The Hart High dance team is a tightly knit, dedicated group of dancers whose rhythmic movements act as a force to be reckoned with in the competitive dance arena.

No truer words were spoken for those who witnessed the dance team's accomplishments at their very first competition of the season, the West Coast Elite Competition held in West Lake Village on Jan 31.

Competing against 10 other Southern California teams, the Hart High dancers won three first-place trophies for their character, small hip hop, and small jazz dances.

They also received a second-place trophy for their large lyrical dance, a third-place trophy for their medium jazz dance, and a fourth-place trophy for their small lyrical performance.

In addition to the group trophies, the Hart Dance Team's officers Nellie Bailon, Lindsey Davenport, and Melissa Cooper won third place in the Elite officers dance category.

Junior Kimmi Schott won a first-place trophy for her Junior Group 1 solo and ranked ninth out of the 75 soloists who competed.

Sabrina Sweet tied for first-place for her solo in the Junior Group 2 category and earned an 11th place ranking.

Nellie Bailon won a second-place trophy for her solo in the Senior Group 2 division as well as a third-place trophy in the challenging improvisational solo category. She also ranked seventh overall out of the 75 soloist competitors.

During the awards ceremony at the end of the day, the Hart High Dance Team also received a first-place technique award for their small jazz dance and won an additional trophy as one of the top three schools for earning the second highest total overall points in the 2009 West Coast Elite Competition. (They were only a few tenths of a point away from ranking first.)

Both Jenn Basse, the girls' coach, and Linda Martin, the dance team's advisor, were thrilled with the girls' accomplishments but know that a great deal of hard work still lies ahead as this year's competition season progresses.