Dance Team started with practices in June and finally wrapped up in February. After many (many, many) practices, basketball games, team activities, and competitions, the season concluded at the IDTA state competition in Springfield.
Here's a little taste of the photo shoot that I talked about in the "too much" blog post. The pictures turned out cool...but it's still too much.
Staley's favorite part of dance was performing at the competitions. This season, she preferred the jazz routine to the lyrical routine. She got to do her firebird jump and her standing split during the jazz routine. And, unsurprisingly, her showmanship was always top notch.
They also performed at all the middle school home boys' basketball games. Staley told me that she found dancing at basketball games a little more awkward because the spectators weren't really sure what to do. There is truth in that statement...at competitions, people are there to see the dancing. Generally, at basketball games, that's not as true.
None of Staley's closest friends were on the dance team, but she enjoyed all the girls on the team and got to know them better throughout the season. (With as much time as they spent together over the past 7 months, getting to know them better was inevitable.) It seemed like a nice, low-drama group of girls.
Although dance team was a very time-intensive activity, Staley improved so much with her dancing skills and her technique. For never taking true dance classes other than theater before, Staley's grace, body control, strength, flexibility, and dance ability was truly astounding to me.
The middle school competition team qualified both their jazz and lyrical routines for state throughout the season and ended the season by placing around 8th in the state for both.
The state festivities included a week of dress up days, state signs, state send-off at school, and a fun night in a hotel before the marathon day that is known as IDTA state. It literally starts around 8 in the morning and ends around 11 at night. Last year I stayed through the awards. This year...not so much.
Staley's leaps and turns were skills that she really improved upon throughout the season. I think her strong legs from running helped her leaps while working on leaps probably helped make her stronger for running.
Although Staley enjoyed dance, the time investment was too great to continue in high school, so her dance team career ended after state. Cross country, track, theater, and quizzing all ranked higher on Staley's priority list of activities, so dance team didn't make the cut.
It was two good years of dancing, making friends, competing, improving, and growing as a dancer and a performer.
Farewell, Dance Team. It was a good run. But I will say, I'm definitely looking forward to some more scheduling freedoms this summer and next winter!
