Dance Team Philosophies

The York Dance Ensemble Presented: Space/Time/Line, and a piece in the show that was captivating was Avium Redux choreographed by Susan Lee. The dance was a fourteen-minute number consisting of eighteen dancers. The simplicity of the dancer’s white costumes made the movements clearly visible and captivating. This dance evidently presents all aspects of body, effort, space, shape and time through the dancer’s movement.

“What are you even doing here? I have never seen such flawed technique in all my years as a choreographer.” The words echoed throughout the medical college auditorium. Impelled by the admonishment in front of my peers, I persevered in my endeavor to improve upon my dancing prowess and by the final year of medical school was leading the college dance team. The above mentioned undertaking further spawned an interest for the discipline of Latin Ballroom which lead to participation at the national level. The unwavering focus and persistence even in the face of unfavorable odds is more broadly reflective of my approach towards learning, both academic and extracurricular. This has been instrumental in achieving stellar academic outcomes including being ranked nationally in the top 0.0004 percent in the premedical test and the top 0.6 percent in the common aptitude test for management training.

Everyday, I go into the studio and hear a generous hello from a staff member. If the vibrant dance bags, and leather jet black couches do not make you feel at home, then the dancers will. Mallory Flores is an intern and dancer of 15 years at Encore Studio, and thinks Encore’s sense of community is what makes everyone feel at home whenever they step onto the dance floor. Not only does the sense of community keep the dancers going, but it keeps the business running, as Karen Flores stated she loves how “the people she sees come in and out of the studio have a constant positive energy radiating off of them”. Yet, being at the studio for up to fourteen hours a week for some dancers does not keep them from coming in and enjoying the curriculum taught in class. Not only does it drive the dancers to come to class, but it keeps the teachers motivated to continue to put out their best work too. Angelina Gallo thinks that “The dancers at Encore are so passionate, they are kind, they are genuinely good people… I think a lot of this stems from the dance training and the people that they are surrounded by on a daily basis. The students are my family.” which shows why everyone feels the constant state of security within the

We all can recall our freshmen year, the awkward uncertainty with which we walked the halls, feeling like a foreigner in a place much bigger than what we were used to before entering high school. Some freshmen struggle to keep their heads above water, while some find a sort of lifeboat that gets them through the year. The young ladies of the CHHS Girls Frosh/Soph Basketball Team have been lucky enough to find that lifeline in each other. Oftentimes, the "Frosh/Soph" level of a school sport is seen as a mere stepping stone to bigger and better things. Because of this assumption, we as a student body often fail to praise the successes of our frosh/soph and junior varsity teams. This year, the CHHS Girls Frosh/Soph Basketball Team won league.

“Woodstock Academy Girls Varsity Team”: A program that is more then banners, championships and awards, a program that is built on dedication, excellence and teamwork. Five years ago I found myself at the Bentley Athletic complex, intimidated by the talent that this program exuded. I remember vividly the first day of tryouts. I was 14 years old, I had come from a small private school so I did not know anyone in the school. My parents dropped me off waved good bye and said good luck! I walked slowly with a ball at my feet, water in my bag, and my head down over the table to hand in my paper work. Tryouts started a few minutes later and Amy Cross the head coach of the program at the time gathered all the girls around and introduced the senior class and talked about the expectations of this program. As a team we were required to attend every practice and game ready to work hard for 2 hours, respect towards our

My mouth hung open as I watched the gorgeous, graceful girls leap and twirl across the gym floor during their annual summer mini-camp. From that point forward, I knew that I wanted to be a Chiefette. I studied up on the history of the team, watched every one of their public performances, and enrolled in dance team preparation classes. Each year, the Chiefettes got better and better, and during each dance, their pirouettes and jetes grabbed my heart and carried me with them through their emotional journey. Their movement quality astounded me; I wasn’t exactly sure how a team of so many girls could dance in unison with seemingly effortless grace. I knew from talking to the girls on the elite team that they maintained excellent grades, participated in other school activities and sports, and volunteered within the community. These girls were my idols, and I thought that the only way to have a positive high school experience was to join the dance team. There was no question in my mind that I would be on the team all four years of high school, and because I had prior dance experience, that I would be one of the better dancers on the team. Throughout middle school, I dreamed about the day when I would finally be able to call myself a Chiefette, but I soon realized that I had no idea the amount of hard work and talent that it took to earn that

