Dancers from Newton and PCM High Schools will be performing Friday at the Iowa State Dance/Drill Team Association’s State Championships in Des Moines. For Newton Solo Finalist MeLayna Budinich, this will be her fourth consecutive year performing in the Solo Championships. She’s scheduled to dance in the Class VIII Solo Finals at 9:36 a.m. Friday morning in the Junior Ballroom on the lower level of Hy-Vee Hall. Budinich started dancing when she was two, while at the dance studio her mother owns. She is the first member of Newton’s dance team to qualify for the State Solo Championship all four years of high school, which came as a surprise to Budinich.

“I honestly asked Graham if she checked all the statistics because I didn’t think that was true. But I guess it is. It was really like a ‘wow’ kind of moment.”

Graham Sullivan is the Sponsor for the Newton Pacesetters dance team. Newton High School dancers will also be performing in four team divisions Friday at Wells Fargo Arena. The Pacesetters will perform in Contemporary Class II at 10:59 a.m., Kick Class II at 12:29 p.m., Hip Hop Class VII at 2:58 p.m., and The Mix Class III at 6:27 p.m..

PCM’s Dance Team qualified in two team divisions. PCM will be in the finals for Hip Hop Class VIII at 9:32 a.m. Friday morning, and in Pom Class VIII at 6:23 p.m Friday night, with both performances also taking place in Wells Fargo Arena.