Dance final draft

I have danced my whole life. It is what I really love to do. I took many different styles of dance before I was in high school to improve my variety and technique. But when I got to high school everything was so different than it was before. I was used to dance at a dance studio where you pay to go there. You compete at dance competitions and you go to nationals in the summer, then you repeat the process again. In high school, dance is considered a sport by the Minnesota state high school league, even though people don’t respect the hard work and effort that we do, enough to call it a sport. But never the less it is a sport. Everything immediately became more intense. Practices were harder and you were pushed to improve more in a week than you would in months of studio. Everyday we were pushed with a fire and a will that I hadn’t experienced. It was the will and the fire to win. Everyone who wanted to be there wanted to win, and by the teams previous track record not winning wasn’t an option, it was just something we had to do. “We are all really dedicated and all want to work as hard as we can, its just what we do” said by senior Katie Scheidler.

Once I started high school dance there were so many other opportunities to improve. And a dancers year was really split up into 5 sections. The first part of the year is the summer phase. People are tired from the previous school year and want to rest but being a dancer you have to constantly be honing your skills or you will lose them. “I am constantly practicing my skills and other styles to keep my variety up” Erica Tramonte explains. So right away first week of summer you start with district camps. It is a week or two of just straight dance classes, you come stretch work on skills and then learn a combo (a short dance combination). You work hard and improve there is nothing more to it. The next part of the summer is JFK (Just For Kix) camp and practices. This is when we learn our homecoming routine and JFK competition dance. It is three days of intense practices followed by a four day intensive camp. You dance for 8 hours a day and bond with the team. After JFK the team goes to Larkin to train with the best dance instructors in the Midwest for two weeks. Its hard but most would say that they grow the most as dancers in those two weeks than in any other part of the year.

Then starts the second phase of the year, fall season. Fall season, for those that are really in dance team for the long haul, is really our training time for winter season. We build our endurance, strengthen our skills and practice our performances. We perform at all of the home games and learn many new routines. Fall season is usually more low stress and fun than other parts of the year. We are all just coming together as a team and getting to know each other.

The third part of the year is by far the hardest and is the most intense and physically demanding, our winter season. Right away on the first day we are already competing. We are re trying out and competing for those 30 spots on varsity. Everything we do during this season has a purpose and a greater meaning. We repeat and repeat and run and drill to condition our bodies to do our routines perfectly because making a mistake is not ok. Making a mistake can mean the difference between 1st and 4th place. The season is so competitive and mentally draining but if you make it through it is always worth it in the end. Even if there is no medal around your neck.

The next and some people would say the most fun part of a dancers year is Bravo! It is low stress for us and after winter season low stress is needed. Dancers also love bravo because it I just dancing. There are no strings attached. There is no expectation and you can just dance because you like it. “Bravo is the most fun part of the year. I will show up hours early for bravo and stay as long as they want me to because I love it so much” junior Renee Dahlberg explains. “We just get to dance and there is no competitive environment, we do it because we love it” Erica Tramonte.
The final part of the year is the spring dance show. This is also just for fun with no stress or competition. We get to take the styles we like and dance to the music we choose. You get to dance with all of your other friends that are in dance tech. As a senior it will be nice to have this last experience dancing in high school because I know it will be a good one and I will get to dance with all of my friends one last time.

This year as a dancer everything changes. We don’t just do the process to repeat it again, after the year is over we are done. Some of the girls on the team are then done dancing for good, some will move on to dance in college. I am planning on dancing in college, and the thought of having a new routine and schedule is so exciting. I will be trying something totally new. But for me to continue dancing I need to keep myself in shape for the time being. Usually what happens is that we don’t work out and have the thought in our brain that fall and winter season have to start sometime so I will just get in shape then. We don’t have that this year so we really have to push ourselves to keep in shape and keep dancing.

Dancing is what I really love to do. It is expressive and it keeps me in shape. I would never trade it for any other sport or activity this school has to offer. The lessons and skills I learned from being on a team and working together so closely with so many girls will stay with me forever. I am excited though to continue my dance career next year in college. I need a change and change is always good. And as a dancer you always need change to keep your skill growing.