By Jayna Hill Posted February 18, 2009
Dancing is more than moving around; not only does dance require muscle strength and technique, it takes determination, will power, grace, and dedication. Anyone can be a good dancer if they truly put their mind to it and with practice of course. But the best dancers not only practice for hours a day, but they also dance from their hearts.
Although there are many types of dance, the most well known at Lowry is the dance team. The dance team spends at least an hour and a half a day perfecting their dances.
Coach Jane Studebaker said, “To complete one full dance it usually takes the girls about a week, sometimes longer or shorter all depending on the difficulty of the certain piece.”
Studebaker enlightens us on how she feels about dedication “You can come here and be a dancer but the more dancing you do outside of school, the better perfected you will be in everything. You will be more dedicated to the point of making it to practice on time, and wanting to be good. I think the girls that just come here and think it is just something to do in school; don’t take it as seriously.”
“Dance team usually lasts all year long, so dedication is vital for a good team,” said varsity dance team captain, Camille Lyon. “We sometimes have to extend our practices to the weekends or make them last later.”
However, there are many other forms of dance besides the dance team. For example, studio dance is taken by a couple of the dance team members. I attend classes four nights a week at a dance studio, so I know first hand the immense dedication that is involved.
Styles such as ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, ballroom, technique, hip-hop, and more are taught at the studio Encore Dance Academy. It is a great thing to get involved in whether you want to do it to improve your dance technique, or just to have fun.
