The St. Aloysius High School Flashettes won the 3A Mississippi Association of Independent Schools state dance championship Wednesday at the Clyde Muse Center at Hinds Community College in Pearl.

“It gave the girls a sense of pride,” coach Chesley Lambiotte said. “They’ve worked so hard this year. It was just validation that all their hard work was recognized at the highest level for them.���

The two-minute performance was dedicated to breast cancer awareness month that was inspired by a pep rally the school came together to have.

“Our winning piece was an uplifting tribute to breast cancer survivors everywhere.  We wanted to compete with a dance that also delivered a message,” Lambiotte said.

The dance incorporated contemporary, ballet and hip hop elements and featured the Madilyn Bailey cover of Titanium, Hands of Love by Miley Cyrus, Rachel Platten’s Fight Song and Survivor by Destiny’s Child.

“We did some lifts, a very, very difficult turn sequence, lots of difficult leaps. Anything we could put in to show their technique,” Lambiotte said.

The 14-member team wore dark shimmery long sleeved tops with a single pink sparkly ribbon on the shoulder and black pants.

“It was pretty amazing,” Lyndsey Cowart, senior captain, said. “We’ve never really done anything like that before and it was a great experience to have.”

Competing against Heritage and Riverside high schools, the Flashettes competed in the jazz competition only in their first year at the competition.

“This first year we wanted to see what it was going to be like,” Lambiotte said. “I really wanted them to do jazz because these girls have such strong technique.”

Next year Lambiotte plans to compete in the other two categories of kick line and pomp. In addition to that, many of the team members showed interest in competing in the solo completion, called All Star, as well.

“This is a huge accomplishment for her [Lambiotte] and the dance team,” Ann Roberson, director of development and alumni affairs, said. “It’s just a great win for us all the way around.”

Lambiotte said the team spends 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday each week learning a new dance each week and at the same time Wednesday and Thursday they work on perfecting the moves for the Friday pep rally. The team also sits with the band at the Friday night football games and performs on the field before the band at halftime.

“This squad in particular has worked so hard and worked so well together that we’ve really been able to achieve a really strong piece each week,” Lambiotte said.

Lambiotte said she would like to thank the principal and the athletic director at St. Al for all their support and everyone at the school who helped encourage the girls.

“This was a goal that they had set at the beginning of the year, and I think to see it come to fruition was really the icing on the cake,” Lambiotte said.