Through the Eyes of a Dancer
By:Trista Crittenden
It’s no surprise that people underestimate the headwork, talent and dedication that goes into being a dancer. The PCHS Dance team is always at work from practices, games, assemblies, parades, camps, decorating and competitions! Starting in April, The PCHS dance team tryouts begin. In order to make the team you learn one to two dances, skills and would have an interview with the coaches. After a week of this there is a tryout day where everyone is assigned a number and try’s out with 2-3 other people in front of a panel of selected judges.
There you will be judged on your memorization of the dances and the skills your required to have for the team. This is overall a stressful and overwhelming process. After everyone has tried out Varsity and JV teams will be selected, and some cuts may or may not be made depending on the size of JV. After the teams are decided the team begins working in the summer starting in July. During the summer professional collage dancers from the Universal Dance Association (UDA) come to County. There we spend two days usually the length of a school day working on skills and dances. Throughout the next months we condition, teach freshmen the school song and band drives (sideline dances to entertain the crowd) improve on skills , come up with a Pigskin dance, come up with a freshmen orientation dance and start working on a competition dance for the CHASSA State Spirit Championships which take place in December.
The dance team is relentless with practice. After school starts, we begin preparing new dances for football games including Homecoming and every Hornet home game! We also participate in parades, poster decorating and assemblies. During the months of September and December we are attending competitions which usually take place on the weekends. During the weeks we have practices Monday through Thursday and some Fridays. That means the only day we have for homework are Sundays, if we have a competition. On top of that, most of the team participates in outside studio dances. Sophomore and Varsity dancer, Kaitlyn Cooper, are one of the many, “I dance Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and usually get home at 10 every night.” Cooper also states its incredibly stressful and overwhelming.
After football season there’s, basketball games which are on Tuesdays, Fridays and occasionally Thursdays. On those days we don’t get home until after the Varsity game which usually ends about 8:30-9. Then we have to drive home, eat, do homework and get ready for school. Our season doesn’t stop there! After basketball season we attend any assembly that is appropriate for the dance team to participate in. Our season doesn’t officially end until March. On top of all of that, tryouts take place again in April restarting the endless cycle of being a dancer. It takes a passionate dancer to be on the team considering all the hard work, dedication and commitment we do! We are around each other so much, that our bond is like no other. Varsity and Senior Captain Abigail Schmidt states, “Any time we dance we put or full heart and effort into the dance. We dance for each other which makes us stronger than most teams, we are willing to do whatever it takes to put out the best dance possible!” Despite all the work we do I would never regret joining the PCHS dance team. We all share a common interest and the love we have for each other is special. If I wasn’t on the, team not only would I be losing my love for dance but also my family.
It’s no surprise that people underestimate the headwork, talent and dedication that goes into being a dancer. The PCHS Dance team is always at work from practices, games, assemblies, parades, camps, decorating and competitions! Starting in April, The PCHS dance team tryouts begin. In order to make the team you learn one to two dances, skills and would have an interview with the coaches. After a week of this there is a tryout day where everyone is assigned a number and try’s out with 2-3 other people in front of a panel of selected judges.
There you will be judged on your memorization of the dances and the skills your required to have for the team. This is overall a stressful and overwhelming process. After everyone has tried out Varsity and JV teams will be selected, and some cuts may or may not be made depending on the size of JV. After the teams are decided the team begins working in the summer starting in July. During the summer professional collage dancers from the Universal Dance Association (UDA) come to County. There we spend two days usually the length of a school day working on skills and dances. Throughout the next months we condition, teach freshmen the school song and band drives (sideline dances to entertain the crowd) improve on skills , come up with a Pigskin dance, come up with a freshmen orientation dance and start working on a competition dance for the CHASSA State Spirit Championships which take place in December.
The dance team is relentless with practice. After school starts, we begin preparing new dances for football games including Homecoming and every Hornet home game! We also participate in parades, poster decorating and assemblies. During the months of September and December we are attending competitions which usually take place on the weekends. During the weeks we have practices Monday through Thursday and some Fridays. That means the only day we have for homework are Sundays, if we have a competition. On top of that, most of the team participates in outside studio dances. Sophomore and Varsity dancer, Kaitlyn Cooper, are one of the many, “I dance Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and usually get home at 10 every night.” Cooper also states its incredibly stressful and overwhelming.
After football season there’s, basketball games which are on Tuesdays, Fridays and occasionally Thursdays. On those days we don’t get home until after the Varsity game which usually ends about 8:30-9. Then we have to drive home, eat, do homework and get ready for school. Our season doesn’t stop there! After basketball season we attend any assembly that is appropriate for the dance team to participate in. Our season doesn’t officially end until March. On top of all of that, tryouts take place again in April restarting the endless cycle of being a dancer. It takes a passionate dancer to be on the team considering all the hard work, dedication and commitment we do! We are around each other so much, that our bond is like no other. Varsity and Senior Captain Abigail Schmidt states, “Any time we dance we put or full heart and effort into the dance. We dance for each other which makes us stronger than most teams, we are willing to do whatever it takes to put out the best dance possible!” Despite all the work we do I would never regret joining the PCHS dance team. We all share a common interest and the love we have for each other is special. If I wasn’t on the, team not only would I be losing my love for dance but also my family.