Lake Park Lancettes to compete on ABC ‘Dance-off’

Lake Park High School’s Lancettes are already a state-champion dance team, but now they need your help racking up another honor.

The team will perform live Monday, Nov. 14, on ABC 7 Chicago competing against three other suburban squads chosen for the “Dance Team Dance-off.” Crews will broadcast live from Lake Park’s West Campus main gym that day, and the community is invited to a pep rally that will be broadcast live at 6:45 a.m.

Dance teams from Crystal Lake High School, Maine South High School in Park Ridge and Eisenhower High School in Blue Island also will compete on TV that day.

Viewers can vote for their favorite team from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at abc7chicago.com. The winner will be awarded a trophy and bragging rights the next day on the ABC News Morning Show.

Lancettes’ coach Tara Kirwan, who is also a Lake Park physical education teacher, said the team was chosen based on recommendations from TeamDance Illinois and other community members.

The Lancettes are TeamDance’s defending Class AAA State Grand Champions, and 16 dancers perform in all competitions.

“Right when I heard about it I thought it was awesome and was like ‘We’re in,” Kirwan said.

The team, which holds three-hour practices three times a week, is choreographing a new routine for the contest. The routine will be used in later competitions, Kirwan said, but will debut Nov. 14.

“It’s a lot of hard work and we are not dancing our typical style, which is ballet and lyrical,” she said. “This is a poms routine, which is taking them out of their comfort zone.”