Brittany Noble was named Miss Dance Team Minnesota after hours of hard work and perseverance, but she doesn’t take all the credit. She gladly shares it with long-time friend Tyrese Parker, the choreographer of her dance routine and fellow classmate at Tech High School.
After deciding to compete in the Miss Dance Team Minnesota competition, Noble approached Parker about working together on her dance routine. The pair, along with other friends, hit the dance studio just about every weekend to throw dance routines together just for fun. It was quite coincidental, and almost cosmic, how the stars aligned one evening.
“It was midnight and I was up watching the Olympics on TV,” says Parker. “Brittany was up at the same time watching the Olympics. A commercial came on and it was the poem, “Human Family” by Maya Angelou. I don’t even know what the commercial was for . . . but I texted Brittany right away that this is what the song should be, the poem put with music.”
“He didn’t know that I saw the same commercial at the exact same time,” explains Noble. “It was my idea too. I texted him at the same time with the same idea.”
“Human Family” was meant to be.
Parker chose the instrumental music to pair with the spoken word poem. It is a piece that he has always loved and different from any other piece he had seen at previous competitions.
“The goal is to stand out,” says Noble. “All the other performers usually perform to a lyrical or ballad piece.”
The team had five weeks to put the routine together and to get it mastered. In the dance world, that is not a lot of time.
“Because I know Brittany so well and the way she dances, I was able to give her something [a dance move] and give it to her to execute.”
“And, because we’re friends I could say, ‘Hey, I don’t like that.’,” replies Noble.
Simplicity was their theme. The poem is about humanity and oneness, so the costume was done in nude colors and without all the extra bling and sparkle that is typically associated with dance costumes. It was just one more way to reach their goal of standing out.
“I pressured Brittany to the point that it was too much,” says Parker.
“I needed it!” laughs Noble. “I had to win for Tyreese. He’s had so many other successes [in his life]. I couldn’t let him down.”
The duo worked tirelessly for the five weeks leading to the competition. Noble ran through the routine in her head even when she wasn’t dancing.
“If you’re not comfortable with your routine or you have no desire for your routine, it shows.” says Noble. “There wasn’t a day that went by that the song wasn’t in my head.”
Noble goes on to explain further.
“The goal is not to impress the audience, but to inspire them, to make sure they feel something,” she says. “My mindset was, ‘I don’t need to win. I just want to move the audience.’ I didn’t expect to win.”
Parker responds, “I didn’t think she would either! The girl that beat her last year came in at seventh place this year. As soon as the announcer said, ‘St. Cloud,’ I lost it! It was the best feeling that she actually did it.”
“I was so overwhelmed,” shares Noble. “I’m not a person who tears up.”
What’s next for these two? Nationals. Noble will be competing in the Miss Dance/Drill Team USA in Orange County, California in March.
Parker is enthusiastic. “It’ll be the same routine and costume for nationals. Some changes will be made. Add more difficulty and clean it up more and just go in with an open mind,” says Parker.
“We’re competing at a national level. You don’t know what people from California will be performing,” explains Noble.
The two are continuing to make the routine evolve into something “just a little more” in hopes of moving the audience in California.
“The key to success is to work hard,” states Noble.
“Push yourself out of your comfort zone,” adds Parker. “Push your limits and explore as an artist and what it does for you.”
“You never know how successful you can be if you don’t try,” says Noble.
Nationals is just one more stepping stone for this dynamic duo. Parker’s goal is to be a professional dancer and choreographer.
“I’ve already added that I choreographed the routine for Miss Dance Team Minnesota to my resume,” says Parker.
He is hoping to add Miss Dance/Drill Team USA.
Noble wants to go into neuroscience. Being named Miss Dance Team Minnesota and possibly Miss Dance/Drill Team USA could open doors to colleges and universities to be on a college dance team and study in the field.
Both are very proud of their accomplishments and look forward to the next exciting chapter.
Going forward, they understand well Maya Angelou’s refrain:
We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.
