by Norm Ramil / 8ca.music.person & dance.fan If you look at the IHSA era of our sport, one of the best turnaround stories is Waubonsie Valley. These days, they’re a team you worry about at sectionals, a team you’ll probably…
by Norm Ramil / 8ca.music.person & dance.fan Time for another round of Illinois dance trivia. Name a team that didn’t get to Bloomington but did dance in Orlando at Nationals, and stunned the rest of their high-powered dance conference along…
by Norm Ramil / 8ca.music.person & dance.fan Our first ever featured dancer here on the 8CA dance blog calls one of the Chicago area’s current dance hotspots home. The 2010s have been Naperville’s time to shine in the Illinois Dance…
slide 1: St. Charles North We celebrated an amazing 4 years with these 7 seniors at the banquet on March 15th. One of the most gifted groups of seniors I’ve ever seen and had the honor to work for. slide…
slide 1: Minooka These smart dancers want to see the video ASAP after taking 1st against some tough competition at Huntley on January 6th. slide 2: Glenbard West The Hilltoppers Varsity and JV dancers teamed up for their hip hop…
by Norm Ramil / 8ca.music.person & dance.fan The last time Libertyville didn’t dance at a state contest, some freshmen on the team probably hadn’t hit their first birthdays yet. Since then, 2A teams across the Chicago area have had to…
slide 1: Hillsboro (Missouri) The Hawkettes were our first Missouri dance team ever featured on the 8CA blog last summer! This pic is from their 2018 state comp. Missouri dance teams compete in the Missouri Dance Team Association throughout the…
slide 1: Genoa-Kingston This 1A star program took a year off the scene but were back to their awesome ways this past season. This shot is on Warren’s dance floor on December 17th. slide 2: Geneva JV I’ve learned this…
slide 1: Vernon Hills The thing about the VH dance program is that no matter how the season starts, they’re strong and potent in January. This moment is from 1/12 after a good day at Rolling Meadows slide 2: Mundelein…
slide 1: Cary-Grove Every summer these D-155 star athletes come down to (630) territory to shine at UDA camp in Wheaton. We all know their jazz and lyrical talents from comp season, but these ladies rock the pom style at…
slide 1: Start The Beat competition IDTA hosts a solos/small groups competition to kick off the comp season in October. One of the dancers this past fall at the Jacksonville event is this soloist, listed as Haley Greibart performing in…
slide 1: Sycamore Sycamore’s been a state contender for several years and they took a step forward during the ’17-’18 season. This artistic moment is from their 2A sectional this past January at Huntley. slide 2: Grayslake Central On the…
slide 1: Conant Sure, they could’ve gone with Cougarettes, but 40-some years ago the poms team at Conant picked the Charrelles! They left the Stevenson comp with some nice accessories signifying a good day in the final rankings. slide 2:…
slide 1: Lemont Thanks goes out to the team for sending in this moment of celebration after a good day at the December 1st Eisenhower competition! slide 2: Rochelle Many of the northern Illinois teams who aren’t from Chicago tend…
slide 1: Fremd This team’s always a contender but they really stepped it up this year. Just a couple weeks before this Day 2 IHSA state moment, Fremd picked up the MSL conference title. slide 2: Stagg Photo cred to…
by Norm Ramil / 8ca.music.person & dance.fan Quick, name a few teams that have gone to IHSA state in each of the past 5 seasons. Prospect doesn’t automatically pop into your head, but they’re proudly on that list. The 2018-19…
slide 1: Bartlett Their lyrical was gorgeous but we can’t overlook this team’s very good jazz work. This shot is from the Waubonsie comp on December 8th. slide 2: Casey-Westfield Solid tilt action at IDTA state back on February 9th!…
slide 1: Sandburg We’ve seen the long-line, artistic, free-form pose in a few routines over the past several seasons and it always looks great. Here’s Sandburg doing it for the home crowd at halftime on December 18th. slide 2: Riverside-Brookfield…
slide 1: Lake Forest These dancers are popular in the IL Dance Community and they routinely back it up when they hit the comp floor. This pic has them celebrating a good day at the Glenbrook South comp on December…
slide 1: Somonauk It was quite the drive out to rural southern DeKalb County on a crazy-cold night of December 17th, but I really wanted to find out more about this team after its breakout season in 2017-18. This shot…