Falcon's Nest Notes: Hip “Hop” Hooray! Dance Team Sizzles in New Jersey over the Weekend at Rikudiah Dance Competition

The Flatbush Falcon Dance Team gets ready to compete at Kushner on Saturday, 12/7/13

Last Saturday night, the Yeshivah of Flatbush Dance Team took to the road to defend its Yeshiva Schools Dance championship of Spring 2013. Competing against 6 other teams from the Yeshiva League, the Falcon dancers brought spirit and electricity to the stage at host Rae Kushner Yeshiva HS in an effort to show that the 2013-14 team is every bit as fomidable as the team from last season. The girls gave a stellar showing.

Recapping the event is Senior Co-Captain Nina Esses:

This past Saturday night, our school competed in the Rikudiah Dance Competition at Kushner Yeshiva High School. After months of hard work, late practices and dedication, we were super excited to showcase our talent. Walking through the huge Kushner doors, I felt a rush of nerves pass through me! Our team quickly ran to the gym to warm-up and rehearse one last time before the actual competition.

When the show was finally ready to begin, I could feel the excitement building in the team, and it was overwhelming! We patiently watched the other teams perform, and thought to ourselves, “we have this one in the bag.” When the announcer finally called out “Flatbush,” we all anxiously jumped up out of our seats and took our spots on the stage. With lots of energy, we felt like we totally nailed our dance and were confident we would place. The minutes sitting and waiting for the judges to report our score were the longest few minutes of my life! We sat on the floor in a circle, cutching each others’ hands, waiting for the announcement of the third place team. When the word “Flatbush” left the announcer’s lips, our team was silent. In fact, the entire room was basically still. It felt like a rain storm sunndly opened up on what had been a beautiful, sunny day. We could not understand why we placed third; we were expecting at least a second place finish.

Although we left the competition with a sad and disappointed feeling, we each knew in our hearts that we gave it our all and that we did a great job. We will not let the outcome of this competition spoil our determination to win the next time out. We will learn from our mistakes, and better ourselves for the next performance. The Flatbush Dance team will be back and even better in the Spring!

Nest Notes: The Dance Team competition was the first of the 2013-14 season. The Falcon Dancers are looking forward to at least one more competition in the Sping, and hope for possibly a third before the school year is out. In accordance with yeshiva competition rules, performances are only open to female spectators.

The Flatbush Dance Team members are Seniors Nina Esses and Helen Shalam; Juniors Helen Menashe, Sara Shalam, Sarah Kairey and Claudine Elkharrat; Sophomores Rose Mishaan, Esther Cohen, Barbara Schwartzbard, Ruth Gindi and Freida Zeitoune; the lone Freshman on the team is Esther Shalam. The team is coached by Mrs. Barbara Cohen and Ms. Adele Greenberg.