MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Appling Middle School’s dance team was on its way back from winning a national championship recently when the team gave its biggest performance — at the Orlando airport boarding gate.
The team of 17 girls from Bartlett took 2nd place in pom and 1st place in hop-hop at the DTU Nationals in Orlando over the weekend.
On the way back Monday, a Southwest Airlines agent told the girls they couldn’t board without performing for the audience in the terminal.
That’s exactly what they did.
A Pittsburgh photojournalist happened to be waiting to board the same flight, and captured the performance on his phone.
Now it’s making its way across the internet as well as the CBS network.
Team coach Lauren Scarborough explained what happened:
“Our dancers were bringing home an enormous trophy. When the agent saw the girls carrying it, he asked what they won and they told him they had just gotten 1st place for middle school hip hop at DTU nationals.
“He then jokingly said that they would then have to perform to be able to get on the plane. But then he announced there would be a performance and a crowd gathered. The girls then had an impromptu performance.”
