Dance team to hold mid-season tryouts

Bel Wilcoxen, Photo Editor

In past years, the dance team has hosted its tryouts in the spring, causing students who arrived in the summer to miss team tryouts. This year is the first time that the dance team will host a fall tryout, allowing new students to get a chance on the team.

The dance team tryouts are normally in March, right before spring break,” head coach Katie Halsey said. “The tryouts are early in the spring to let the dancers, who may be interested in another spring sport, pursue that spring sport.”

In the summer, the dance team attends camp. The team has to take an original dance to camp, and learns a team routine during the week. Having tryouts the year before makes taking routines to camp easier, but this year, the team noticed that new students want to try out.

It has come to my attention that there are students who entered our community and/or district mid-summer, and were not able to tryout in the spring,” Halsey said.

Halsey said she doesn’t know what to expect out of the tryouts.

“I’ve never had a mid-season tryout, so this is a first,” Halsey said. “I discussed having this tryout with the team, and we are open to the possibilities of having any new member/members join the team.”

The fall tryouts will be the same as in the spring. Prospective members will be required to show various technique skills such as leaps, turns and kicks. They will also be required to show the judges the dance they learned during the week’s clinic.There are four different styles included in the tryout dance: pom, kick, hip-hop and jazz. At the end of the tryout, dancers will have an opportunity to show off their own choreography, and skills. The judges will decide on the new members, which will be posted later on the day of tryouts.

Senior captain Keirstyn Reynolds said she is thrilled with this new tryout system.

“I think it’s a really great opportunity for the people who are new to the school, and didn’t get the chance to try out the year before,” Reynolds said. “I’m really excited to see how it turns out.”

The dance team’s first performance with the new members will be at the first home basketball game Dec. 2.

The clinics will be held at the Kane Community Center in the gym 3 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 12-14. Tryouts will be after the clinic Friday at 5 p.m.