farragutpress

Nation’s No. 1 — again

BHS program adds 7th national title at UDA Championships

February 17, 2023 by Staff Reports

ORLANDO, FLORIDA — The 2022-23 Bearden High School dance team, 20 members strong, has added a seventh national championship to the program’s all-time collection. The Bulldogs took home the first-place trophy in Large Varsity Game Day division during the Universal Dance Association National Dance Team Championships, held in Orlando Friday through Sunday, Feb. 3-5.

This is Bearden’s third straight Game Day national title and fourth in program history.

The seven UDA National Championships and 16 TSSAA State Championships marks the Bearden program as “the most successful dance program in Tennessee,” a BHS press release stated.

Led by head coach Hannah Keathley and BHS sponsor Rebecca Nutter, Bearden also was a national finalist in this year’s Large Varsity Jazz and Large Varsity Pom divisions, “cementing its status as one of the top-ranked dance programs in the country,” the release further stated.

“Winning a UDA National Championship is an incredibly difficult thing to do. The best dance teams in the country are all competing for the title,” Keathley said. “For Bearden to bring home a championship in this division for the third year in a row, it truly shows their pride for our school and respect for the legacy of the program.”