FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL DANCE TEAM DAZZLES INTO RECORD BOOKS
US Dance Champions sweep eighteen first-place finishes to finish high overall

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (March 31, 2008) –The Seminole Dazzlers, a nationally
ranked girls high school dance team from the Orlando Florida area, was named the United States Dance Champions at the MA International Competition. The team won the overall first place honors in the medium team category having swept 18 first place finishes. This makes the Dazzlers the most successful high school dance team in the nation, and possibly in United States history. The competition was held at the Fort Worth Convention Center on March 29 and 30 with more than 2,500 girls in 125 teams competed in more than 1,100 performances. Events such as high kick, pom, hip-hop and military style dance wowed the crowd. The Dazzlers' Officer Line also won first place overall.

The Seminole Dazzlers are an all-girl nationally ranked championship high school dance team from Seminole High School in Sanford Florida, near Orlando. The Dazzlers are seven-time National Champions and have been the Florida State Champions every year since 2002. The Dazzlers are coached by Maureen Maguire, who formed the team in 1984, and her daughter Shannon Maguire, a former Dazzler herself, who returned to Seminole High to teach math and help her mother coach the team.

While the Maguire's have led the team to over 25 national and state championship titles, they still believe their most significant impact is on the lives of the girls they train. "They learn about discipline, hard work and the value of contributing to something greater than themselves," said Maureen Maguire. "Being a Dazzler takes a commitment by the student to prioritize their lives and balance academics, family and team at varying levels and at various times during the year. During the week of Nationals however, I win. The team gets priority."

Former Dazzlers have gone on to start their own dance studios, join the Rockettes and perform on Broadway. The 83-girl team practices up to 12 hours a week, performs for school football games, travels to the state championship competition each year, and to the national championships if funding allows. The cost of attending the national championship runs the team about $35,000, which primarily comes from fundraising efforts by the dancers and their parents.

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