Dance team performs at the winter pep assembly
February 18, 2017
One last time before stepping onto the floor, senior Bree Knieriem imagines the routine in her head, just waiting for the announcement to boom over the speakers. Today, the stage is a gymnasium, but the team will not complain; they will dance.
“I want the audience to see the dance team as positive entertainers and performers,” junior Alexis Jackson said. “We work hard and practice for the purpose of them enjoying what we have to show them. During and after the dance team performs, I want the audience to feel excited and blown away by the things that we do during the performances and the hard work that we put into doing it.”
The Adrenaline dance team originated in 2005, bringing a new element to halftime shows and pep rallies. For the winter pep rally, it is tradition to incorporate guys into their routine, some of the guys have no past dancing experience.
“I have never danced before,” senior Michael Volz said, “but I like dancing with them a lot. They are very talented and passionate about it, they put in a lot of work.”
The team of 11 has met in the band room and gymnasiums for practices on weekends to rehearse at for their performances. Several of the members practice at their own studios as well.
“Practice is absolutely necessary as an individual and as a group on the dance team,” Jackson said. “The more I practice, the more confident I feel when it comes time to perform. If you practice a lot and prepare well, when it comes time to perform all you really have to think about is your face which makes performing a lot easier because the routine already engraved in your head.”
Practice is required to participate on the team, hours are put into technical movements and piecing the routine together. When it comes to team bonding, the girls sometimes gather at one member’s house to eat and relax with one another.
“This year I feel like we have developed a lot,” Knieriem said. “We have all always gotten along from day one, which is important with dance because you have to connect with the girls around you; all the girls are so talented. From the start, I think we only progressed in being in sync and closer as a dance family.”
As a whole, the team decides what kind of mood they want to set for the audience based on the style of music they dance to and how they execute the movements.
“I like jazz because the music is more upbeat and exciting,” sophomore Alaina Combs said. “In jazz we do a lot of kicks, leaps, turns, and more. I dance because it is so fun and I can express myself through what I love to do. I think I’ve stuck with dance so long because dancing is great especially when you dance with all of your friends.”
From jazz to hip-hop to contemporary, dancers use different styles and speeds to express how they feel, maintaining the ability to tell a story through their movements.
“I like dancing because I can express how I’m feeling through dance,” freshman Olivia Battaglia said. “Even if how I’m dancing isn’t how I’m feeling. It gets out any anger and it helps me forget about what’s happening at school, like stress.”
Adrenaline performs during halftime on Friday home basketball games for the boys varsity team. Their high school season is over, girls will resume dancing at studios.
