High school teams competing in dancing competition

BLOOMINGTON — For those Illinois high school students who fashion themselves great dancers, the time has arrived to prove it.

The Illinois High School Association will hold its first ever state dancing championships this weekend at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, with the preliminary rounds on Friday and the finals on Saturday.

More than 200 teams have taken part and last week, the sectional competitions around the state whittled the original field down to 91 teams.

On Friday and Saturday, the teams, each with as many as 28 members, will perform routines in a variety of dance styles, including jazz, hip hop, kick, or combinations of various styles. They will be judged on technique, choreography, synchronization, musicality, formations, transitions and overall effect.