By Caroline White, Contributing Writer
Hudson – In the dance studio of Hudson High School, you will find a group of smiling, energetic varsity dance team members working diligently on their routines. Among them is Morghan Ghize, a senior girl diagnosed with autism. Morghan has been dancing since she was three years old at Dance On Dance Center, and never lost her love of the sport. This is her 15th year at the studio, showing her dedication to dance. Later in her career, she joined the dance team at Hudson High.
“I was on the dance team from eighth grade,” she said.
Her mother, Diane Ghize, explains that her friends from Dance On were the reason she decided to join the Hudson High team. They were all doing it together, so Morghan decided to try it out as well.
Morghan lists a wide variety of styles of dance that she’s tried: “Dances like hip hop, jazz, lyrical, musical theater for finals, shimmy shake, Zumba. I was in show choir when I was 12.”
She adds, “I like to dance lyrical the best.”
Morghan is also is exceptionally talented at memorization. Her mother marvels at how she can keep several dances in her head at once, commenting, “She has no problem memorizing.”
Diane explained how being part of the dance team has had a positive impact on Morghan.
“She is the same as everybody else when she’s dancing. She doesn’t have to talk and you can’t really point her out in the crowd when she’s dancing so she’s just like everybody else,” she said. “It just equalizes everything for her. That’s what dance does.”
Morghan generally spends her free time with fellow special needs students, attending football games and plays and going out for dinner. But, according to her mother, the girls on the Hudson High dance team and in her dance classes love her and welcome her into their groups with open arms.
“All the girls that danced with her over the years went to her 16th birthday party and they’re always very like ‘Hi’ and ‘Hello’ on the weekends or in classes. I think she gets a lot of recognition, I think people know who she is here,” Diane said. “They all respect her and want her to be a part of everything. They have team dinners and a lot of team-building activities and she’s always included in everything.”
Morghan noted that one of her favorite parts about being a part of the dance team is spending time with the girls. Dancing also fills her with confidence, and her mother describes how she is a dauntless performer.
“When she’s dancing at a pep rally or something like that, she is very fearless,” Diane said. “Some kids would be petrified to be out in front of almost 1,000 people but it doesn’t matter to her. She just dances freely and has a good time.”
Hudson High School varsity dance coach Kelly Haley gushes about Morghan’s shining presence on her team.
“She is always willing to learn, she’s always upbeat, and she loves to be at dance,” Haley said. “You can always count on her. You can always count on seeing her smile.”