Following in the footsteps: the Darcangelos

BY ADDYS PLATA AND ALEXANDRA ROA, STAFF WRITERS

Taking on the phrase, ‘like mother, like daughter,’ alumnus Diana Diaz Darcangelo and senior Demi “Gabby” Darcangelo bond over their shared experiences as members of the Gablettes Dance Team.

Going beyond synchronized routines, precise kicks and balanced movements, the Gablettes create a long-lasting impact. Since the establishment of the Gablettes Dance Team in 1975, team members have prided themselves on passing down their vibrant history and unique traditions. These traditions include ‘big’ and ‘little’ pairings –– when upperclassmen choose underclassmen to guide through both gifts and motivations during events.

Teammates dedicate five to six hours of practice everyday after school. Alongside hard work not only comes rewarding success, but lifelong friendships and tools to be applied throughout life. Hoping to share her journey as a Gablette, Diaz Darcangelo looked forward to passing her passion for the team to one of her children. That dream came true when her oldest daughter took an interest in the team that helped define her high school experience.

DIANA DIAZ DARCANGELO

Thirty years seems like just the other day to mother Diana Diaz Darcangelo as she is reliving her high school moments through her daughter. As a former Gablette and alumnus, Diaz Darcangelo was a member of the dance team from 1988 to 1991.

Growing up in South Florida, Diaz Darcangelo dreamed of becoming a Gablette. With an esteemed reputation in the dance world, hearing the high regards towards the team, Diaz Darcangelo excitedly joined the Gablettes during her sophomore year of high school.

Being a Gablette meant forming a part of a very close-knit team to Diaz Darcangelo. As a teammate, she not only focused on bettering her dancing skills but also herself. Discipline, determination and drive are all priceless lessons that Diaz Darcangelo has carried with her throughout her entire life.

As a Gablette, Diaz Darcangelo learned how to deal with criticism and overcome disappointments as they have come and gone throughout her life.

In college, Diaz Darcangelo continued dancing for the University of Florida Dazzlers. With hundreds of women trying out and only fourteen making the team, Diaz Darcangelo credits the Gablettes for her making the cut.

“Gablettes is the most amazing team experience you could ever have the privilege of doing,” Diaz Darcangelo said.

Diaz Darcangelo has never been a stranger to hard work. The same discipline that drove her to be a national award-winning dancer for the Gablettes was applied to working tirelessly upward to her successful career as a news anchor for Channel 7.

“Gablettes gave me the confidence, skills and a lot of other qualities to go after something,” Diaz Darcangelo said. That, I give full props to Gablettes for because if it were not for the things Gablettes taught and instilled in me, I do not think I would even be on television today. All the things I learned at Gablettes helped me to reach the point that I am at now in my career.”

As a role model to her daughter, Diaz Darcangelo is a firm believer in hard work and maintains a rigorous work schedule. Recognizing how Gablettes continues to instill these core values in her daughter, Diaz Darcangelo reinforces the importance of maintaining that discipline to be applied throughout the rest of Darcangelo’s life.

As a motherdaughter duo, sharing such a similar experiencehas caused Darcangelo a n d Darcangelo to become closer. Bonding over their parallel high school lives, the consistency of the Gablettes has brought instant connections for one another to relate to. When Darcangelo will be showing Diaz Darcangelo a dance or routine, Diaz Darcangelo will recall moments when she was a Gablette and they used similar moves. Not only have some moves of the Gablettes stayed the same, but also have the values and traditions.

As the Gablettes have shaped Diaz Darcangelo to the person she is today, she extends her legacy through her daughter. Not only have some the Gablettes’s moves stayed the same, but also the values and traditions.

DEMI "GABBY" DARCANGELO

In the past four years, senior Demi “Gabby” Darcangelo has embraced the Gablette traditions passed down through generations. As a second-generation dancer and teammate, Darcangelo has followed in her mother’s footsteps since she was a kid.

Growing up, Darcangelo admired a house full of her mom’s memories as a dancer for the UF Dazzlers. Darcangelo hoped to one day be in high ponytails and sparkly outfits as a dancer on a close-knit team. As a result of their shared interests, her mom introduced her to dance by enrolling her in a program at the studio Dance Gallery at the age of three and a cheerleading program at Top Gun at eight years old.

After several years of playing sports like lacrosse, Darcangelo decided to go back to her roots and continue more acrobatic activities like cheerleading and dancing. Upon entering high school, she hoped to join the school’s dance team. By the end of her eighth-grade year, she began training with the Gablettes as a Gablette “Candie” — a brandnew member of the Gablettes.

“My mom always said that as a Gablette she learned how to be responsible and learned how to manage many things at once,” Darcangelo said. “I didn’t really believe it made such a big difference until I started on the team and learned how to organize school, Gablettes and other things that I do during the day.”

During her first year on the team, Darcangelo struggled to learn kick-dancing, a skill known for its intricate formation changes accompanied by long kick lines and unique kick sequences. While she practiced her kicking skills, her mom helped her get accustomed to the movements by practicing with her and showing her pictures of her kicking while she was a Gablette in high school.

“My freshman year I got most improved and after I got it she told me that her freshman year she got most improved as well so that kind of made me realize that we are kind of similar,” Darcangelo said.

Looking at pictures of her mom motivated Darcangelo to continue perfecting her skills and bonding with her mom. Throughout the years, kicking has become Darcangelo’s favorite activity as she proudly executes strong, high kicks to represent her team.

Having her mom as a role model and mentor has helped Darcangelo better herself as a dancer. When she initially made the team her mom helped her in learning the grandstands, the cheers that the Gablettes present on the sidelines of football games since they had stayed the same after she was a Gablette.

Darcangelo also films her routines and her mom views them after practice and she advises her on things she can work on to im prove. She is grateful for her mom’s support towards her passion, as having her present at all of her performances has helped them bondabout something her other siblings do not do.

“I think dance helps us bond. We don’t have much in common but dance has definitely brought us closer because it’s something that we both enjoyed doing,” Darcangelo said. My whole family knows that Gablettes is a big family thing and they love what Gablettes stands for and how much it teaches you how to manage time.”