Dance has always been a passion for senior Mia Saegusa. Throughout her time in middle school, all Saegusa knew was ballet and lyrical dancing.

“The most out of my comfort zone that I went in middle school was taking lyrical classes, so [I had a] very much classical dance foundation,” Saegusa said.

But something changed in her by the time she got to high school. With some encouragement from her older sister Ava Saegusa, Saegusa decided to try out for ICE Cheer’s first dance team. The team was entirely hip-hop, which was the complete opposite of the slowness and technicality in ballet and lyrical dancing, which she was more comfortable with.

In order to get on the team, Saegusa first had to complete a two-part audition. The first part of her audition consisted of copying movements shown in a video, and the second part was the in-person tryouts.

“I was ridiculously nervous because it was very much a different style of dance. I didn’t have the physical vocabulary to translate to this style of dance,” Saegusa said. “I’m a person who very much [enjoys] staying in my little bubble.”

Despite making the conscious choice to switch her focus towards hip-hop, Saegusa faced a lot of self-doubt, comparison and fears, leading her to almost not go through with trying out for the team. Thanks to the motivation from her mom and sister, Saegusa ended up completing the auditions and making the team.

“I never would have experienced this team and community and all these competitions if I hadn’t just kind of gone for it,” Saegusa said.

When it comes to her willingness to take risks in the future, Saegusa said. “It made me more comfortable with stepping out of my comfort zone in the future because I got a positive outcome from it.”