Since my sophomore year in high school I have been a part of a very unique dance group. This group is known as Alma Folklorica de Oklahoma, which translates to Fokloric soul of Oklahoma. We are a dance group that performs traditional dances from the country of Mexico. In my hometown there is strong Hispanic population, but more predominantly from Mexico. It first started as a community group, but eventually it became a school program. When it began people in the community still were apprehensive of newcomers in the community, mostly to the new coming Hispanic population. It began as a transitional program, mostly to show the beautiful culture of the newcomers. After a couple of years it eventually became a high school class. In the early years of it as a class at the high

When I attended the School of Visual Arts for a pre-college program, I was assigned to a group of four students. We were challenged to make a short film. The obstacles were abundant. Working as a collaborative team was a great experience, but it lent to numerous challenges. Since I had the most experience, I walked a very fine line. I wanted to respect my team’s right to learn through the process, but there were times they either asked for assistance, or I needed to interject commentary in order to guide the process along. Despite every moment in which I delegated or worked a problem out, there was a new disappointment accompanying each scene. It was very challenging to organize cinematography, lighting, sound and acting, and no one in my group could. So I took control, when inaction would have made the group stagnant and our decisions

When I was a child, I believed that my most important goal for my young life was to one day become a varsity cheerleader for my local high school. Nine years later, the day I became a varsity cheerleader, I made a promise to myself that I would never do anything to jeopardize my personal image or the image of my team because I knew that young cheerleaders were always looking to be just like the varsity cheerleaders, and also like myself. This aspiration of mine encouraged my volunteer involvement with the the local recreation department in my county that coordinates youth cheerleaders during each fall football season.

The comfort zone - I was about to leave it. With my heart pounding violently against my chest, I realize that this adrenaline rush is causing my hands to tremble; I am itching to begin. Auditioning for the MRHS Dance Team marked my transition from a girl who hid in the shadows, to a girl who danced in the spotlight.

The most memorable achievement from my athletic career at Dakota High School is an unusual one. It is not an incredible play I made, or an exciting game that we barely won. Rather, it is the impact I made on the young girls watching me from the stands. Throughout my time as a cheerleader at Dakota, I have had the privilege of being a Mini Cheer Camp leader 5 times. During my time as a leader, I was able to not only help the young girls learn more about the sport I love so much, but also teach them to be confident young women. As a young girl, I attended the Mini Cheer Camps put on by the varsity cheerleaders. I remember looking up to these girls and wanting to grow up to be just like them. I admired their intelligence, their charisma, and,

With every experience comes a lesson and I believe that to be true with every life experience that I have been through. Throughout high school especially, I have participated in the important activities that shaped me to be the person I am today. Between the classes that I have taken, the people I have formed friendships with, and the activities I have been a part of, I am someone who has taken lessons from each of those aspects and put them into my daily life to make me a better person.

Imagine standing on a stage, the lights burning your skin as your sweaty hand grasps whoever's sweaty hand is on either side of you. You are finished with your pre-awards rituals, whether it’s singing a song, eating a certain food, or silently begging a higher power for a good result. This is the feeling that every competitive dancer feels as they sit on stage during awards.

Studio culture People who have come to us from other studios all say how different the atmosphere is. We pride ourselves on providing a calm, warm, focussed and positive environment with of course happy students. Students that dance here really love it. The studio culture strives for open communication and engagement with students, parents, and stakeholders, emphasising professionalism, caring, honesty, fun, and teamwork.

An extracurricular activity that I have had the pleasure to take part in for the past five years is the Greenwood College School dance team. Starting off as a new and young member of the team, I often faded in the background and followed the instruction of senior students, showing up to practice and doing the dances as told. During my first two years, in addition to being in various senior choreographed routines, I choreographed a dance alongside girls in my grade, an experience that gave me a basis of teamwork skills including compromise, commitment, open mindedness, reliability and creativity. After I became an experienced member of the team, the coach offered me a position as the team coordinator which I happily accepted. For the past two