The Dance Team season has come to a close. Between the postponing of States and the DT’s showcase in late March, their season has been longer than previous years.
Originally States was to be held on March 1 at the St. John’s Arena in Columbus. However, due to weather conditions the competition was postponed. For one week, the teams were unsure of when and where the competition was going to be held so they stuck to practicing and perfecting their dances to be fully ready for States.
“Practice before States was intense for the whole team and we worked our hardest during that time; it paid off in the end because at States we were able to give our best performance,” junior Emily Lu said.
The next week, the team was notified that the competition would be held at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green on March 16. Although it didn’t have the same feel to previous State trips, the girls were excited to have fans close for support, according to sophomore Kenzie Isola.
The NVDT’s first dance was in the Hip Hop category. The girls were the second dance of the whole competition. They put their all into the routine and hit every move and came off the floor confident in their performance.
The girls had a quick outfit and hair change before going on to perform a jazz number to Frozen’s Let It Go. With synchronized lifts and turns, the girls came off the floor once again fairly confident in their performance, according to junior Morgan Korn.
Their final routine was Pom. From the moment the music started to the final count of music, the girls hit every motion in unison and with great strength. Principal Steve Swaggerty said that it was “a flawless performance.” Both Coach Erin Stedcke and the dancers couldn’t have been more proud of their hard work, dedication, and performance of Pom, according to senior Maddie Rutter.
“I am so proud of the team and the way they came together for States. The Pom routine showed the hours we spent on precision, timing and technical execution. The girls put their hearts and souls on the dance floor and showed it,” Coach Stedcke said.
At the awards, the NVDT sat in a circle on the floor huddled together holding hands as they called off placements. They placed third in Pom, fourth in Jazz, and fifth in Hip Hop.
“It was upsetting at first to hear that we didn’t place higher but we did our best and gave it our all and I couldn’t be prouder,” sophomore Sammi Klinger said.
The NVDT has been to States three times in school history. All three of these times were in the last three years. In 2012, the team placed second in Hip Hop and only qualified for States in that category. Last year the girls placed third in Jazz, fourth in Pom, and sixth in Hip Hop. The team made great improvements this year and hope to continue in that direction.
After the State competition, the DT held their second annual showcase in the Northview Performing Arts Center on March 21. The showcase consisted of all dances performanced this year as well as dance and baton solos, duos and trios from girls on the team. Guest performances included Off Broadway, Toledo Ballet, University of Toledo Dance Team and Irish dancers.
“I’m glad that I got to be a part of the Dance Team this year. We had a very successful season and I can’t wait until next year,” freshman Libby Sadowski said.
The showcase was the last performance for the NVDT and the last performance for the seniors.
“Being a senior, the showcase was a bittersweet feeling it was all the senior’s last performance but it was a great ending to my dancing career. We gave the best performance we could and I’m proud of all that our team accomplished this year,” senior Caroline Fleck said.
Emma Crandall Staff Writer
