High school teams dance their hearts out at regionals
From the music of British songstress Adele and hip hop star Nicki Minaj, to the theme of “Rocky” and a remix of “Twist and Shout,” there was a little for everyone at Saturday's dance competition at Jacobs High School in Algonquin.
Forty-three teams competed in the TeamDance Illinois “Lovin' It” Regional Competition and the TDC Midwest Championship hosted Saturday by Jacobs High School in Algonquin.
This was one of 29 TDI regional competitions from Nov. 1 through the end of the season in mid-February.
The dancers mesmerized spectators — mostly relatives who came to cheer on their loved ones — as they performed intricate choreographies while donning colorful costumes and even a little face paint.
The host team took first place in the open pom 4A category, and second place in the hip hop 4A category behind Whitney M. Young Magnet High School by just 0.40 points.
“We had a really good day. We had our highest score ever so we're really excited,” said Jacobs coach Allison Preston. “One of the judges asked me if I won a Grammy, I was so happy.”
Dundee-Crown High School senior Marissa Nemec said the team made a qualitative jump this year. “We made so much improvement this year,” Nemec said. “We are really happy.”
The school qualified for the TDI state competition in open dance and hip hop under the direction of first-year coach Dana Mortensen.
“They started learning the routine at the end of September, and after each competition we make minor changes,” Mortensen said. “They worked really hard.”
Teams competed in the hip hop, open dance, open pom, straight pom, kick and lyrical categories, said competition co-president Ramona Kitching, of Batavia.
Saturday's performances were evaluated by four judges; two judges scored the teams on artistic merits such as musicality, choreography and stage presence, while the other two looked at technical skills such as form balance and ensemble accuracy.
Each judge also used a small camera mounted on a tripod to record the performances with a running commentary. The recordings are then used as feedback by the coaches, Kitching said. “We always want them to grow,” she said. “(The dancers) are always competing against themselves first and foremost.”
Parents Beth Koch and Dawn Latakas have daughters who are members of the Antioch High School dance team, which qualified for the state competition in kick and open dance after their first competition in December.
“They work extra hard, they put a lot of hours in it,” Koch said. “We are very proud of them.”