LAFAYETTE, La. — For Ja'Loni Broussard, it all started simple: a 4-year-old dancing in her living room, not knowing it would turn into a lifetime passion.
"Me and my sister were in dance and they just kind of threw us into something and you know, not expecting anything out of it, but like I ended up like really loving it," Broussard said.
That love from a young age carried her to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she joined the Ragin' Jazz. Dance became more than just a movement it became joy, discipline and a place she could call her own.
"In here I forget about whatever is going on on the outside of this room and just teaching me like what it means to have a craft that you love and to work on it and just being dedicated to something," she said.
Her no-quit mentality, along with a Chicago Bulls coach direct message, opened the door to a tryout that changed everything.
"It was just like, OK, what's next. I didn't, I never let myself think ahead. Like I was just like, be present, be in the moment and focus on what you gotta do right here, right now," Broussard said. "They were like, OK, this is your new Luvabulls team, and I was just so, so excited, didn't feel real."
The 20-year-old senior now performs with the Luvabulls, the Chicago Bulls dance team. From performing in front of 13,500 at UL to now stepping into arenas with more than 20,000 seats, she's still taking it all in.
"You ready? I'm ready, yeah, yeah, I'm ready to perform on that court," Broussard said. "I'm super excited about everything that is to come. Every day I have to remind myself like yeah this is real. Little me would never have guessed that I would be here right now. I think she would be proud personally."
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