Dance teams prepare for the big stage

By Jason Olson
SportsPrepZone Editor

Later this week three area dance teams will take to the floor of the Target Center to perform as part of the State Dance Tournament.

Anoka , Blaine and Spring Lake Park earned their spots in the state meet after finishing in the top three spots of their respective section in two styles: high kick and jazz/funk.

Each year teams use their creativity to create what they hope to be the most eye-catching, original and precisely performed routines during their four minutes on the floor at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Park won the Section 3AAA jazz funk and high kick titles in their first season at the big-school class. Blaine captured the Section 4AAA jazz funk title with Anoka placing second qualifying both teams for the Feb. 12-13 state meet.

Anoka
Anyone who has been to a dance team performance knows acapella isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Typically, the song follows the latest pop craze or staple dance club anthem. Anoka 's approach is a fresh take that uses one voice, Amanda Warshall for her hit, "Inside the Tornado."

Besides the properly named track for Anoka , getting the timing down on a song that didn't have a down beat was tough.

"It's difficult not having beats, but the girls have really rose to the challenge," said coach Amy Hughes, who took over as head coach last season, resulting in an eighth-place finish in jazz funk last winter. "This group of girls have been great to work with. They're really working extremely hard and are very focused and dedicated.

"I think part of it is because they saw what is possible from going to state last season and having such a tough routine has helped drive them to stay so determined all season."

This is Hughes' fourth season of coaching the Twisters in some capacity, making this year a tougher one with seven seniors on their final season. "This is the biggest class of seniors we've had since I took over," she said. "And a lot of them I've coached since sixth grade at the studio. So that makes the end of this season even more tough."

Anoka placed fourth overall in the Northwest Suburban Conference standings, highlighted by a second place performance at the Blaine Invite.

After making it to state last season, this year's goal is to break into the finals, which means a spot in the top six and a second chance to perform for the judges.

Having a routine that stands out from the rest will help. "It's really something different, but it is something for people to remember," said senior captain Carrie Taylor during a Feb. 4 practice.

The initial crowd reactions have been predictable. "A lot of people are confused with it when we start," said senior captain Michelle Mohr. "But once they see the whole dance they really like it because it's creative."

Having a much more technically difficult routine plays into the Twisters' strengths.

"We have a lot studio dance experience so the key for this dance is getting the turns together and just dancing as a team," Taylor said as they practice on the gym floor at the same time as the basketball teams and their distracting bouncing balls.
 
Blaine
Blaine performed its jazz funk routine to Train's hit "Calling All Angels" and the high kick routine gave fans baseball fever, performing to the John Foggerty hit "Centerfield" in full baseball attire with caps, pants and even stir-ups.

The section jazz funk championship dance provided motivation each day to the performers. "One phrase says 'I won't give up, if you don't give up,' we used that to motivate the team. As a team you have to work together and if one person gives up, it will affect the whole team. It has to be everyone putting in 100 percent. So the words in the song can really help the dancers to have strong performances," said  Blaine coach Trina Develice.

And it's that emotion that Blaine put into refining its jazz routine to earn one of 12 spots at the state meet.

She said both dances served their respective purpose. "Song choice is one of the hardest decisions. They have to be something that the dancers can get into and something that will draw in interest from spectators and judges," she said the process was a mix of listening to songs then narrowing the choices down by choreographing each song to find the perfect fit.

The last few years many teams have picked themes for their high kick choices. "It helps in the creative category under choreography. We thought baseball would be a fun one," she said. "'Centerfield' is a fun song and is also the one the spectators know and can get into."

The result was, "One of the strongest kick routines we have had," Develice said. "Our section is very tough, sometimes there are teams who are strong who don't advance because only the top three advance in each category and we were fourth."

Senior captains Chelsea Banken and Lacie Micek agreed. "It's kind of sad that we aren't going to state (in high kick) but our jazz funk routine gives us a lot of power and energy," Micek said. "Each year (high) kick sections is harder and more competitive."

Having the chance to dance on the state's biggest stage is a thrill. "It's like the top of the cake because we've worked so hard since October for three-and-a-half minutes," Micek said. "It's really an adrenaline rush to perform there."

Spring Lake Park
Three state titles between 2005-2007 means Spring Lake Park developed a reputation as one of the premier Class AA dance programs in the state.

This season the team moved up to the big-schools and is holding its own in Class AAA by winning the section crown in both high kick and jazz funk categories for the first time in program history.

"It was quite incredible to win in both," said jazz funk coach Alyssa Hadsall. "I think one huge difference for the team this year is that for the first time in four years we knew that going to state was not guaranteed for us.  Moving up to AAA has really opened up the team members' eyes. When they went out to dance, they danced as if it was their last time because it very well could have been."

Park performed its jazz routine to Train's "Drops of Jupiter" and the high kick routine to the funky "Jailhouse Rock" anthem.

The move seemed to ignite a deeper passion across the squad to turn it up a notch.

"Moving up to AAA has lit a fire under the girls," Hadsall said. "They want to prove that they are great dancers as well. It was been an adjustment but they are enjoying the challenge and uncertainty that comes with being a part of AAA."

Besides joining the class with the largest school enrollment numbers, the biggest difference is the consistency in the quality of dancers across the board. "The style of dance is different which we have had to adjust, but we're enjoying greatly. The other big difference is that with the big schools inevitably comes more dancers and more talent. Within some of the big schools it seems that the talent on their teams is very consistent but with smaller schools there are not as many dancers in the school so the level of talent on teams varies."

Hadsall said one of the reasons for the recent success is the commitment level during and after high school. "As coaches we really care about the team. Of the five winter coaches, four of us are former team members with a fifth who coached the other four when they were on the team," she said.

The toughest part of the season for the Pantherettes came at the Mounds View Invitational in late January.

"The team did not score or place how they were expecting," Hadsall said. "It caused the girls to step up and push it in practices. For the kick team the toughest part has been injuries."

Hadsall, a 2005 Park graduate, said she hasn't, "been this excited about going to state since I was on the team in 2005. The girls are overjoyed and felt vindicated; their hard work was paying off."


Jason Olson is at jason.olson@ecm-inc.com.