The P.S. 257 Competitive Dance Team recently visited HITN TV studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to share their journey. The team, along with their instructor, discussed their experiences and had their story documented for a feature.

Members of the P.S. 257 Competitive Dance Team.

P.S. 257, located in the Williamsburg/Bushwick area of Brooklyn, houses the Magnet School of Performing Arts. The school encourages students to achieve academic success while developing talents in acting, singing, dancing, and playing instruments.

Team members Alaia Acevedo, Bella Garcia, Brave Gonzalez, Gabriella St. Phard, Jenna Soto, Keyla Rason, Koralyn Rivera, Laniya Brathwaite, and Scarlett Rivera have competed in both regional and national dance competitions, earning awards for their performances of Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form.

Despite being a public school team competing against private institutions, P.S. 257 has garnered recognition for Best Execution, Best Costume, Most Entertaining, and Grand Champion titles. The dancers’ mastery of Bharatanatyam, despite having no Indian or Hindu background, highlights the arts’ power to promote cultural understanding.

HITN’s feature on the dance team showcases the profound impact of performing arts on the lives of these young dancers, sharing their accomplishments with a wider audience.