The smell of hairspray and rhinestones filling the atmosphere of the large gym indicates the beginning of the annual Forté dance competition. On Jan. 30, the HHS Equestriettes dance team hosted schools from around the Bay Area to compete in the annual dance competition.

“Forte has been hosted for numerous years on the HHS campus,” Equestriette coach Sara Frausto said.

Forte is the first competition of the season for many high school dance teams.

Teams compete for a placement in the competition for their specific category such as jazz, lyrical and small group. Each category has a third, second and first place.

The Equestriette dance team has worked rigorously throughout the year to start the competition season off with a bang.

“Our team has been working extra hard since competition season has started,” Equestriette captain and senior Adeline Chin said.

The Mustang dance team could only be evaluated, not included in  placement, since they were hosts of this dance competition. Even so, the girls did a tremendous job and brought great honor to the Mustangs.

“I was really proud of the girls during the competition,” assistant coach Shiyo Yamamoto said. Presentation High School took first place in all of their divisions.

With a great start to the competition season, the HHS dance team will now prepare for another competition at Bella Vista and Monta Vista in the upcoming weeks.