Lynbrook resident dances at Gillette Stadium before Patriots’ NFL season-opener

Lynbrook resident Catherine Zervas started off her senior year at Dean College in Franklin, Mass. with a bang. She was among the students who had the opportunity to dance on the football field at Gillette Stadium before the New England Patriots hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in their season-opener on Sept. 7.

“It was just a surreal moment,” Zervas said. “I can’t even explain it. It was like a rush just being out in the middle of the field where they play their football games and being able to do what I love.”

Zervas, who graduated from Lynbrook High School in 2014, is a dance major at the college. She had the opportunity to dance at Gillette Stadium two years ago, but called this year even more special because she got to participate with her friends Kendra Wilson, Alyssa Eagan and Morgan Cacciapouti.

The opportunity came about because Dean College has a partnership with The Kraft Group, owned by Patriots owner Robert Kraft, which asked available dance majors to get involved. Before kick-off, Zervas and her friends got to dance along to three songs from rapper Flo Rida, who performed live. Zervas said it was a good learning experience because she had the opportunity to see how everything comes together behind the scenes.

The dancers had one rehearsal on the day before the game, Zervas said, and went over the choreography in the rain. Zervas said that now that she had another taste of performing at the stadium, she wants to continue dancing after she graduates, possibly as an NFL cheerleader or NBA dancer, and would like to open up her own studio.

As for performing in front of thousands of fans at Gillette Stadium, Zervas was up to the task. “I wouldn’t say that I was really nervous at all,” she said. “Just excited to be able to get out there and dance in front of so many people."