Behind every strong performance is strong leadership, and for the GHS dance team, that leadership comes from Shaylee Thomas and Jayden Escobar.
Shaylee and Jayden first met as freshmen in their human geography class. Shaylee remembered Jayden talking about the dance team, which made her excited to join the next year. They became close friends as they both prepared to be head captains as seniors, and they eventually ended up leading the team together.
Shaylee’s dance journey began at the age of three years old when she joined a local dance studio. Over ten years at the studio, she took numerous genres of dance, such as ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical and contemporary. Shaylee joined the GHS dance team during her sophomore year, and she was excited just to be able to dance. She loved the community and later became the squad captain during her junior year, and then she ran for head captain.
Shaylee said, “I value the legacy of the GHS dance team, and…I believed that I would be capable of leading the team, of course, with the hope I would have someone like Jayden to lead it with me.”
Jaden’s parents were his inspiration to become part of the dance community. Watching old videos of them, from when they were also on the high school dance team, motivated him to follow in their footsteps and join the team as well.
For Shaylee, dancing is special, because it allows her to perform and compete alongside her friends, making all the hard work feel worth it when they get to share their routines with a crowd. Jayden values the tight-knit bond within the team, saying that the strong sense of unity makes dancing together feel meaningful and special.
One of Shaylee’s most memorable moments came from performing at USA Camp, where they announced the Glendale dance team, and the entire camp cheered in excitement, showing how recognized the team is across Southern California. For Jayden, he fondly remembers landing impressive tricks during performances and hearing the crowd’s reactions.
The GHS dance team is special because of its strong bond and wide range of skill levels. Shaylee and Jayden both agree that dance is for everyone, and the team welcomes dancers with little or no experience, while helping them grow in their teamwork, athleticism and time management. They both currently perform hip-hop the most, but their favorite styles are different. Shaylee prefers lyrical and contemporary, while Jayden prefers hip-hop and leads by setting a strong example for strength and effort.
The hardest part of being a captain is handling leadership while staying true to your own personal expectations. Shaylee shared that trusting her gut and not letting others overrule her decisions can be difficult, especially when trying to please everyone.
Jayden agrees that this can be a challenge. “The hardest part of being a captain is continuing to be firm even with your closest friends, and always being the example even when you are tired or sad,” he said. To make things easier, they split their responsibilities and work as a team of two, with Shaylee managing schedules and team organization and Jayden leading the performance and routine quality.
Outside of dance, Shaylee enjoys crafts, like embroidery, crocheting and scrapbooking, and she enjoys spending time with friends and family. Jayden enjoys guitar, skateboarding, music, cars, bowling, pool, and fashion.
After graduation, Shaylee plans to attend a four-year university to study chemical engineering and does not plan to continue dancing. But Jayden plans to continue dancing after high school and will take classes outside of college, as he pursues a career in the medical field.
Together, Shaylee and Jaden show that leadership is about teamwork and supporting each other. With their love for dancing, they inspire their teammates to work together and stay strong. If you are interested in dancing, it’s never too late to join our amazing team, so contact Ms. Palmer at [email protected] today!
