High school dance teams step it up at Wheaton North contest
Wheaton North High School senior Mary Grace Exner said one of the things she likes about the school's dance team is the spirit of teamwork it fosters.
“We're really in it together,” Exner said. “You can't get frustrated and let individual problems get in the way,”
Exner and the rest of the Wheaton North Dance Team were among the 57 teams who competed Sunday in the ninth annual dance competition at the school. The contest was one of several area qualifying events happening this winter for the TeamDance Illinois state tournament coming up in Peoria on March 6.
Wheaton North's team had two routines planned — a routine in the pom category that paid tribute to Chicago's sports teams, and a hip-hop routine that required the dancers to put on serious game faces.
“The hip-hop number is all about intensity,” said Wheaton North senior Gianna Bianco. “It's got an intimidating sound, and we have to show that intensity on our faces.”
“Plus, it has lots of tricks and tumbling moves,” Exner added. “That will be a cool routine.”
Sunday's competition featured schools from all over the suburbs. More than 100 routines were performed during the daylong event. The teams performed routines in at least one of six divisions: pom, open pom, kick, hip hop, lyrical and open dance.
St. Francis High School in Wheaton performed a routine to the song “This Woman's Work,” by Greg Laswell.
“I feel pretty confident about it,” St. Francis senior Courtney Windisch, a St. Charles resident, said after the routine. “We performed it pretty well.”
Dance teams have become more popular and competitive in recent years, said Wheaton North coach Melissa Pierceall. She pointed to the stands filled with parents and other fans screaming and cheering for their teams.
Exner said she was attracted to the sport because it combined elements of cheerleading and gymnastics, activities she'd been involved in before high school.
“It's really fun,” she said. “I'm going to (College of DuPage) after graduation, and I hope I can continue doing this type of dancing.”