Limestone Dance Coach Keasha Currence Becomes TopCat Cheerleader For NFL's Panthers

Limestone Head Dance Coach and University alumna Keasha Currence has landed a second job for 2022 – named recently as a TopCat cheerleader for the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers.

Over 600 dancers submitted the initial application to be considered. From there, the number of dancers was whittled down through two rounds of tryouts, until the final roster of 30 was decided.

And the Limestone alum made the cut.

Between the semifinal and final round, the remaining competitors went through an interview process where they received feedback on their performance and explained why they wanted to make the team. For Currence, a recipient of the Presidential Volunteer National Service Award in 2016, being a TopCat means being a representative for both the Charlotte metropolitan area and the Upstate of South Carolina.  

“Being a TopCat isn’t just dancing,” she explained. “We do appearances, we do community service. I just wanted to be able to be a part of that.”

Currence tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the semifinal round, yet still moved on to the final round before eventually being selected for the team. She expects to make her TopCat debut in October, the culmination of a years-long journey to the professional squad.

Of course, part of that five-year process passed through Limestone as well.

Currence graduated from Limestone in 2017, with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a minor in studio art. Originally from Rock Hill and a former cheerleader for South Pointe High School, she was recruited and served as a cheerleader for the Saints from 2012 to 2014 before joining the dance team. She was also crowned Miss Limestone in 2016.

In 2021, Currence returned to Limestone, this time as the head coach of the dance team known as the Fleurettes.

“It’s been a great blessing to come back to my alma mater, because dance here saved me,” she said. “I absolutely love the community here and they really rally around you.”

After starting out with only five dancers on the team in 2021, she built that number up to 12 after two weeks. Now, with a full recruiting cycle under her belt, she has brought the roster size to 23, the largest dance team in Limestone history.

The Fleurettes will continue to compete in national competitions this season but will also look to create some new traditions in 2022. As football moves to campus, the dance team will have a presence on gameday, making appearances at different tailgating locations and even starting their own tailgate spot, opening it up for everyone to come and enjoy. There is also a plan to put on a ‘Future Fleurette” camp during the basketball season, which will be free for the community.

Through all of that, Currence wants to make sure she passes along the knowledge and skills she acquires as a TopCat to those she coaches at Limestone, especially to current Fleurettes who want to go pro.

“I will not be the last Fleurette to make a professional team,” she said.