The sun was coming up over New York City this morning as 740 cheerleaders and dancers were waking up to start their second day.

I met my group at 7:30 in the morning and we headed to Sbarro for some breakfast. I have had their pizza before, but never knew that they also served a delicious breakfast. After our stomachs were full it was time to head back to the ballroom for practice.

This morning’s rehearsal was a little different. It started out with a tryout to select 50 cheerleaders and dancers for a special performance with the UDA and NDA staff. This special dance performance highlights some of the moves they learned at dance camp this summer and involves different kinds of kicks and leaps.

Throughout the rest of the morning the girls incorporated poms and props into the routine, while the guy cheerleaders helped the UCA and NCA staff with stunts.

We took a two hour break to grab some lunch, which gave the girls a good energy boost. Before we knew it was time to head back to the ballroom for another practice.

The afternoon practice was spent cleaning up the dance and making sure everyone was in the correct formation. Once that was over, everyone headed to their rooms to get ready for the Broadway show, “West Side Story.”

I only have one word to describe the show… AMAZING!!! I have always heard so much about the West Side Story, but have never seen it. All of the actors and actresses were fantastic singers and dancers.
LS McClain, a UCA chaperon from Texas said, “I have been a fan of West Side Story since I was seven years old! This was my first time seeing the production on Broadway and I thought they did a very good job! I loved how they adopted the production from the movie. It really converted well. They had great crowd reactions and a great entertainment value. I was amazed at how they kept the girls and parents laughing, crying, screaming and totally at the edge of their seats! AWESOME SHOW!!!”

After the show we all headed back to our rooms to get a good night’s rest because tomorrow we are all going to hit the city!

See you tomorrow!