BRENHAM, TX -- Two members of the Blinn College dance team will continue their performing careers after helping lead the Buccaneers to second place at the NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer & Dance Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. earlier this month.
Sophomore Leanne Brooks earned a spot on the Dynamo Girls, the dance team that supports the Houston Dynamo, Houston’s Major League Soccer franchise, while Luise Hooks will perform with Sam Houston State University’s dance team beginning in the Fall.
“They’ve been fabulous,” said Blinn dance coach Sarah Barland. “They’ve worked very hard to achieve their goals and it’s fantastic to see those efforts pay off.”
Brooks, a former member of the Cypress Woods High School drill team, participated in two tryout dates and an interview before she was named to the Dynamo Girls roster.
“I’ve always wanted to dance for a pro team,” she said.
Hooks, a former drill team captain at Vista Ridge High School, said she hadn’t given much thought to dancing at a four-year school prior to joining the Buccaneers.
“I feel like Blinn has really pushed me to figure out exactly what I want to do,” she said. “Blinn has really taught me how to perform in front of a huge crowd, especially at Daytona, and put it all on the floor in that one moment. I didn’t really feel competitive about dance until I came to Blinn and got to compete at nationals.”
Blinn finished second in the Division III national dance competition with 9.331 points, placing just behind national champion Ramapo College of New Jersey, which scored a 9.460. Blinn’s finish was the highest of any two-year school in Division III.
