ROXANA – For many people, New Year’s Day is the start of a brand new year, and many people are relaxing, watching the various parades and college football bowl games, and thinking about the new year ahead.
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For Roxana High School Dance Team senior Cassidy Harvey, New Year’s Day was one that she’ll never forget.
Harvey, who’s a captain for the Shells’ Dance Team, was one of 300 cheerleaders, dance team members and drum majors from across the country selected to represent a United States troupe that performed in a New Year’s Day festival in Rome, Italy.
The team was selected during summer camps sponsored by the Universal Dance Association, National Dance Alliance and United Spirit Association. The members were selected based upon their superior athletic and leadership skills. What made it even more special is that only 12 percent of the participants in the camps are selected to represent their country in the festival in Rome.
“I was really excited,” Harvey said in a recent interview. “I wasn’t too surprised, but I was still excited.”
There still were financial issues to be worked out for the trip, but once those issues were resolved, and Harvey sent in her paperwork for the trip, “I was really excited.”
And it didn’t really hit her until the plane she was on took off for Rome.
“I didn’t really believe that I was going until I was on the plane,” Harvey said, “and then once I was on and it took off, it was amazing that I was actually going,” she said with a laugh.
The trip that Harvey went on was something that she worked hard for, according to her mother, Shelly Harvey.
“She always works very hard, she’s very dedicated, and she always put her heart into everything she does,” Shelly Harvey said.
A member of the dance team since her freshman year, Cassidy has been dancing since she was three, and it’s always something that came very natural to her, according to Shelly.
“Yes, I’m very proud,” Shelly said.
The actual performance on New Year’s Day consisted of a routine as part of a parade in the streets of Rome, and the troupe was very well received by the spectators, despite the language barrier.
“It was kind of cool, because (the people) couldn’t understand what we were saying,” Cassidy said, “but people can see all of the emotions and feelings of dance.”
And of course, Cassidy and the rest of the troupe had the time of their lives in Rome, with sightseeing and visits to Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel, where some of the most famous paintings in the world are, including the famous paintings on the ceiling of the chapel by Michelangelo.
“It was pretty,” Cassidy said. “We saw the Sistine Chapel, and it was so beautiful, seeing all the artwork. It was very cool.”
And as the old saying starts, When in Rome, and the troupe did just that when they visited the famed Trevi Fountain and threw coins into the water. Legend has it that if you throw a coin with your left hand over your right shoulder, you’ll one day return to Rome.
“I did throw a coin into the fountain,” Cassidy said, “but I had to throw two because I missed on the first,” she said with a laugh.
There was also a side trip to the nearby city of Florence, and the proverbial good time was had by all.
It was definitely a trip of a lifetime for Cassidy, and it’s a trip her mom is very proud of her for taking as well.
“I’m very proud of her,” Shelly said, “because she’s kind of shy in unknown situations like this, so for her to make this trip by herself was a great accomplishment for her.”
And when Shelly talked to her daughter on the phone during the trip, she could tell how much fun Cassidy was having.
“She had a really, really good time,” Shelly said. “Every time I talked to her, she was really excited, and she really enjoyed it.”
But, alas, all good things must come to an end, and when it was time to head back to the United States, Cassidy reluctantly boarded the plane home, but not without making great memories and friends along the way.
“I was really kind of disappointed to come home,” Cassidy said. “I made so many good friends, and saw so many great buildings, I didn’t want to get back on the plane,” she said laughing.
And as this is Cassidy’s senior year at Roxana, there’s possibly continuing on a dance team in college, but she’s keeping her options open.
“She’s talked about it, and looked at different schools with dance teams,” Shelly said, “but she hasn’t decided what she wants to do or where she wants to go. She’s going to do great things.”
And Cassidy will always have the very fond memories of The Eternal City and her trip.
“I felt like it was a great experience to go out on my own and seeing a new culture,” Cassidy said. “It was an unforgettable experience.”
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