DRESDEN, Germany (EYT) — For one local girl and her USA Tap Dance teammates, a dream trip to Germany and the World Tap Dancing Competition almost didn’t happen.

(Photo courtesy of American Tap Company Facebook Page)

According to Amy Baumcratz, the mother of dancer Kaylee Baumcratz, who is 12, the team was slated to fly from Boston to Germany Saturday via Lufthansa but had their flights canceled because of a Lufthansa pilots’ strike.

Lufthansa is the largest German airline, and its pilots have been on strike since last week in a protracted dispute over employment terms according to the Wall Street Journal forcing the airline to cancel thousands of flights.

“We were scheduled to fly out of Boston Saturday night,” Amy Baumcratz told EYT Media. “But Lufthansa pilots are on strike, and our flight was canceled. We found out Friday morning after we had already driven to Boston for Kaylee’s last rehearsal.”

After nearly an entire day of not knowing if they would be able to make it to Germany, the team, with the help of United Airlines, was able to book travel to Germany according to Baumcratz.

“The Carberry family, the coaches of the American Tap Company and choreographers for most of the USA Tap Team dancers competing in Germany worked all day Friday trying to get the word out about the team not having flights to Germany,” Amy Baumcratz said. “They used social media, local Boston Media — I believe the CBS station channel 5 — and all of the parents were doing the same. Finally, at about midnight Friday, they got word that United was working to help us. At first, they were going to fly us to San Francisco and then to Germany, but then United had a plane from Newark fly empty to Boston to take the team to Chicago for two separate flights to Germany.

“Kaylee and I were lucky enough to be on the first flight that left right after we landed in Chicago to go to Frankfurt where we then got on standby for a flight to Dresden, our final destination. Luckily, again, we made that flight and arrived Sunday around 11:30 a.m. German time. Meanwhile, about half the others from the Boston-Chicago flight got split into smaller groups. Some went to Toronto, London, Paris, even Iceland, and another large group only left Chicago late Sunday arriving in Germany Monday around Noon German time. The entire team is here now.

“United deserves a huge kudos for doing all they could to get everybody here. They definitely went out of their way by having that plane from Newark come to Boston just to pick the team up. The USA Tap Team were the only passengers on that plane to Chicago.”

According to Amy Baumcratz, the Carberry sisters — Kelli, Karen and Krissy (the coaches of the team) — were the driving force behind getting the team to Germany.

“They were up until 2 a.m. Saturday working with United coordinating everything and messaging the team on Facebook to let them know to be ready at a moment’s notice,” Baumcratz said. “They stayed positive through it all and never gave up.”

Even though Kaylee doesn’t dance until Thursday, her and her mom were worried they weren’t going to get to Germany by Tuesday when the event started.

“Kaylee and I were starting to think we weren’t going to get there in time,” Amy Baumcratz said. “She doesn’t dance until Thursday, but if the coaches and other dancers who start on Tuesday weren’t there in time for the event to start the team would’ve forfeited.”

Baumcratz, a student at North Clarion Jr./Sr. HIgh School who dances at the Dancer’s Studio in Clarion, is the lone dancer from Pennsylvania on the team. This is her second year of dancing at the World Competition, as she finished sixth in the world for Junior Formation last year.

More information, including videos, can be found on The American Tap Company Facebook Page.