the first few weeks of taking attendance during FLEX practices are brutal (I sincerely apologize to anyone I have called the wrong name multiple times). My inability to remember all 22 girls names makes it extremely difficult to create formations, but somehow, I manage.

One plus to being a dance captain is getting to meet over 20 new people. And, let me tell you, Red and Gold can really bond people. One relationship I will forever thank Red and Gold for is my friendship with Sydney Rosario ’23. Sydney shared, “Last year, I got the chance to cameo in Julianna’s dance. We had known of each other before, but we grew much closer through the craziness of Red and Gold. However, her name in my phone will forever be ‘Julianna-Red team,’ and I refuse to change it.”

This year especially, I have enjoyed every moment with the girls on my dance because they have been so amazing at learning my choreography and they have tons of energy and positivity while dancing. I have created so many valuable memories with my dancers, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

When it comes to winning Red and Gold, of course I would love to win (Go Red!), but I would be equally happy if my team only wins dance accommodations. In the end, all of the extra time and effort I have put into the music and dance choreography is completely worth it. I cannot wait to showcase my dance on the Servite stage and to perform with all of the amazing dancers on my team!