The Flamettes come just short after an inspiring performance
Liberty University Dance team senior Elizabeth Haab has been in the world of dance since the age of 2, exploring many styles in classical and competitive settings. She attributed her entry into the sport to her mother, who did cheer growing up and wanted Haab in a safer activity.
“I grew up in Southern California, so there were really good dance studios around me,” Haab said. “My mom cheered and got hurt a lot, and so she said I wasn’t going to cheer, and decided that dance was a better option for injuries.”
Haab experimented with various styles as she grew in her skills as a dancer.
“I remember watching (jazz and contemporary) at a competition and I was like, ‘I want to dance like that,’” Haab said. “From then on, it has always been contemporary. I also love ballet, those technique-driven, glitching vibes, I love those.”
When it came to competing, these styles remained consistent, sticking to the style of expression she enjoyed the most.
“All my solos were always lyrical or contemporary, but I love doing jazz. I think it is really fun if you have a little bit of a sassy jazz in there,” Haab said. “I do also love tap; it is so fun to compete it … Anything that’s high energy, which I think is why translating to pom coming here just kind of made sense.”
Liberty’s dance team, which Haab has now been a member of for four years, focuses on these higher energy styles. The team performs upbeat sideline and game routines at home football games, along with other sports.
After her senior year of high school, Haab realized she did not want to say goodbye to dance forever. She made the decision to go to a university where she could continue her dancing career.
“I came to Liberty for a CFAW (College for a Weekend) and there happened to be a clinic the same weekend,” Haab said. “Because of the atmosphere just being centered around Christ, it is so different. I immediately fell in love with it. I tried out, I made it, the doors kind of kept opening that led me here.”
Haab has watched the Liberty Dance team evolve over her time as a Lady Flame. She reflected on how different the team was when she stepped on during her first year.
“When I first came in my freshman year, it was August, and I got a group FaceTime call from one of our (former) captains, Emma (Freeze),” Haab said. “We were currently a student-led team at the time, she was like, ‘Hey guys, guess what? We’re actually now a club sport.’”
This move opened more opportunities for the team and allowed them to find stronger footing among Liberty’s athletics programs. Partial funding became available for the team to allow them to have a coaching staff, team official gear and a facility with a locker room.
“We went from being the Flamettes, just a regular club team … to being invited into the club sport world, which changed everything,” Haab said.
With this change, the team was able to gain more opportunities to perform in front of others.
“We went from a little team that just did football sidelines and basketball to now we do hockey games sometimes and lacrosse games sometimes,” Haab said. “We just competed at College Classics DTU (Dance Team Union).”
Since becoming an official club sport, the Liberty Dance team has been able to compete in national competitions, allowing another avenue for the Lady Flames to showcase their talents.
“We just came back from nationals, and we got second in pom, which is just crazy,” Haab said. “We beat Oregon, I have to put that out there because I don’t think people understand what second in pom means until you say we beat Oregon. And then we got seventh in jazz, which is also amazing.”
The Liberty Dance team is still fairly new to the Club Sports world, but they hope to continue to grow over the next few years to give more opportunities to its athletes and other ladies who are interested.
“I have seen the team continue to just grow up and up and up and I would love to see that more,” Haab said. “I would love to continue seeing the atmosphere that we have created here of just relying on God for everything and giving him glory in all of it as we succeed.”
Kenlee Lewis is a sports writer for the Liberty Champion.