Anna Savacool, Class of 2021 alumni, started dancing at the age of three. Savacool loved getting to dance on Escadrille at Lafayette as well as on a competitive studio team, but she also wanted to explore the realm of dance outside of the St. Louis bubble. Now, she is a part of the Florida State University (FSU) Golden Girls Dance Team. 

The team has 24 girls, while only 16 get a spot to compete in the routines at the National College Finals every year. 

“It is unusual for an underclassman to earn a spot in one of these routines let alone both and I have earned a spot in both for the past two years now,” Savacool said.

The team was also selected as the U.S. National Team this year and they competed at the world finals, where they made school history, placing 9th overall.

However, her success has come with its own challenges. 

“My biggest challenge was knowing where to begin. Not many dancers from St. Louis or even Missouri pursue dance at the Division 1A level so it was very hard for me to find the right resources when I knew this was a goal I wanted to accomplish,” Savacool said. 

Additionally, the college dance team auditions were during the COVID-19 lockdowns, so Savacool was attending school virtually during that time.  

“I would oftentimes reach out to my studio owner and rent out studio space to train during the school day in between my virtual Zoom classes,” she said. 

She would also set up 2-hour Zoom privates, she’d research the team and make sure her dance style aligned with what they were looking for in a potential recruit. 

“The process definitely wasn’t easy but I made sure to use every resource I could find in order to put myself in the best position to make the team,” Savacool said.

Despite the challenging process, Savacool’s efforts paid off and she was recruited to the FSU dance team.

“To be honest, I never imagined I would be where I am today. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine making this team, let alone being one of 16 girls that get to compete at the National Finals,” she said.

Through her perseverance, Savacool learned that it’s important to set goals. 

“The best advice I could give to any high schooler is never count yourself out. Even though I was an unknown dancer from the middle of the U.S. with very few connections to FSU, I never let that discourage me from shooting my shot with auditioning for this team,” she said. “Always set your goals high because you never know what you’re capable of. Once you’ve set that goal, do everything you can to accomplish it, and from there, what’s meant to happen will indeed happen.”