The Eaglettes and Desperados will perform at Messtival, a weekend-long, family-friendly music festival, on September 28 at 3 p.m. The performance will be after the Karol G tribute and before the Post Malone and Jelly Roll tribute shows.
Messtival will feature a mix of entertainment, including tribute acts to artists like Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen, high school dance groups, kids’ performances, inflatables and local vendors. It will be held at AT&T Stadium on September 27–28.
Desperados will perform a new “Play Something Country” dance and their “Only in America” dance from the back-to-school picnic. The Eaglettes will perform an officer routine to “Bad Romance” and a team Y2K hip hop dance.
Event founder Jon Besant said one of the biggest parts of Messtival is showcasing the local high school dance teams between major performances.
“It’s basically a celebration of music,” Besant said.
Head dance director Holly Hess was contacted by Besant spring of last year after a former Desperados’ parent recommended them to perform at Messtival. Ever since then, Hess has been working with Besant to get everything planned and organized for the festival.
Besant previously held Messtivals in England and Dubai but decided to move it to Dallas because he believes the people there are the best people in America. He said they’re very supporting and welcoming with their southern hospitality.
Besant said he’s always wanted high school dance teams in Messtival because they’re able to inspire the younger teams and children in the audience. He hopes those children will want to join the dance teams when they go to high school.
Senior Eaglettes captain Evelyn Wilson said because the event organizers are from England and are new to drill teams and Western dances, they’re very excited to introduce it and show how it’s performed to them.
“Being an English guy, I have no idea about anything,” Besant said. “I don’t even know the rules of American football. So everything for me is going to be a wonderful surprise.”
Besant and his team met with Wilson and the other Eaglettes at the first football game of the year to introduce himself, explain why he wants them performing at his event and described the headliners of that weekend.
“He’s just as excited as we are to get on that stage and perform,” Wilson said.
Besant and his team only stayed for the first quarter, but Wilson said he wanted to leave an impact on the Eaglettes by making sure they got to see his face and talked to him.
Senior Desperados Officer Mia Ortiz said Messtival is a big deal for them because it’s something they’ve never done before, so they want to put a lot of effort to make sure they look good and perform amazing.
Ortiz said anytime the team is together, they practice for the festival to make sure they’re confident and comfortable with their performances.
“Hopefully since there are things that we’ve done before, it won’t be something too crazy that we need to prepare for,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz said because they’re including in new routines in their performance, they’re spending a lot more time on those since they’re unfamiliar. While they will also take time to clean up their old routines, there’s an expectation that the Desperados will still remember it from muscle memory and keep it perfect.
Wilson said because Messtival is also new to the Eaglettes, they’re mixing in their routines for the festival with game practices to make sure they’re the best they can be.
Since Messtival’s stage is smaller and they’ll be performing on a Sunday, the Eaglettes and Desperados will be taking a smaller team based on who’s available. They will also have performances that are easy for them to perform on a small stage.
Ortiz said she wants a lot of cohesion from the team so she’s looking at who’s able to catch on, who’s going to be the best and who’s going to nail this performance. Instead of making sure everyone can fit in the smaller formation, she’s going to see which dancers can fit into it and make sure that they look and feel good.
“We do have a great idea of who’s going to be able to do it,” Ortiz said. “But again, it’s one of those things we want to make sure that we are shining it out there on that stage.”
Wilson said for this festival, they have to be prepared for a smaller stage, a various size of audience members and be ready to adapt to whatever challenges are thrown at them. Therefore, they’re going to take about half of their team and get their best people up there to entertain the audience.
“With it being a new experience, we just have to make sure that all of our team members are comfortable and are ready to get themselves out there,” Wilson said. “And that way, they’re not nervous.”
Ortiz said after performing at a SMU basketball game on TV, she doesn’t get nervous anymore for these performances. Instead, she sees Messtival as an exciting new opportunity for the team.
“We just really like to get ourselves and our brand out there and just show them some cool, flashy things that hopefully they’ll enjoy,” Ortiz said.
Besant said he hopes the Eaglettes and Desperados will gain more coverage and shows from performing at the festival.
Ortiz said from Messtival, she hopes to gain the knowledge and preparation for smaller performances because it’s very different and challenging. Since they can’t take the whole team, they don’t really know what to expect.
“I kind of want to learn how to adapt to little things like that and learn how I can be better,” Ortiz said.
Besant said he thinks Messtival will be huge for the Dallas community because most events happen in Frisco or Plano. For the festival, he’s brought different communities together, from Grand Prairie to Richardson.
“There’s people from every single region of DFW,” Besant.
A percentage of Messtival’s profits will go to to local children’s organizations from Children’s Health, Scottish Rite, Operation Bliss and local Hispanic youth groups.
“As the owner of this company, it’s my mission to raise funds and raise money for as many people as I can,” Besant said.
He said he hopes the community will come out to support the Eaglettes, the Desperados and the younger groups performing, while also enjoying the music and activities.
“Even if the activities are a little big younger, the music is for everybody,” Besant said.
