MERIDEN — Dancers from Higher Movement Dance Studio took the field last week during a Mets game at Citi Field for Dance and Cheer Day.
They got to dance alongside the Jets Flight Crew Cheerleaders as well as other dance and cheer groups from around New York and Connecticut.
Higher Movement Owner Kirby Shields received a call about the opportunity and jumped right on it.
“Someone actually just called from the Mets and I’m a huge baseball fan so I said ‘Yeah, absolutely’ and they said we just had to purchase the tickets and we’d get a whole bunch of stuff,” Shields said.
Twelve dancers from the studio went to the event, ranging in age from 8 years old to 77 years old. Sally Smith, who is 77 and takes classes at Higher Movement, was one of the oldest dancers on the field but says she enjoyed every minute of it.
“I just love being there with the kids. It was wonderful,” Smith said. “At my age you really only have so many more years to do these things so I said to myself, ‘why not!’”
The group danced on the outfield in front of a packed stadium, including friends and family. Taylor Clem, one of the girls who attended Dance and Cheer Day, says it was the coolest thing she has ever done.
“It was also my first time going to a professional baseball game plus I got to dance there too,” said Clem, 12. “I was so excited and I just love to dance so it was a really cool experience.”