PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - A high school marching band is bringing a little Parisian flair to South Florida.
The Panther Marching Band at Somerset Academy Charter School in Pembroke Pines is preparing for the state’s annual competition. The theme of their routine this year is none other than the City of Lights.
“We decided to have a Paris theme,” said band director Tatiana Ortega. “Something fun, something more — instead of doing the dark side, like most bands, we decided to do something more fun and do a love story, so we decided to bring Paris to you.”
Parents even got involved to bring the French capital to South Florida. “Our parents are awesome,” Ortega said. “They built the biggest Eiffel Tower they could possibly build for us.”
“We have a saying, ‘We go big or we go home,’ so we decided to go big,” said parent Steve Riley. “The tower stands about 27 feet on its base.”
On Saturday, the Panthers performed in a preliminary event at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines. They’ve been practicing since May, rehearsing several times a week.
They’ll participate in several competitions throughout the fall season.
“Our band did awesome. They performed very, very well,” Ortega said. “They worked very hard, and their work showed off in the field.”
The band is looking to repeat past success. They were 2A state champions in 2013, and they placed third last year.
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