Addison Davis is a senior at La Porte High school and a member of the varsity dance team. Driven by her love for dance shows on television from a young age, she aspired to become a dancer and continued that dream throughout middle school and high school.
“I watched a lot of dance shows and I really liked it,” said Davis. “I did cheerleading when I was about 10 years old, and I continued that until high school.”
Davis has been on the dance team at La Porte High School since freshman year and has enjoyed everything about it. She’s very enthusiastic and works hard on her craft. Recently, she was selected to participate at the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Hawaii on December 7.
The Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade has served to commemorate the anniversary of the invasion of Pearl Harbor and honor the veterans and families affected every year but due to the pandemic, they had to stop the parade last year. This year they commenced their annual tradition of remembrance.
“In July, there was a tryout for the All-American camp, and we ended up going to Western Michigan University at Kalamazoo, Michigan. I tried out and I ended up being chosen,” said Davis.
Going on the trip with her mom, Amanda, they traveled to Hawaii from December 4-8. The trip was planned out by the Pearl Harbor Parade committee and organized different activities for her and her mom to experience, including a trip on the U.S.S. Missouri battleship. They also were introduced and met some veterans during the trip. In addition, they participated in a luau, which is a traditional Hawaiian feast accompanied by lively music and vibrant cultural performances from Hawaiian and Polynesian cultures.
The dance routine was sent to Davis and other participants months prior to the parade so they could practice.
“After we told them that we were going to go, they sent me a video of the routine in July to practice for the parade,” said Davis. “We got one practice in before while we were there too.”
A nerve-wracking experience that turned into one of her great memories, Davis was excited to travel for the first time and was extremely honored to participate in the parade.
“I’ve never done anything close to that before. It was my first time flying on an airplane and my first time seeing the ocean,” said Davis. “I’ve always wanted to go since my freshman year but never had the guts to do it. It was my last year, so I was like, I have to do it now. The turnout was big considering they didn’t do the parade last year. I feel it meant a lot to them. It was truly amazing, and I would definitely do it again.”
Facing tough decisions in her future, Davis is still undecided on her choice of school post-high school but knows she wants to continue dancing and chase a career in choreographing and teaching dance routines. She currently coaches dancing for Pop Warner for middle school kids.
“My favorite subject in school I would say is English purely because I struggle less with it and I love to read books, such as fictional and romantic novels,” said Davis.
Davis loves to spend time with her friends and family outside of school and hopes to continue her dancing career through college.